And judging from the plethoric appearance of his head and neck he appears to have been strangled by hanging or choking. Asphyxiation by smoke inhalation does not give localized redness and tissue congestion of the face and neck. More often the victim appears cyanotic with no swelling of the head and neck. Even in carbon monoxide poisoning the entire body is plethoric(red) not just one local area.
I have seen 3 strangulation victims and they all looked exactly like the photo of the US ambassador.