Clenched hands: A valuable sign of antemortem hanging

Abstract

Hanging is one of the most common methods of committing suicide in India. During the autopsy examination, antemortem hanging can be easily determined by observing the presence of various antemortem signs, which are described in most of the forensic literature. The present study was undertaken with the aim to assess the presence of antemortem signs in cases of death due to hanging. Here we highlight the presence of an important finding of clenched hands in death due to hanging, which can be a valuable sign to decide the antemortem phenomenon, especially in cases where other signs of antemortem hanging are not well marked.