Examination of misconceptions surrounding fatal fire victims

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dc.contributor.authorHarding, Mary-Jane
dc.contributor.authorMárquez-Grant, Nicholas
dc.contributor.authorWilliams, Mike
dc.date.accessioned2023-08-15T10:11:56Z
dc.date.available2023-08-15T10:11:56Z
dc.date.issued2023-07-27
dc.description.abstractFire deaths are not unusual in forensic investigative practice but due to the destructive nature of fire they are often very difficult to investigate. With the need to identify the deceased and the events surrounding the manner and cause of death, knowledge of thermally induced alteration to the human body is important. Within the fire investigation community, a number of misconceptions have been present for years regarding the protrusion of the tongue as an indicator of life during the fire, and fractured skulls as the result of brains boiling and skulls exploding. This work presents qualitative analysis on the experimental burning of 42 unembalmed human donated cadavers by the San Luis Obispo Strike Team (SLOFIST) on their annual Forensic Fire Death Investigation Course (FFDIC) between 2017 and 2019. Prior to burning, the position of the tongue within the dental arch was confirmed and sharp, blunt, surgical and gunshot trauma to the cranium documented. Temperature was recorded from ignition through to suppression with thermocouples present both within the scene and the body. Post burn analysis on the position of the tongue, observation of cranial fractures and presence of brain tissue were recorded and analysed in conjunction with thermocouple data, fire scene dynamics and body demographics. The results provide a more comprehensive understanding of the thermal environmental factors involved in producing the phenomena that facilitate these misconceptions, identifying that a more thorough understanding of individual fire scenes and their development is essential when interpreting alteration and injury to the body of the fatal fire victim.en_UK
dc.identifier.citationHarding MJ, Márquez-Grant N, Williams M. (2023) Examination of misconceptions surrounding fatal fire victims. Science and Justice, Volume 63, Issue 5, September 2023, pp. 612-623en_UK
dc.identifier.issn1355-0306
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.2023.07.001
dc.identifier.urihttps://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/20085
dc.language.isoenen_UK
dc.publisherElsevieren_UK
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/*
dc.subjectfatal fireen_UK
dc.subjectfire deathen_UK
dc.subjectfire investigationen_UK
dc.subjectthermal alterationen_UK
dc.subjecttongue protrusionen_UK
dc.subjectexploding skullen_UK
dc.subjectcranial fracturesen_UK
dc.titleExamination of misconceptions surrounding fatal fire victimsen_UK
dc.typeArticleen_UK

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