Citation

Byard RW, Wills SM. Aust. J. Forensic Sci. 2016; 48(3): 312-316.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/00450618.2015.1052756

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Padding, or protecting the neck while hanging, while not rare, may suggest autoerotic activity to less experienced pathologists. Three cases are reported, however, to illustrate two types of neck protection that may occur in suicidal hangings to show an alternative scenario. Case 1: a 38-year-old woman had a grey woollen scarf around her neck underneath a plaited ligature made from sheeting. Case 2: the 57-year-old male partner of Case 1 had a black and white scarf around his neck underneath a ligature made from a plaited sheet. Case 3: a 57-year-old woman had positioned the fingers from both hands beneath a ligature around her neck. The cause of death in each case was hanging, the manner suicide. These cases show that padding of the neck beneath ligatures may on occasion be a feature of suicidal hangings, and also that victims may insert their fingers between the ligature and the neck possibly to reduce the discomfort from ligature compression. Although any unusual features in hanging deaths should be fully investigated, protecting of the neck with padding or finger insertion under ligatures may occur in otherwise relatively straightforward cases of suicide. © 2015 Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en

Keywords

adult; human; suicide; female; male; alcohol; autopsy; case report; depression; cause of death; hanging; middle aged; morphine; paracetamol; illicit drug; alcohol blood level; neck; Article; petechia; urine level; hyperemia; autoerotic; neck padding