Firstly, if you find a body and a crime scene hasn't been established and you're not knowledgeable of investigative procedure, don't walk in it and DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!
If you're talking about an autopsy, then the most common way is to take the temperature of the liver and use certain mathematics to get the time frame. Another thing is that in the eyes of a corpse, the eyes get a film over them (the famed glassy pearly tint) approximately 12 to 19 hours after death (I think. It may be 24 hours.)
Detectives do NOT determine the cause of death. Depending on the jurisdiction, either a Coroner or a Medical Examiner will make the determination of the cause of death.
Autopsy after death is a way to precisely determine a cause of death.
To determine cause of death if unknown.
the importance of study of blood in determine the cause of death and the length of time the victim survive the attack
A pathologist is the physician who may work to determine cause of death when the answer is not obvious.
People who determine the cause of death are called forensic pathologists or medical examiners. They examine the body, medical history, and other evidence to determine the cause of death.
anthropologist
Forensic anthropologists determine cause of death by examining skeletal remains for signs of trauma, such as fractures or bullet holes. They also look for evidence of disease or other conditions that may have contributed to the individual's death. In some cases, analysis of soft tissue and organs may be necessary to help establish the cause of death.
A postmortem examination to discover the cause of death or the extent of disease: "an autopsy report".(Perform a postmortem examination on a body or organ).
weapon, jewelry, accessories, hair, footprint
A medical examiner performs autopsies on the recently deceased to determine a cause of death.
The legal term for a medical examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death is "autopsy." An autopsy is typically performed by a forensic pathologist and can provide critical information for legal investigations, public health, and family inquiries about the circumstances surrounding a person's death.