Fire covering the murder: diagnostic challenges of postmortem burning in carbonized victims

Postmortem burning is a common method to conceal homicide, and detecting antemortem injuries in carbonized bodies is a major forensic challenge. This study investigated the morphological characteristics of non-fire antemortem traumatic findings and their relationship with classical vitality indicators, aiming also to propose a preliminary framework that could guide forensic practice.

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 115 carbonized burn deaths selected from 24,345 autopsies performed at the Council of Forensic Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye, between 2019 and 2022. Cases were classified according to the presence of non-fire antemortem trauma and compared in terms of autopsy, airway, toxicological, and histopathological findings.

Most victims were male (69.6%), with deaths predominantly occurring indoors (67.8%) and during the winter (35.7%). Soot in the airways (75.7%) and thermal airway injury (51.8%) were common. Antemortem trauma was identified in 25 cases (21.7%), most often blunt trauma (40.0%), followed by explosion (24.0%), sharp-force (20.0%), and asphyxial injuries (12.0%). Trauma-positive cases showed lower COHb levels and fewer airway findings. In eight postmortem burning cases with sharp-force or asphyxial injuries, airway soot was present in two, thermal injury in two, and one case had a COHb level of 19.9%.

COHb levels and airway indicators alone are insufficient in fire-related deaths. A multidisciplinary approach is required. Based on our findings, a preliminary framework is suggested in which trauma-focused autopsy is prioritized when body integrity is preserved, while greater reliance on scene investigation and radiological methods is needed in severely carbonized cases.