This is part 5 of a possible timeline of the last two days of the Dyatlov group is drafted, assuming:
1. The maps below reflect the situation.
2. No outsiders have entered the map until the arrival of the first search party.
3. The members of the Dyatlov group have acted as ‘may be expected’.
4. No internal violence within the group.
5. No manipulation with the photos from the search parties and from the mortuary.
6. The information in the autopsy reports reflects the professional findings of the coroner.
Remark:The tent had provided room for 10 group members: these series of post on the “Last two days of the Dyatlov group” reserve one place for a tenth group member, who might/may have left the tent site with the purpose to return to Ushma and/or 2nd settlement to ask for support and/or to make an alert to the authorities. This return had been feasible – on skies and with some additional food in the rucksack – for a fit group member without any need to take care of campsites at the beginning and at end of the day.
2 February 1959Around 8:30 pmSunset. Probably/maybe it had been a sunny morning and a cloudy afternoon, temperatures a several degrees Celsius below zero.
During the night, the possible injury of Zinaida (or Rustem) had not worsened.
Maybe a faint wind from the northeast. If so Zinaida and Rustem had not smelt any smoke from a campfire near the ravine. This had included that the campfire had died out: a very bad sign for the fate of the group members in the ravine.
Zinaida and Rustem had started a brief breakfast and they had prepared a packet of food for lunch.
A few hundred meters from the ravine, the body core temperature of Igor had dropped to 25 degrees Celsius. His heartbeat had stopped; recovery had only been possible in a specialised hospital with care.
Around 9:00 pmZinaida and Rustem had make preparation for walking to the ravine.
Zinaida and Rustem had been found properly dresser for a retour trip to the ravine, that might have lasted until lunchtime (during daytime on a sunlit day).
In these daytime, sunlit conditions, both had been well able to maintain their body core temperature at 37 degrees Celsius until lunchtime by moving around and performing activities.
Very probably Zinaida and Rustem had been aware that the second half of the walk to ravine would be icy, because (the top layer of) the snow had melted by the pressure wave and refrozen as icy.
The Dyatlov group had no crampons with them on the tour.
Zinaida and Rustem had walked on socks to have a better grip on the probably refrozen snow downhill. See for an explanation:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2010/mar/09/improbable-research-icy-socks-over-shoesIn case the Dyatlov group had consisted of 10 group members on February 1st around 15:00 pm (and this 10th group member had spent de night together with Zinaida and Rustem), it had been agreed that this 10th group member had prepared to leave to Ushma, 2nd settlement and later to Ivdel for notifying the authorities of the events during the tour until that moment.
Zinaida and Rustem had walked each on both sides of the footsteps made by the other seven group members the day before. Now the footsteps by 9 group members had been made as found by the first search party.
Around 9:30 pmProbably Zinaida and Rustem had quickly found the lifeless bodies of Alexander, Lyudmila, Semyon, and Thibo.
After recovering from the emotional shock, Zinaida and Rustem had probably placed the lifeless bodies of Alexander, Semyon, and Thibo on the same place as they had been found by the second search party.
It is likely that Semyon had been dropped by accident while being transferred from the den to the creek (or from the creek to the mortuary), because on the photo in the mortuary, his ribcage – already broken before by the blast wave – had been severely indented/deformed.
These three the lifeless bodies had been placed there (on top of the creek at the upper edge of the ravine) for the purpose of being found later.
Very probably Lyudmila had been lying at the bottom of the ravine in/near the creek.
The posture of her body suggests that Zinaida and Rustem had tried to lift her from ravine by grabbing her on both sides under her armpit and upper arm. The ravine had been icy due to the frozen sided of the creek and due to the refrozen melted snow after the blast wave.
Probably Rustem had slipped and fallen with his head on the ground in the ravine or near the cedar, causing a crack in his skull; see also the conclusion of the autopsy report of Rustem. If so, he had been able to perform normally until around 15:00 pm.
Zinaida and Rustem had not been able to lift Lyudmila to the upper edge of the ravine, so she might had been placed next to Alexander, Semyon and Thibo: Zinaida and Rustem had been forced to leave Lyudmila in the posture as found by the first search party.
Between around 10:00 pm and 14:00 pmZinaida and Rustem had found the lifeless bodies of Yuri Dor and Yuri Kri near the cedar.
The lifeless body had already developed:
• Yuri Dor: ‘Postmortem spots’ on ‘Back of the neck, torso, and extremities’ and
• Yuri Kri: ‘Postmortem spots’ on ‘Back surface of the neck, torso, and limbs’ and probably already rigor mortis in the joint of his left arm elbow.
Remark:Postmortem spots or postmortem lividity (hypostasis, livor mortis) is a plurifocal staining of the skin, usually in the form of a more or less intense purple discoloration, due to the gravitational settling of blood in vessels after the circulation has ceased. It always develops at the lowest parts of the cadaver, which depends upon its posture after death. Lividity often becomes perceptible within 3–4 h of death and progressively develops in surface area and colour intensity to attain its maximum 8–12 h postmortem. After 12–15 h, postmortem hypostasis becomes ‘fixed’ and thus can no longer be displaced by external action. In contrast, Polson (1985) stated that these first appear 30 min to 2 h after death and become completely developed after 6–12 h.
Probable conclusion: these postmortem spots or postmortem lividity had already been fixed in both bodies more than 12 hours after both had probably died due to a so-called ‘rewarming shock’.
Zinaida and Rustem had placed neatly next to each other while:
• they had turned Yuri Dor from lying on his back to lying face down and
• the joint of Yuri Kri’s left under arm had already become rigid by rigor mortis. Remark: in cold conditions, rigor mortis may last several days more than normal.
From then on, Zinaida and Rustem had started looking for Igor who had not been lying in/near the ravine or near the cedar, because Igor had probably started walking ‘home’ (by a hallucination survival stage of hypothermia) in the direction of the tent site around 3:00 pm during the previous night.
Remark: Igor had very probably not followed the track of footsteps from the tent site to the ravine made on the day before.
Around 14:30 and 15:00 pm Zinaida and Rustem had finally found the unconscious body of Igor. The body of Igor had already fixed postmortem spots on the back surface of the neck, torso and limbs. Around 6 hours after his Igor’s heartbeat had stopped, (during warmer daytime) rigor mortis had developed in the joints of his limbs.
The body core temperature of Zinaida and Rustem had dropped to 35 – 36 degrees Celsius, both had started to shiver.
Zinaida and Rustem had not been able to check Igor’s heartbeat in neck of wrist, because their hands had been numb by the cold. One of both had opened Igor’s shirt in order to hear any heartbeat near his chest. Probably they had noted that this had not been possible due to damaged eardrums by the blast.
When Zinaida and Rustem had started to carry Igor, both had noted the rigor mortis in the joints of Igor’s body.
They had placed the body of Igor half upright, leaning his head against a birch tree, in order that he may be easily found.
Case file 35 states: ‘
Dyatlov was found leaning his head against a birch tree. He was visible from under the snow’.
Around 15:00 pm Suddenly, Rustem had collapsed by brain failure due to his broken skull:
• Either it is likely that Rustem had died; the autopsy report of Rustem states that he had eaten 6 – 8 hours before the time of death,
• Or maybe Rustem had lost consciousness and he had never stood up again.
The autopsy report of Rustem states:
• ‘
The bladder contained up to 200 cm3 of cloudy pale yellow liquid’ and
• ‘
The fracture of the left frontal lobe bone could have occurred during a fall by Slobodin or the impact of the head on a hard object such as rocks, ice, etc. A blunt object caused the above-mentioned trauma. When this happened it would have caused Slobodin to become stunned and allowed for his rapid freezing’.• ‘
The data of the examination of Slobodin’s body allows for the presumption that his last meal was 6-8 hours before the time of death’.These three statements suggest that Rustem had died 6 – 8 hours after leaving the tent site this morning and that he had not been progressed beyond mild hypothermia while still alive, because he had been found with not much urine in his bladder. Remark: in general people who die by hypothermia are found with a full bladder, because the body doesn’t want to lose the warmth of around one liter of urine at a temperature of 31 ⁰C.
The body core temperature of Zinaida had dropped to around 35 degrees Celsius.
She had entered the stage of mild hypothermia. Her body had started to shake violently, and one way or another, she had not been able to check Rustem’s heartbeat due to cold numb hands and/or body shaking.
Zinaida had sat next to Rustem – keeping both warm – until between 20:00 pm and 20:30 pm in the hope that Rusem might regain consciousness in one way or another.
Around 15:00 pm and 17:00 pm The autopsy report of Zinaida states that she had eaten 6 – 8 hours before the time of death: it is likely that Zinaida had eaten something – from her packet of food for lunch made that morning – within this time interval, while she had continued to take care of the death body of Rustem.
Around 17:00 pmSunset: a cold fatal evening had been waiting for Zinaida.
The body core temperature of Zinaida had dropped to around 34 degrees Celsius. The last hour, her brain enzymes had begun to operate less efficient. They had noticed that they ought to be afraid, but fear had been a vague idea somewhere behind a veil. An important thought had flashed their mind; a moment later they had to do their best to remember this important thought.
From now on, the body core temperature of Zinaida had started to drop around 1.5 degrees Celsius per hour.
Between 20:00 pm and 20:30 pmThe body core temperature of Zinaida had dropped to around 30 degrees Celsius.
The hearts of Zinaida had started to beat arrhythmic, because electrical impulses for the heart had been hampered by undercooling. Now their hearts had pumped below two-thirds of its normal amount. Lack of oxygen and slowed metabolism of their brain had caused visual and auditory hallucinations.
A similar kind of hallucination had caused that Beck Weathers had started to walk again during his descend from Mount Everest: this has resulted in his survival during the fatal night for several fellow climbers during bad cold weather. See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beck_WeathersThe place where Zinaida had been found, gives the impression that Zinaida may well had started ‘to walk home’ in the direction of the tent uphill. She had succeeded around 150 m.
Around 20:45 pmThe autopsy report of Rustem also states:
• ‘On his wrist is a Zvezda brand watch showing the time 8 hours 45 minutes’.
Connected with the statement before from the autopsy report form Rustem, it is probably that:
• Rustem had died on February 2nd, 1959, around 15:00 pm.
• Around 20:30 pm, the dead body of Rustem had developed postmortem spots on the back and the body had started to develop rigor mortis in the joints.
• Zinaida had turned the dead body of Rustem facing down in the snow in the exact posture as Rustem had been found by the first search party.
• The snow around the face had melted and frozen again, so the face had been covered in a so-called ice-bed.
• After turning the body of Rustem facing down, the wristwatch had been in constant touch with the snow, and it had stopped showing the time 8 hours 45 minutes.
• In a state of hallucinations, Zinaida had been able to start stumbling 150 meter uphill in the direction of the tent site.
Around 21:30 pmThe body core temperature of Zinaida had dropped to around 29 degrees Celsius.
She had been unconscious; careful recovery from this stage of hypothermia had only been possible in a specialised hospital.
It is highly likely that Zinaida had never stood up again after 21:30 pm on February 2nd, 1959.
From this moment on, the body core temperature of Zinaida had dropped around 1.5 degrees Celsius per hour.
Around 23:00 pmThe body core temperature of Zinaida had dropped below 25 degrees Celsius.
The heartbeat of Zinaida had stopped; recovery from this stage of hypothermia had been critical even in a specialised hospital.
The autopsy report of Zinaida states:
• ‘The investigation of the body of Komogоrova allows for the basis of theory that she last ate 6-8 hours before the time of death’.
• ‘The bladder contained up to 300 cm3 of cloudy yellow liquid’.
These two statements suggest that:
• Zinaida had eaten a late lunch – from her packet of food for lunch made that morning – between 15:00 pm and 17:00 pm.
• Zinaida had forgotten to drink water from the moment that she had found dead bodies. Probably she had developed during the second half of the day also dehydration next to hypothermia. If so, this dehydration had impaired her energy level and her heartbeat may have stopped one or two hours earlier than around 23:00 pm.
Some 24 to 48 hours laterThe bodies of the five group members (Igor, Rustem, Yuri Dor, Yuri Kri, Zinaida) had been deeply frozen.
The postures had become fixed until these five bodies had fully defrosted in the mortuary.
It is uncertain if the bodies of four group member (Alexander, Lyudmila, Semyon, Thibo) had been fully frozen: the water of the creek may/might had prevented it, but the cool conditions under the snow had prevented a considerable decay of these four bodies.
Basic information about hypothermia in a cold environment• General: Stark, Peter, Last breath – The limits of Adventure. New York: Ballantine Books, 2001, Charter 1: ‘Hypothermia’
• Rewarming shock:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12121023_Rewarming_from_hypothermia_Newer_aspects_on_the_pathophysiology_of_rewarming_shock• Hallucination as self-protective behaviour: A hallucination had caused that Beck Weathers had started to walk again during his descend from Mount Everest: this has resulted in his survival during the fatal night for others. See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beck_Weathers• Thermal burrowing behaviour: Rothschild MA, Schneider V. "Terminal burrowing behaviour" – a phenomenon of lethal hypothermia. See:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7632602• Paradoxical undressing: See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothermia and
https://www.livescience.com/41730-hypothermia-terminal-burrowing-paradoxical-undressing.html• ‘Henssge nomogram’: See:
https://www.forens-med.ru/tools/henssge_en/ : Body weight: 70 kg.; Ambient temperature: - 10 °C; Body temperature: 25 °C; correction factor: 1.1 due to 3-4 thin layers of clothing.
• Post mortem lividity: See:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/livor-mortis#:~:text=Postmortem%20lividity%20(livor%20mortis)%20is,purple%20marks%20on%20the%20body• Rigor Mortis: See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigor_mortis and
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/rigor-mortis
Topic: Last two days of the Dyatlov group: 5. Fatal afternoon for Rustem and Zinaida (Read 2291 times)