Handschuhe an Leichenhänden

After finding parts of corpses with the particularity of gloved hands, the question arose as to the modus operandi of the perpetrator and the background of this special finding. Whether medical laypersons can put on commercially available examination gloves on corpses hands without damaging them had not yet been scientifically investigated.
Therefore, a series of experiments was initiated to test the slipping over of gloves on corpses with and without rigor mortis using six different commercially available disposable gloves (n tests = 80).
The average time to slip over the gloves was approximately one minute. Defects in the area of the cuff, the back of the glove and/or the thumb were found on seven gloves (8.8%) afterwards. Such defects were produced independently to professional experience in handling of corpses.
Even a person untrained in handling corpses is quickly able to put on disposable gloves on a corpse hand. The motivation behind this must be evaluated separately for each death case.