Postmortem shows Buru Buru man died a painful death in his car

The 36-year-old man who died in a fire incident inside his car in Buru Buru estate, Nairobi, on April 28 burnt to death painfully.

An autopsy on the remains of Terrance Korir on Tuesday ruled out the possibility that he was planted in the car dead.

Chief government pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor said the autopsy showed Korir had plenty of soot in his respiratory system.

This indicates he was alive and breathing well, and took long in the car before he died.

Oduor said Korir’s intestines were empty, an indication he had not eaten for some time or before the incident happened.

Dr Oduor added that the deceased had more soot on airways and around lungs - an indication he was alive and breathing as he burnt.

“He inhaled a lot of soot an indication that he took a lot of time in the car before he died because we saw discoloration of tissues. This happens when you inhale more corbonmonoxide,” Oduor said.

The pathologist said preliminary findings show Korir, who worked at a local bank, sat in the car as he painfully burnt.

“The summary is that this is a person who died in the car fire incident. The circumstances and what caused the fire is what we cannot tell.”

The autopsy was carried out at the Chiromo Mortuary where his body has been lying since the incident.

He said other investigations will continue to establish what caused the fire.

Police were present during the postmortem.

The other specialists teams involved in the investigations include the Directorate of Criminal Investigations [DCI], the government chemist and fire experts who are working with the DCI to establish the cause of Korir’s death.

Korir burnt extensively on his entire body with only a little sparing on the back and the buttocks.

He burnt beyond recognition while sitting still on the driver’s seat.

Witnesses said the position of his body on the seat did not show an indication that he died attempting to flee.

Police suspect suicide as the motive behind the incident but detectives are also open to arson. This is because the engine and trunk of the car were intact.

Only the inner part of the car where Korir was sitting was extensively damaged.

According to investigators, the victim either chose to sit as he burnt down or was indisposed by probably substances.

Samples were picked up from the stomach of Korir for toxicological analysis.

Korir was preparing to report to work when his car caught fire outside his house at about 8.30 am.

His widow and two children were in the house at the time.

His colleagues told police he was stressed. At least six people, including first responders, have been questioned by the police.

They said they arrived at the scene almost after two minutes but could not help as the victim sat inside the burning car and did not attempt to get out.

A fire engine arrived at the scene minutes later but Korir had died.