Citation

Konopka T, Strona M, Bolechała F, Kunz J. Leg. Med. (Elsevier) 2007; 9(1): 1-13.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine, Collegium Medicum Jagiellonian University, ul. Grzegorzecka 16, 31-531 Kraków, Poland.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Japanese Society of Legal Medicine, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.legalmed.2006.08.008

PMID

17157050

Abstract

In this study, we present 23 cases of dismembered bodies examined by the Cracow Department of Forensic Medicine in 1968-2005 period. Presented material includes 17 instances of defensive mutilation, three instances of offensive mutilation and two cases when dismemberment (decapitation) was a direct cause of death. One case is hard to classified, the perpetrator dissected free skin from the all torso. Analysis of all presented cases and other publications concentrating on the problem of dismemberment gave us the possibility to perform some conclusions. Apart from rare cases of necrophilia, the victim of dismemberment is always a victim of homicide. Homicides ending with corpse dismemberment are most commonly committed by a person close to, or at least acquainted with the victim and they are performed at the site of homicide, generally in the place inhabited by the victim, the perpetrator or shared by both. Such instances are generally not planned by the perpetrator and rarely serial in character.

Language: en