Fig 1: the Retard in question.
Fig 2: typical circuitry of mechanical mod electronic cigarette devices.
Fig 3: autopsy photograph showing wound from electronic cigarette explosion.
Fig 4: autopsy photograph showing final resting place of the battery housing of the electronic cigarette device.
Fig 5: X-ray taken at Medical Examiner's Office showing electronic cigarette mouthpiece and battery housing within decedent's head.

A 38-year-old man was found dead and with burns to 80% of his body inside of his residence. The decedent was found lying on the bedroom floor, with flames partially covering the room.After fire fighters removed him from his residence, he was pronounced dead in the front yard. The decedent had burns covering a large portion of his body, and a wound was present to his face (Fig. 3). Postmortem radiographs revealed the electronic cigarette device was found within the cranium (Fig. 5).

Postmortem examination revealed that the cause of death was due to a traumatic brain injury from the electronic cigarette device exploding. The explosion caused the electronic cigarette,including the mouthpiece and battery housing, to be propelled upward, creating an entrance wound right of the anterior midline in the philtrum region of the upper lip. The cylindrical mouthpiece and battery housing of the electronic cigarette device measured 2 cm by 1 cm and 9.5 cm by 2.5 cm, respectively.The entrance wound was irregularly shaped and measured 1.5 cm from superior to inferior and 0.9 cm from left to right.From the entrance, the two portions of the projectile continued to perforate the full thickness of the maxillary bone, the nasal cavity, nasal septum, nasal concha, ethmoid bone, ethmoid air cells, sphenoid bone, the meninges of the floor of the central portion of the posterior aspect of the anterior cranial fossa of the skull, and the cerebral hemispheres of the brain including the frontal lobes, limbic lobes, the anterior aspects of the basal ganglia, the anterior aspect of the corpus callosum, and the left parietal lobe of the brain. The mouthpiece and larger portion of the projectile traveled roughly 19 cm and 16 cm within the head,respectively. The mouthpiece came to rest within the subdural space overlying the superior-medial aspect of the left parietal lobe of the brain and the larger portion came to rest in the nasal cavity, ethmoid bone, ethmoid air cells, and sphenoid bone (Figs 4 and 5).

A complete autopsy was performed and confirmed death caused by projectile wound to the head from the explosion of a modified electronic cigarette device. There were no significant anatomical findings discovered in the decedent's organs within the trunk. The burns covering 80% of the decedents body were confirmed to be postmortem and did not contribute to the cause of death. There was no evidence of soot in the airways, and the carboxyhemoglobin screen was negative. The toxicology report showed evidence of amphetamines, opiates, and tramadol in the decedents system, none of which contributed to cause of death.This information confirms cause of death from projectile wound to the head from the explosion of the modified electronic cigarette device.