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Hands Tied with Bag Full of Books in Suicidal Hanging
Author(s) -
Sikary Asit Kumar,
Behera Chittaranjan,
Murty Om Prakash,
Rautji Ravi
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.12930
Subject(s) - circumstantial evidence , manner of death , autopsy , presentation (obstetrics) , medical emergency , masking (illustration) , medical examiner , medicine , forensic engineering , poison control , psychology , computer security , criminology , suicide prevention , surgery , law , engineering , art , computer science , pathology , political science , visual arts
Hanging deaths associated with binding of limbs, masking of a face, and gagging are always suspicious. In suicidal hanging, the victim uses these added techniques to prevent him from backing out of his decision and to ensure death. However, binding of limbs and adding extra weight to the suspension in hanging are not reported. Herein, we report a case where the victim tied a bag containing books weighing 7 kg (15.4 lbs) to both his hands during hanging. The forensic specialist must be aware of the unusual presentation of suicidal hanging which may suggest foul play. The manner of death must be established after detailed analysis of circumstantial evidence, information obtained from the witnesses, complete autopsy, and toxicological examination.