ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Published Online: 25 May 2005
Page Count: 2

Suicide by Inhalation of Carbon Monoxide in a Residential Fire
Sauvageau, A
Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de meédecine leégale, Edifice Wilfrid- Derome, Quebec

Yesovitch, R
Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de meédecine leégale, Edifice Wilfrid- Derome, Quebec

Racette, S
Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de meédecine leégale, Edifice Wilfrid- Derome, Quebec

(Received 30 November 2004; accepted 27 February 2005)

Abstract

Fire deaths are usually accidental, but atypical cases of homicide or suicide have been described. In suicide by fire, the only method reported by several authors consists of self-immolation. We present here the unusual case of an adult female who committed suicide by waiting in the living room after setting fire to her bedroom. The autopsy revealed smoke inhalation and the toxicological analysis revealed carboxyhemoglobin levels of 67%. Very few cases of suicide by fire not of the self-immolation type have been reported, and all have been anecdotal. A review of the literature is presented and a new term, “suicide by inhalation of carbon monoxide in a fire,” is proposed for such cases.

Keywords:
forensic science, death investigation, suicide, fire, carbon monoxide

Paper ID: JFS2004504
DOI: 10.1520/JFS2004504
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