Citation

Levi-Faict TW, Quatrehomme G. J. Forensic Sci. 2011; 56(5): 1334-1339.

Affiliation

Laboratoire de Médecine Légale et de Médecine sociale, Faculté de Médecine, 28 Place Henri Dunant, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand Cedex 1, France. Laboratoire de Médecine Légale et Anthropologie médico-légale, Faculté de Médecine, UMR 6235 CNRS, Gepitos, Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis, 28 Avenue de Valombrose, 06100 Nice, France.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1556-4029.2011.01746.x

PMID

21392004

Abstract

A well-documented case of so-called Spontaneous Human Combustion is reported. Review of the literature shows that these strange observations have been reported since the 17th century, even in famous novels. There are several main features that may lead to help the diagnosis: the vicinity of the body is intact or nearly intact, some parts of the body are turned into ashes (usually the middle third of the body), whereas other parts are intact or nearly intact, burning of the body usually occurs postmortem, the cause of death is usually natural, there is often (but not always) high concentrations of blood alcohol, there is a source of heat near the body. It is indispensable to rule out a homicide by the examination of the body in situ, the autopsy, the toxicological and histopathological samples, the arson assessment, and a thorough police inquiry.

Language: en