Citation

Below E, Bockholdt B, Hoffmann U. Rechtsmedizin 2014; 24(4): 283-285.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s00194-014-0962-5

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A 71-year-old woman was found dead in her flat after a fire. The corpse exhibited first to third degree burns over the whole body surface and especially on one arm and one leg. The autopsy revealed no evidence of soot in the trachea and bronchi and no carboxyhemoglobin, no cyanide and no ethyl alcohol were found in venous blood. The cause of death was not clear after the autopsy and the blood, muscles and internal organs had no cherry-red coloration (carbon monoxide). The toxicology investigations revealed doxylamine and pantoprazole in the blood and the doxylamine concentration was indicative of an acute overdose. The circumstances after the police investigations were unclear. The police inquiry did not reveal any evidence of arson or a crime. The cause of death was therefore assumed to be a fatal poisoning before onset of the fire as no evidence of a homicide was found. A suicide was possible but the cause of the fire could not be explained. © 2014 Springer-Verlag.

Language: de

Keywords

human; Suicide; burn; female; alcohol; Burns; aged; autopsy; case report; cause of death; Forensic toxicology; article; doxylamine; drug intoxication; human tissue; carbon monoxide; carboxyhemoglobin; drug blood level; arson; cyanide; combustion; soot; pantoprazole; Article; body surface; Fatal outcome; Spontaneous combustion