Consulenza tecnica medico-legale relativa al rinvenimento di cadaveri carbonizzati

The authors describe some of their expert reports in the field of forensic investigation on dead bodies found in various stages of charring. The reported cases differ both in terms of heat changes and the pattern of death, respectively homicide, suicide or accident. The heat, the intensity and duration of the flame and the place where the event occurred, can produce burns of various degrees (with progressive involvement of the skin and the deep layers to the bone) and various forms of tissue charring. A common observation is the presence of areas with burning of varying severity next to each other in the same body area or in different parts of the corpse with typical geographical map or leopard skin layout. In each case, the necropsy allowed to reconstruct the dynamics of events and to answer questions asked by the Magistrate about time, means and cause of death. Of particular importance was the coroner's involvement at the time of the forensic inspection, which has helped in one case to clarify the dynamics and explain the presence of regions with extensive burning next to well preserved body areas without obvious signs of modification by heat.