Citation

Karthik K, Behera C, Gupta S, Bhardwaj D. Med. Leg. J. 2013; 81(Pt 3): 124-127.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Medico-Legal Society, Publisher SAGE Publications)

DOI

10.1177/0025817213497168

PMID

24057311

Abstract

A 25-year-old male was found dead in a water drum inside the bathroom of his house one morning. Autopsy revealed a fatal right wrist cut, superficial cuts on middle phalanx of left index finger and features of ante mortem drowning. Investigation revealed the victim was an alcoholic and was depressed due to financial problems. On the previous night, under the influence of alcohol, he first tried to commit suicide by cutting wrist with razor blades, but death was not immediate. He then attempted electrocuting himself by touching a live wire, inside the bathroom, which failed and finally he drowned in a water drum. The victim had left a message, written with his blood on the floor of the room, reflecting his suicidal intentions. In complex suicide, many bizarre methods are used, but this combination of methods is unusual and not found in available forensic literature.

Language: en