The purpose of the forensic investigation of deaths related to heat exposure is to determine the manner and cause of death, the vitality of the findings, and the identity of the victim. The basis of the assessment is a careful evaluation of the autopsy findings. Additional investigations, such as toxicological tests (e.g., determination of carbon monoxide concentration, cyanide concentration, and blood alcohol concentration) or histological examination (particularly of the airways), may help to complete the assessment of the case. The possible findings of burned bodies cover a broad spectrum. They can range from minor, local, superficial burns of the skin to calcined skeletal remains without any soft tissue left. The external as well as the internal findings in burned bodies depend on the temperature actually applied to the body, the time for which it is applied, the kind of transmission of the heat to the body, and other prevailing conditions. The consequences are burns of the exposed tissue, changes in the content and distribution of tissue fluid, fixation of the tissue, and shrinking processes. Only in very rare cases do the effects of the heat cease with the time of death. Consequently, many findings seen at autopsy may be of postmortem origin with fluent transitions between intravital, perimortal, and postmortem changes.