Recognition of Atypical Burn Patterns and Pre-cremation Blunt Force Trauma Observed on Human Remains in Two Forensic Cases in the United States

Joan A Bytheway Nicole C Larison

doi:10.4172/2332-0915.1000136

Abstract

The normal burn pattern of bone color in humans described and illustrated by Symes and colleagues from unintentional fires was compared to the burn patterns seen in two forensic cases from Texas and North Carolina that involved the intentional burning of two victims. Heat altered bone exhibits a range of colors (e.g. white, blue-grey, black, and yellow) from the highest to the lowest exposure of heat. In the Texas case, atypical burn patterns were evinced by an asymmetrical burn pattern on the skull and lower body as well as by the predominantly calcined upper body with a charred lower body. The thermal pattern seen on the body of the North Carolina victim was consistent with a longer heat exposure to the trunk and left side of the body. In both cases, thermal damage did not obscure per mortem blunt force trauma. The atypical burn patterns were diagnostic of intentional fires and contributed to the reconstruction of the events of the crime.

Highlights

In the forensic analysis of contemporary burned human skeletal remains anthropologists use a variety of analytical techniques to extract information from bones and teeth to aid in the reconstruction of the events surrounding the crime
The normal burn pattern of a human body is based on three conditions: 1) That the surfaces of the body are exposed to the fire, 2) That at the time of heat exposure the body is fleshed with minimal progress in decomposition and
Even though the burn pattern in both cases presented was quite different from a normal burn pattern for most of the skeleton, the pelvic girdle around the pelvic inlet was similar to the normal burn pattern

Summary

Introduction

In the forensic analysis of contemporary burned human skeletal remains anthropologists use a variety of analytical techniques to extract information from bones and teeth to aid in the reconstruction of the events surrounding the crime. Some of the techniques used include gross and microscopic examination [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22] as well as examination of physical properties such as the total weight of cremains [23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31] and chemical analyses of the organic and inorganic elements of cremated remains and other trace elements found in burned bone and teeth [32]. The normal burn pattern of a human body is based on three conditions: 1) That the surfaces of the body are exposed to the fire, 2) That at the time of heat exposure the body is fleshed with minimal progress in decomposition and

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Conclusion