In recent years, forensic scientists have faced increasing challenges in the interpretation of skeletal remains, particularly those subjected to both thermal and sharp force trauma. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the year ending June 2024 saw 263 fire-related fatalities and 283 sharp force trauma deaths in England and Wales. These figures highlight the need for a standardised approach to analysing skeletal remains, particularly in detecting and interpreting trauma in thermally altered or burned bone, which is essential for establishing cause of death or reconstructing events in potential homicide cases. This research explores the interactions between thermal alterations and sharp force trauma on porcine skeletal remains, with the aim of improving forensic interpretation in cases where fire has been used to conceal or remove evidence of violent death. Using a variety of porcine bones, as human alternatives, the study subjected specimens to controlled burning, with the use of a muffle furnace, at temperatures ranging from 300°C to 900°C, in increments of 150°C. Burning conditions for more realistic results included, a recreation of a domestic living room fire scenario in a storage container, initiated by a discarded butane cigarette lighter, and an open flame fire in a garden incinerator fuelled by either wood or charcoal, ignited by butane lighter fluid. To assess thermal and trauma-induced alterations, a multi-analytical approach was carried out, incorporating Agilent Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) and a Malvern Panalytical, Epsilon 1 X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Keyence 3D Microscope, and Kubtec X-Ray imaging. The techniques highlighted the identification of chemical composition, structural integrity, and morphological changes in both skeletal bone samples, and those with sharp force trauma injuries. Results revealed that bones exposed to realistic fire scenarios absorbed combustion byproducts not present in control or furnace-burned samples. Trace amounts of elements such as Neodymium, Bromine, and Cerium, linked to flame retardants, lighter fluid, and flint mechanisms, were detected, indicating the potential identification of a fires source attribution in forensic XIV investigations. Thermally altered samples also resulted in notable increases in bone porosity, loss of mineral and organic content, and colour alterations, all of which may obscure or distort evidence of trauma. The focus on sharp force trauma found analysis of average cut mark volumes, produced by three knife types; smooth-edged blade, serrated steak knife, and serrated bread knife, demonstrated statistically significant differences in morphology based on both the type of weapon (p=0.001) and the type of bone involved (p=0.003). Following thermal exposure, 61.7% of cut marks were reduced in size, and some were entirely obscured or converted into complete fractures. This finding highlights the risk of underestimating or misidentifying sharp force trauma in thermally altered remains. This thesis contributes to the field of forensic science by demonstrating the forensic relevance of combining chemical, structural, and morphological analyses to assess trauma in burned skeletal remains. The findings advance the understanding of how fire modifies traumatic signatures and offer methodological improvements for post-mortem trauma analysis in complex forensic scenarios. These insights hold significant implications for forensic anthropology, taphonomy, and medico-legal investigations involving fire-damaged human remains.
C Logan (Thu,) studied this question.