Carmela Macedo, Daisy Romero, & Julia Borovskiy Cremation of Remains By Carmela Macedo, Daisy Romero, & Julia Borovskiy After attending this presentation, observers will be presented with the results of a study conducted to better understand the rate of decomposition through cremation by three different and readily available resources (wood, coal, and gasoline). This experiment’s objective is to confirm the results of studies that have already been conducted by other members of the forensic community as well as provide insight into which substances burn at a faster rate. As of now, there is a lot of information about the process in which flesh and bone are cremated, but little information on which substances burn at a faster rate. Understanding the fuel as it is tied to the rate of human decomposition will aid the investigator in estimating time since death in cases of attempted cremation. Three domestic pig (Sus scrofa domestica) legs were used in this experiment with both flesh and bone intact (“ham” section). After attending this presentation, observers will leave with new knowledge of which substance out of the three that were tested (wood, coal, and gasoline) cremate remains (in this case pig legs) at a faster rate. Hollywood has affected not only the minds of the innocent, but also that of the criminals. Movies and TV shows portray “the perfect crimes,” that one can get away with. Quite often fire and cremation is viewed as efficient and the most effective way of getting rid of evidence. Of course different substances burn at different temperatures, coal reportedly burns at a maximum of 3,500°F (1'927°C)2, gasoline with temperatures above 1500° F (945° C)1, and finally wood with temperatures reaching around 575°F (300°C)4. We used these to recreate Hollywood’s “perfect crime”, testing the efficiency of each, setting up our “crime scene” in a familiar place as most perpetrators do3. Abstract M For this experiment, domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) was used, specifically, the “leg” (ham + shank end, Fig. 1). Different substances were used as variables for the cremation experiment. The variables include: wood, coal, and gasoline.  The wood was used as the controlled variable for this experiment. Each leg was tested with one of those variables as well as four pieces of wood to start and to keep the energy sources burning. In the bottom of the pit we laid four pieces of wood, then the energy source (coal or gasoline); four 8x11 paper and two handfuls of dried grass were used to ignite the fuels, and lastly the pig leg was placed on top (Fig. 2). The three pig legs were burned in separate pits for five hours and observations were taken every hour. Methods Results Results HR Wood Coal Gasoline 1 -Fresh -No burn marks -Burn marks on the side 2 -Darker color due to cooking -Fat was sizzling -A lot of smoke -Little to no burning -A lot of smoke from underneath -Meat is completely burnt 3 -Burnt marks (charring) where wood was directly in contact -Little smoke present -Burn marks appear, varying from brown to black -Flame and smoke present -Leg is completely gone and under the ashes 4 -Charred all over -Size reduction -The flame fluctuates from small to big -Charred from the sides, middle is still light brown -Difficulties distinguishing bone from wood 5 -A significant size reduction -Bone could be seen clearly -A portion of the bone is sticking out -Almost the same size, meat is charred -The bones are completely buried under burning wood -Unidentifiable from other charcoal substances in pit -The pig leg is distinct, and completely charred and reduced in size -Bone that was sticking out is completely calcined Introduction Fig. 1 Three fresh pig leg (ham) used for the experiment. Fig. 2 The placement of pig legs into three separate pits fors testing. Weather Conditions: Rural Tillamook Time 5:40 6:40 7:40 8:40 9:40 10:40 Temp 68 ℉ 70 ℉ 59 ℉ 55 ℉ Wind 9MPH 8MPH 13MPH 0MPH Fig. 3 Pig legs during the 4th hour. Fig. 4 Final state of the remains after cremation. References Conclusion In the experiment we inadvertently debunked the portrait of the “perfect crime” TV (i.e. cremation). Unlike in movies, it doesn’t take seconds for the flames to engulf the remains, and only minutes to leave a fragile, charred skeleton. The purpose of our experiment was to test the most efficient way to cremate remains of the three substances: coal, wood, and gasoline, in a matter of 5 hours. We found that without accelerants, such as gasoline, it takes a very long time to get a fire going. During the first 2 hours, there was little change to the pig legs. For the pig leg with gasoline as a variable, the leg was significantly burnt during the 2nd hour. During the 4th and 5th hours, the pig legs in all three pits decreased in size, and only in the pit with coal was there any remaining meat (Fig. 3). The wood and gasoline pits contained only charred and calcified bones in the final hour along with some thumbnail fractures, which are signs of cremation. Although the burning temperature is higher for coal, it clearly needed more time to cremate. Therefore wood and gasoline are the most effective cremation materials, especially gasoline due to its fast burning rate and results. 1. "Gasoline as a Fire Hazard : Columbus Fire & Safety Equipment Company : Columbus, Georgia." Gasoline as a Fire Hazard : Columbus Fire & Safety Equipment Company : Columbus, Georgia. Quadrant Technology, 2012. <http://www.columbusfire.net/fire/gasoline.asp> 2. Dempsey, Jock. "Coal and Charcoal :." Coal and Charcoal. Anvilfire, 2 Oct. 2002. Web. 19 May 2016. <http://www.anvilfire.com/FAQs/coal.php>. 3.Dupras, Tosha L., John J. Schultz, Sandra M. Wheeler, and Lana J. Williams. Forensic Recovery of Human Remains Archaeological Approaches, Second Edition. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2012. Print. 4. "Wood: Combustion Heat Values." Wood: Combustion Heat Values. The Engineering ToolBox, n.d. Web. 19 May 2016. <http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wood-combustion-heat-d_372.