@article{ref1,
title="When fire burns the evidence - Lesson 1: It is not always what it seems",
journal="Legal medicine (Elsevier)",
year="2024",
author="Raniero, Dario and Schiraldi, Michela and Ausania, Francesco and Turrina, Stefania and De Leo, Domenico",
volume="70",
number="",
pages="e102483-e102483",
abstract="When a charred corpse is found, a primary unavoidable phase of the subject's identification is performed. Then, the medico-legal investigation must clarify whether the charring occurred before or after death, and so establish a differential diagnosis between accidental, homicidal, or suicidal modality. We report three cases of charred corpses in which a death dynamic was initially suspected but subsequently disproved: a suicidal intoxication in arson at first thought to be homicidal strangulation, a suicidal hanging revealed by neck haemorrhages in a suspected accidental fire, a femicide through ligature strangulation concealed with the simulation of a car accident. Many of the events are accidental, related to fires or traffic accidents. However, it must be considered that charring following a murder was deliberately provoked to prevent the identification of the subject and to conceal evidence of how the murder occurred. Because of the complex operational conditions in the study of a charred corpse, all the diagnostic tools proper to forensic science should be held beyond the preliminary circumstantial suggestions. We aim to emphasise the importance of a multidisciplinary approach since the solution of the three cases was possible thanks to the combination of crime scene investigation, radiological exams, autopsy, and histopathological and genetic analysis.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1344-6223",
doi="10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102483",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102483"
}