Complete post-mortem decapitation in suicidal hanging

Abstract

Case reportA decapitated body that had undergone considerableputrefaction was found in a warehouse of a vacant factory(Fig. 1). The head, including most parts of the neck, washanging from a belt approximately 1 m above the groundand approximately 1 m under the ceiling, positioneddirectly above the rest of the body (Fig. 2). The lower endof the belt was rolled around the neck with a single noose,and a knot placed at the posterior region of the neck. A pairof underpants was tied between the belt and the neck. Theupper end of the belt was fixed to the steel beam of theceiling. A ladder that had probably been used as a climbingaid was located next to the body. There was no evidence ofa fight or of any interference by another person at thescene. The man was identified later from dental records andphysical markings (tattoos on both upper arms) as a39-year-old man who had suffered from a depressive dis-order. No suicide note or farewell letters were found. Thedeceased had been last seen alive 2 months earlier.Medico-legal autopsy revealed a severely putrefied andpartially mummified corpse measuring 1.84 m andweighing 49 kg (head included). Many maggots and otherinsects were present on the body surface and within thebody cavities. The head was completely severed from thetrunk, and the severance line passed between the fourth andfifth cervical vertebrae (C4–C5). The connection of thecervical spine was fragile due to advanced post-mortemchanges of the ligaments and intervertebral discs. Themummified skin adjacent to the severance line in both thehead and trunk showed irregularly shaped defects. Most ofthe neck soft tissues were missing and the thyroid cartilagewas absent; the remaining hyoid bone showed no injuries.Although most of the chest and abdominal organs could notbe distinguished due to advanced post-mortem changes,there were no obvious pathological findings. Except fordecapitation, there were no other injuries, including hesi-tation marks. Tattoos on both upper arms allowed, togetherwith the dental status, identification of the deceased. Tox-icological investigations were negative.