Greece. The partially charred body of a man was found by fire department officers inside a burnt house. Outside of the house, there was a parked car, also burnt. The corpse was identified as the 64-year-old owner of both the house and the vehicle, a man of Greek nationality. The deceased was found lying on his back on a “bed” made of wooden boards on a pile of banknotes (dollars and euros) and other papers. A shotgun was also found nearby. Stains of fire accelerant (petroleum) and empty containers with petroleum remains were found in the house and its surrounding areas as well as inside the vehicle. A plastic container was also found near the right side of the body. A vast amount of burnt or carbonized material, including books, mattresses, and furniture was also found in the house. The fire investigators attributed the fire to arson, probably simultaneously starting from several points in the interior and exterior of the house (vehicle included).
Fig.1 The partially charred body of the 64-year-old man found on an “altar” made of banknotes. The plastic container with the accelerant is shown nearby the body.
Fig.2 The body of the man was found on an “altar” made of banknotes.
According to the information provided by the sister of the deceased, he was divorced, he had an estranged daughter and he was living alone. His relationship with both his ex-wife and his daughter was problematic – he had not spoken to his daughter for the last two years. The man had also been diagnosed with lung cancer three years prior to the incident and he had refused to complete his last two cycles of chemotherapy. He was not facing any other health issues or abusing any substances. He had expressed threats in the past about ending his life.
The biggest part of the body was charred, with some isolated areas (left side of the head and upper part of the anterior side of the thorax) presenting postmortem burns. The posterior surface of the torso was completely unaffected by the fire. Fingers of the upper and lower extremities were consumed by the fire. No clothes or remains of them were found on the body, indicating that the person was naked at the time of death. Two shotgun wounds were also found on the head; one irregular-shaped in the nasal area (entrance wound) with a diameter of 4 cm (1.57”) and the other extending on the right temporal, parietal, and occipital area (exit wound). The characteristics of the injuries were consistent with gunshot injuries caused by -or almost by- contact. The underlying bone structures (right orbital plate, nasal bones, maxilla, and the entire right side of the skull) presented with multiple fractures. The brain was shrunk due to the effect of the fire, while many of its structures were crushed, the brainstem included. No gunshot products, such as pellets or the cup, were found in the cranial cavity.
Another significant autopsy finding was the presence of soot deposits in the tracheal tube which indicated that the person inhaled fire fumes. The internal organs were firm and hardened. Blood and urine were sampled for toxicological examination. The toxicological examination showed an 8% carboxyhemoglobin concentration in the peripheral blood samples. The mean blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.13 gr/L. The only substance found in the blood was metoprolol (medicine to treat angina and high blood pressure). Craniocerebral injuries caused by the shotgun were determined as the cause of death.
Fig.3 The posterior surface of the torso, unaffected by the fire.
Fig.4 The shotgun entrance wound in the nasal area.
Key criteria to determine if the victim was alive when exposed to fire are the presence of carbonaceous deposits in the respiratory tract and thermal injury to the respiratory mucosa due to the inhalation of hot smoke along with COHb blood concentration above 10%. The presence of a considerable amount of soot particles in the airways in combination with the 8% COHb concentration are findings that imply an antemortem inhalation of fumes, probably while committing the arson, but not necessarily ante-mortem burning. The fact that the backside of the torso was totally unaffected by the fire indicates that the man lied immobilized and dead when his body was exposed to fire.
Fig.5 The shotgun exit wound extending on the right temporal, parietal, and occipital area.
Fig.6 Internal examination of the head revealed multiple skull fractures. Through the gap in the right parietal and temporal bone, brain destruction is visible.
The incident was characterized as a suicide after a thorough examination. The question is whether the act was a complex suicide. A complex suicide is a suicide that involves more than one method together. Complex suicides are further classified as “planned” suicides when the use of multiple suicidal methods has been established before the act and as “unplanned” when the use of the second (or third) method is decided because the previous one failed or proved very painful or slow in causing death. There is a possibility that the victim counted on fire as a “safeguard”, but the most probable scenario is that the victim shooting himself in the face, would expect an immediate death, so it’s cautious to characterize the suicide as a planned complex one. The presence of the accelerant in the scene leaves no doubt that the fire was the product of a well-planned arson.
It’s believed that the burning of the material possessions (including piles of money, his house, and car) and eventually the self-immolation of the victim, were both symbolic acts. The burning of material goods might symbolize the unimportance of wealth and power compared to the importance of health. This hypothesis is based on the fact that the person suffered from lung cancer, a painful, fatal disease. The planned postmortem self-immolation of the suicide victim shows the need to reassure that his remains along with his whole existence would completely disappear from this world. Such a tragic way to depart might also hide the intention to dramatically express the unresolved pain that life had caused to this person. Moreover, the fact that he chose to be naked probably symbolizes a much-anticipated rebirth through this act. The whole scene with the “bed made of money” resembling an altar gives a ritual and/or spiritual character to the act.
This case illustrates the difficulties faced by medico-legal investigators when burnt bodies are recovered and emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive medico-legal investigation, including proper death scene investigation and careful consideration of background circumstances, including history of the deceased.
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