[Sharon]

A case of death due to car fire is described where the carbonised skull of the cremated corpse showed an ovoid defect of the cranial bone.

The question arose whether this formed fracture was caused by a gunshot.

But the reconstruction of the cranial remains with detached parts of the tabula externa provided evidence that the suspicious defect was to be classified as an uncommon heat-induced post-mortem artefact.

Carbonised skull of the burnt body due to the car fire showing heat fractures of the calvaria, partly detached fragments of the tabula externa as well as an ovoid-shaped lesion of the cranial bone (arrow)


Ovoid-shaped lesion of the cranial bone before (a) and after (b) replacement of detached fragments at the skull (arrows).