“So Horrible”: Virtual Autopsy Reveals Ancient Egyptian Mummy’s Heart-Wrenching Secret

While the cause of death is unknown, what is now certain is that she suffered from a “cadaveric spasm,” a painful muscle contraction that precedes death and fixed her expression in place
mage credits: Sahar Saleem

According to Saleem, “The true history or circumstances of the death of this woman are unknown, hence the cause of her screaming facial appearance cannot be established with certainty.”

However, his findings allowed his team to consider other explanations for the mummy’s widely opened mouth.

“The woman might’ve died screaming from agony or pain,” he postulated, “with a subsequent cadaveric spasm preserving her expression at the time of death.”

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), a cadaveric spasm is “a condition in which a group of muscles that were used profusely just before death become stiff and rigid immediately after.”

The condition is different from other types of post-mortem rigidity, as it affects only one group of muscles at a time.

While Saleem wasn’t able to determine what led to the demise of the woman, he was able to confirm that she was in agony moments before and that her expression was already fixed in place before the embalmers could get to her, the stiffness making it impossible for them to change it.