Susan Asks:

I just stumbled on your site while doing a search, and I wonder if you can answer this question. The victim in my latest book has been pushed through a hole in an ice-covered lake. She drowns, and her body slips under the ice. Her body is not found for two days. Would the body literally be frozen, to the point that it would have to be thawed before an autopsy could be conducted? Or would it just be really, really cold?

Jordyn Says:

Hi Susan! Thanks for sending me our question.

My opinion is that the body would not freeze and would not need to be thawed for autopsy.

In researching this— it appears that water underneath an ice sheath on a frozen lake (though still really cold) is not at 32 degrees F but could be as warm as 40 degrees F. Since fish are cold-blooded and will take on the temperature of their environment and their tissue doesn’t freeze– then I don’t believe a deceased human’s would either.

Best of luck with your story!