Unusual suicide with an electric Jigsaw: A case report and literature review

Andrea Cioffi; Camilla Cecannecchia; Giuseppe Bertozzi; Luigi Cipolloni; Benedetta Baldari

doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2022.102372

Unusual suicide with an electric Jigsaw: A case report and literature review

J Forensic Leg Med. 2022 Jul:89:102372. doi: 10.1016/j.jflm.2022.102372. Epub 2022 May 21.

Authors

Andrea Cioffi¹, Camilla Cecannecchia², Giuseppe Bertozzi³, Luigi Cipolloni³, Benedetta Baldari²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Electronic address: an.cioffi19@gmail.com.
² Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
³ Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Italy.

PMID: 35623228
DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2022.102372

Abstract

Fatal injuries caused by power saws are rare. In most cases, they are accidental and non-voluntary. Even rarer are suicides carried out using power saws, with no previously reported cases of suicide by electric jigsaw. We report a case of suicide by electric jigsaw of a young obese woman suffering from major depression with psychotic features. The peculiarity of our case - compared to those known in the scientific literature - concerns not only the means used for suicide, but also the results of psychological autopsy and the characteristics of the fatal injury. In fact, the autopsy showed a large wound on the anterior and lateral region of the neck with preservation of the integrity of the large vessels of the neck. The cause of death was attributed to haemorrhagic shock due to slow bleeding of small and medium calibre neck vessels, with blood aspiration.

Keywords: Power saw; Psychological autopsy; Saw wound; Sharp force; Suicide.

Publication types

Case Reports
Review

MeSH terms

Autopsy
Female
Forensic Pathology / methods
Humans
Neck Injuries* / etiology
Shock, Hemorrhagic* / etiology
Suicide*