Fragments of burned remains are often not amenable to standard DNA recovery and identification. This impacts victims of house, car or forest fires, of mass disasters, and of murder with the attempt to conceal cause of death and/or identification of the victim.
An approximate age-at-death and sex can still be determined from cremated human remains. Pathological evidence can also be observed in burned remains, including joint disease, or cut marks.
In many forensic cases – particularly if the remains of the individual have been buried, exposed to the sun and elements, or burned in fire – the DNA molecule may be damaged. Standard forensic DNA analysis may be unable to recover usable DNA, preventing identification.
A BADLY BURNED CORPSE WAS IDENTIFIED BY COMPARING THE PRINTS OBTAINED FROM THE BODY AND FROM A PLASTER CAST MADE BY THE DECEDANT. THE AUTHOR STATES THAT IDENTIFICATION THROUGH FINGERPRINTS SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED EVEN THOUGH THE BODY LOOKS VERY BADLY BURNED.
CT is highly useful to find features permitting the identification of a severely burned body.
The Pathologist is often required to perform an autopsy on a burned body and to report to the Coroner on the cause of death.
If dental records cannot be found, authorities can also check with hospitals for any other X-rays that might have been taken, said Dr. Daniel Spitz, medical examiner in Macomb County, Michigan. Chest or orthopedic X-rays can be particularly useful for comparisons, he said.
The size of a burn can be quickly estimated by using the "rule of nines." This method divides the body's surface area into percentages. The front and back of the head and neck equal 9% of the body's surface area. The front and back of each arm and hand equal 9% of the body's surface area.
How Is the Total Body Surface Area Determined? To calculate TBSA, doctors and nurse practitioners focus on three main methods: Lund and Browder, Wallace Rule of Nines, and the Palmer Method.
It takes 1400 to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit to cremate human remains. This level of heat reduces the body to dry bone fragments and basic elements.
Endogenous sources of DNA damage include hydrolysis, oxidation, alkylation, and mismatch of DNA bases; sources for exogenous DNA damage include ionizing radiation (IR), ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and various chemicals agents.
Environmental factors, such as heat and humidity, can also accelerate the degradation of DNA. For example, wet or moist evidence that is packaged in plastic will provide a growth environment for bacteria that can destroy DNA evidence.
DNA can be damaged via environmental factors as well. Environmental agents such as UV light, ionizing radiation, and genotoxic chemicals. Replication forks can be stalled due to damaged DNA and double strand breaks are also a form of DNA damage.
During cremation, the body parts that do burn consist of organs, soft tissue, hair, and skin, while the water in our bodies evaporates. The body parts that do not burn are bone fragments.
Severe burns can damage structures under the skin. For example, when cartilage in the ears or nose is burned, there can be visible changes in these structures. Some burn survivors have many skin grafts and other reconstructive surgeries. These procedures can change the way a person looks.
We think this is an urban legend. We've witnessed many cremations and never heard a scream. But then again, cremation retorts aren't silent either. Now, bodies do make all kinds of gnarly noises.
The size of a burn can be quickly estimated by using the "rule of nines." This method divides the body's surface area into percentages. The front and back of the head and neck equal 9% of the body's surface area. The front and back of each arm and hand equal 9% of the body's surface area.
For obese patients weighing more than 80 kg a rule of fives is proposed: 5% body surface area for each arm, 5 x 4 or 20% for each leg, 10 x 5 or 50% for the trunk, and 2% for the head.
The "rule of palm" is another way to estimate the size of a burn. The palm of the person who is burned (not fingers or wrist area) is about 1% of the body. Use the person's palm to measure the body surface area burned.
The USAISR's Rule of 10 is a simplified formula to guide the initial fluid resuscitation of a burn victim. The burn size is estimated to the nearest 10% TBSA. For patients weighing 40 to 80 kg, the burn size is then multiplied by 10 to give the initial fluid rate in milliliters per hour.
Most people can survive a second-degree burn affecting 70 percent of their body area, but few can survive a third-degree burn affecting 50 percent. If the area is down to 20 percent, most people can be saved, though elderly people and infants may fail to survive a 15 percent skin loss.
Extent of the Burn
Rule of Nines - The head represents 9%, each arm is 9%, the anterior chest and abdomen are 18%, the posterior chest and back are 18%, each leg is 18%, and the perineum is 1%. For children, the head is 18%, and the legs are 13.5% each.
What's really returned to you is the person's skeleton. Once you burn off all the water, soft tissue, organs, skin, hair, cremation container/casket, etc., what you're left with is bone. When complete, the bones are allowed to cool to a temperature that they can be handled and are placed into a processing machine.
Consequently, many findings seen at autopsy may be of postmortem origin with fluent transitions between intravital, perimortal, and postmortem changes. Apart from burns (first- to fourth- degree), the external findings may include leathery consolidation and tightening of the skin and the presence of partly long splits.
Cremation is a process in which the human body is burned to ashes. The process is defined as the combustion, vaporization and oxidation of dead bodies to basic chemical compounds, such as gases, ashes and mineral fragments retaining the appearance of dry bone.