NCJ Number
41247
Journal
Medicine, Science and the Law Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: (APRIL 1977) Pages: 79-82
Date Published
1977
Length
4 pages
Annotation
RELYING ON A TIME-TEMPERATURE CURVE OF ROOM FIRE AND FORENSIC KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN CORPSE DESTRUCTION IN FIRES, A FIRE OFFICIAL IS ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT THE CORPSE DISCOVERED IN A BURNT BUILDING IS A HOMICIDE VICTIM.
Abstract
ACCORDING TO GENERAL FORENSIC KNOWLEDGE, AN UNCLOTHED CORPSE BURNS MORE SLOWLY THAN A CLOTHED CORPSE, AND A BODY MUST BE EXPOSED TO HEAT RADIATION LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES BEFORE BONES BEGIN TO SHOW. THE CHEST AND FACIAL BONES ARE EXPOSED AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME AS THE ARM BONES AND THE LEG BONES ARE EXPOSED NEARLY 15 MINUTES LATER. A CORPSE DISCOVERED AT A FIRE SCENE IS CLOTHED IN PANTS; IT SHOWS BURNT SKIN EXPOSING THE ARM AND SHIN BONES, BUT THE CHEST AND FACIAL BONES ARE NOT SHOWING. AFTER GATHERING INFORMATION FROM WITNESSES AND OTHER FIRE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL, THE OFFICIAL DETERMINES THAT THE BODY COULD ONLY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO VIOLENT HEAT FOR 10-12 MINUTES. A TIME-TEMPERATURE CURVE OF ROOM FIRE INDICATES THAT FIRE BURNS FOR 8-10 MINUTES BEFORE REACHING A FLASHOVER POINT AND THEN THE TEMPERATURE CLIMBS AT A PROGRESSIVE RATE FOR THE NEXT 55 MINUTES TO ABOUT 770-780 DEGREES. THIS INFORMATION SUGGESTS THAT THE CORPSE MUST HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO SOME SUBSTANCE, PROBABLY PARAFFIN, TO SPEED THE BURNING WHICH WOULD ACCOUNT FOR SHIN-BONE EXPOSURE. THIS HYPOTHESIS WAS EXPERIMENTED WITH USING A CREMATION OVEN. RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE DAMAGE TO THE ORIGINAL CORPSE WAS INCONSISTENT WITH EXPOSURE TO GENERAL RADIATED HEAT AND MORE CONSISTENT WITH A VERY LOCALIZED SEVERE FIRE. ALTERNATIVELY, THE FIRE DAMAGE TO THE TWO AREAS OF THE BODY COULD HAVE BEEN 'ASSISTED,' INDICATING HOMICIDE. (DAG)