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Complex Suicide by Self‐stabbing and Drowning: A Case Report and a Review of Literature
Author(s) -
Peyron PierreAntoine,
Casper Thierry,
Mathieu Olivier,
Musizzano Yuri,
Baccino Eric
Publication year - 2018
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 - 10.1111/1556-4029.13537
Subject(s) - homicide , medicine , poison control , autopsy , suicide prevention , suicide methods , injury prevention , forensic pathology , medical emergency , violent death , manner of death , occupational safety and health , cause of death , hemopneumothorax , psychiatry , surgery , pathology , suicide rates , pneumothorax , disease
Sharp force injuries and drowning are methods exceptionally combined in complex suicides. We report a challenging case of complex suicide by self‐stabbing and drowning that illustrates the difficulty in discriminating between homicide and suicide in such circumstances of death. The corpse of a young man was found submerged in a river, stabbed nine times with two wounds that had penetrated the thorax and had caused lung injuries and a hemopneumothorax. The postmortem and histological examinations were consistent with a death caused by drowning, but the manner of death still remained undetermined. Police investigation finally concluded to a suicide, although no suicide note had been left and the victim had no underlying diagnosed mental disorder. The parameters that may help distinguish suicide from homicide at the autopsy should be interpreted in light of a thorough forensic investigation to determine the exact manner of death in such a case.