Forensic and Medico-Legal Examinations of Corpses of Fires Victims

Abstract

Identifying dead bodies excavated from the fire and the assessment of the incident is an extremely difficult task from the point of view of criminology. The article aims to show the forensic and medico-legal aspects of the death by fire. The authors presented the statistics on causes of death due to fire, as well as the reasons for the fire outbreak. The effects of high temperature (flames) on the human body were discussed, as well as all changes that were caused by it, and the mechanism of death. A role of forensic experts in the evaluation of human death in such cases was defined. Methods used in the identification of victims of fires were shown. The authors also highlighted the fairly common phenomenon of corpse cremation by assassins aiming to get rid of the body and avoid criminal responsibility for his crime. Another issue raised in this article is to present the principles of inspection in the sites of the fire as well as basic mistakes in the course of inspections.