The "microwave oven" practice in Brazil

This article presents a forensic case of an unusual illegal cremation of a person using a process colloquially known as the “microwave oven” practice in Brazil. The microwave process involves two actions: placing the victim in a tire stack and then setting the structure on fire using flammable substances to accelerate the progression. A similar practice, identified as “necklacing”, has also been reported in other countries such as South Africa. This report presents a case of microwave oven cremation of a body found in a rural area of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The forensic work helped determine the biological profile and identity of the victim using radiological comparisons. Although the microwave oven cremation practice is rare, it can impose challenges for investigators. Therefore, fully understanding this practice can be helpful to the academic and forensic communities.

Keywords

Forensic sciences Carbonization Cremation Homicide Human identification Brasil

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.26/44434

Citation

Lemos, Y. V., Menrique Corradi, L., Calmon Silva, M., de Oliveira Couto, L., Bittencourt, G. H., Santos Dionísio, A., Zatti Lima, A., Alberto Cardoso, M., & Cunha, E. (2022). The “microwave oven” practice in Brazil. Forensic Sciences Research, 7(4), 628–632