Criminal burning.
We report a study of 40 burnt bodies on which an autopsy was carried out at the Institut de Médecine Légale in Lyon (28 men/12 women, average age = 41 years, minimum age = 3 years, maximum age = 86 years). Criminal deaths (31%) represented the second cause of death after accidents (52%), and before suicide (16%). Criminal burning seemed mainly to be means of covering up homicide, whereas criminal immolation was rarer. The particular characteristics of each of these situations have been highlighted (tying or poisoning in criminal immolation). We deemed it essential to make X-rays, to look for injuries due to trauma and to carry out systematic toxicological analyses in a victim of burning.
Institut Universitaire de Médecine légale de Lyon, Université Claude-Bernard Lyon 1, 12 Avenue Rockefeller, 69008 Lyon, France. laurent.fanton@adm.univ-lyonl.fr
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Fanton
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Jdeed
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Tilhet-Coartet
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Malicier
D000059:Accidents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002056:Burns / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000401:mortality; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000401:mortality
D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin