Hyperthermia, Thermal Injuries, and Death from a Forced Convection Heat Source: A Case Report and Experimental Model

Heat-related deaths of children are most often encountered in the context of enclosed vehicles in summer months. Deviating from this, a 16-month-old boy was found unresponsive in a stroller that was placed adjacent to a space heater during mid-winter. The cause of death was hyperthermia and thermal injuries. Manner of death determination was difficult due to alleged surrounding circumstances. To understand the time-course of this child's injuries, a child death scene investigation was performed; the stroller and space heater were recovered. In a re-enactment of the events, a slaughtered pig approximating the child's size was warmed using a water bath and placed in the stroller beside the space heater. Cutaneous temperature measurements showed rapid initial temperature rise with subsequent steady increases. Tanning of the skin was seen on periodic direct observations. Internal temperature monitoring illustrated steady increases. This experiment was essential in classifying the manner of death as homicide.