Abstract
Ligature strangulation is an important aspect of forensic practice and unless proven otherwise is considered to be a homicide. We report a case of a traveler, who was attending a political procession, but was later robbed and strangulated with a scarf by some anti-social elements. His body was subsequently abandoned in the wilderness to get decomposed leading to the diminution of valuable traumatic signatures over the neck, thereby presumably raising difficulties in diagnosis of cause and manner of death. After the body was recovered, a careful autopsy was conducted on it with fruitful results. The cause of death was opined to be homicidal ligature strangulation. Therefore, thorough assessment and proper documentation of strangulation injuries, even in highly decomposed corpses, may lead to smooth execution of justice. Key words: Decomposition, ligature strangulation, hyoid bone fracture, garroting.
Highlights
Pressure on the neck is applied by a constricting band that is tightened by a force other than the body weight,with virtually all cases of ligature strangulation being homicides (Dimaio and Dimaio, 2001)
In bodies where decomposition process have begun, a conscientious autopsy must be conducted, in which there is careful inspection of the body, complete exploration of all the body cavities and a keen observation given to post-mortem artifacts
Presence of hyoid bone fracture must always call an attention to rule out homicidal asphyxiation
Summary
Pressure on the neck is applied by a constricting band that is tightened by a force other than the body weight,with virtually all cases of ligature strangulation being homicides (Dimaio and Dimaio, 2001). The ligature (material) may consist of a wide variety of objects such as cords, wires, ropes, scarves, ties, towels, stockings, etc (Demirci et al, 2009). Fracture(s) of the larynx or hyoid bone is a classical sign of the ‘pressure to the neck’ (Dunsby and Davison, 2011). A broad ligature may cause fracture of the hyoid bone (Kennedy, 2005). If the ligature material is soft and wide, external visible lesions may be absent or discreet and may escape undetected (Pollanen and Chiasson, 1996). If the decomposition has stepped in, external as well as internal findings may be largely obscured (Maxiener, 1987)
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