Abstract
The authors present the first case, to the best of our knowledge, of a preplanned suicide by self-waterboarding. Waterboarding (WB) is a military method of torture in which water is poured into the nostrils and the mouth of a victim, to evoke the sensation of asphyxiation by drowning. The victim was a 22-year-old male student, who was found dead and naked in the bathtub. His head was covered by a soaked canvas bag, and his hands were tied with two nylon ropes and a padlock. The water jet of the showerhead was specifically directed at the victim’s head, so that the canvas bag could be soaked with water. The cause of death was defined as the combination of asphyxiation by drowning with the direct suffocation provoked by the soaked canvas bag in the context of the waterboarding practice. Finally, the authors discuss the differential diagnosis regarding the modality (suicide versus homicide) through which this case of waterboarding was performed. The case is intended to be used as source data for similar forensic cases, where a multidisciplinary approach is advisable in such complex cases.
Highlights
Waterboarding (WB), called water torture or simulated/ controlled drowning, is a method of military torture in which water is poured into the nostrils and the mouth of a victim who lies on his back on an inclined platform, with his feet above his head (Trendelenburg position) [1, 2]
The head was completely covered by a soaked canvas bag, held around the neck by a white nylon rope, and reached by the water jet coming from the showerhead
Since the beginning of 2000s, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was authorized to use waterboarding against suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, Cuba [10]
Summary
Waterboarding (WB), called water torture or simulated/ controlled drowning, is a method of military torture in which water is poured into the nostrils and the mouth of a victim who lies on his back on an inclined platform, with his feet above his head (Trendelenburg position) [1, 2]. The body was naked, the head was covered by a soaked canvas bag and both his hands were firmly tied with two nylon ropes and bound with a padlock. The prosecutor ordered an on-site forensic investigation, followed by a judicial autopsy with toxicological, histopathological, and genetic analyses.
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