I believe that was some sort of BMW SUV. Nearly all have oil coolers either built in or in front of the engine cooling radiator. Trans fluid and oil are both obviously flammable.
Still, why/how she diddn't have time to get out of the car, is suspicious.
She got in the car; stuff combusted; it killed her and started a fire in the garage.
Two different events ~ coming home and puncturing the radiator, and then in the early morning hours getting in the car to go to the airport.
OK - I now have my tin foil hat completely screwed on.
They believe the victim was “stricken and unconscious” before the fire started, yet there were no signs trauma, leading the first responders to suspect an “unknown medical condition”.
If you wanted to cover up a perfect murder...
Sneak into the garage some time during the night. Puncture the radiator, letting the coolant pool under the vehicle.
Ambush the victim with a hypo of succinylcholine. Gently place victim in front seat, start car. Open garage door, back part of the way out. Put car in park. Walk to the front of the car. Touch your zippo to the pool of coolant. Disappear down the alley to the rear.
With burns on the body, can't find a needle mark. No blunt force trauma. No “unnatural accelerants” found at the scene. Fast and hot burn. No explosions. Why open the door and move the car part of the way out? Because for a fast and hot burn you need a lot of oxygen. If the door were closed, the fire would burn more slowly and have less of a chance of destroying the evidence.
Just say’in.
okey dokey I have my new and improved tin foil hat on
REVISED
They believe the victim was “stricken and unconscious” before the fire started, yet there were no signs trauma, leading the first responders to suspect an “unknown medical condition”.
If you wanted to cover up a perfect murder...
Sneak into the garage some time during the night. Puncture the radiator, letting the coolant drip onto a 6 inch stack of newspaper.
Ambush the victim with a hypo of succinylcholine. Gently place victim in front seat, start car. Open garage door, back part of the way out. Put car in park. Walk to the front of the car. Touch your zippo to the edge of the soaked newspaper. Disappear down the alley to the rear along the fence.
With burns on the body, can’t find a needle mark. No blunt force trauma. No “unnatural accelerants” found at the scene. Fast and hot burn. No explosions. Why open the door and move the car part of the way out? Because for a fast and hot burn you need a lot of oxygen. If the door were closed, the fire would burn more slowly and have less of a chance of destroying the evidence.
I can vouch that newspaper soaked in e-glycol burns rather fierce and would likely ignite everything else under the hood fairly quickly.
Just say’in.