Fig. 1

Forensic photographic images taken prior to the removal of charred bodies in home fire debris. a The charred body of a 32-year-old man who died by carbon monoxide poisoning in his burned home. The body was found by firefighters in the procubitus position (as shown) on the bathroom floor. This position suggests that the victim tried to escape from the fire by crawling on the floor. Note the severe skin burn injuries with thermal amputation of the limbs (white arrows). b Burned corpse of a 36-year-old man, found by firefighters in a suspicious sitting position (black dashed arrow) on the remains of a sofa (white arrowheads). The position of the body suggests no attempt to escape the fire, in keeping with the hypothesis that death occurred before the fire broke out. The autopsy showed a linear wound of the pulmonary artery and the aorta, in relation to a stab injury (not shown here) and hence suggesting an arson to cover up an underlying homicide