Planned complex suicide: self-strangulation and fall from height

J Forensic Leg Med. 2011 Oct;18(7):336-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jflm.2011.06.013. Epub 2011 Jul 8.

Abstract

We hereby present a case of planned complex suicide. In this case study, we report a teen-aged girl who committed suicide by strangulating herself, and subsequently fell from the 13th floor of a housing apartment. The planned complex suicide was substantiated by the presence of a suicide note and a photograph captured in a mobile handset. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first case involving self-strangulation and fall from height, in which the photograph was stored in the handset. This is to further emphasize that objects like mobile handsets can be important in determining the cause and manner of death. The available evidence at the site of incident should be explored meticulously in order to arrive at a proper conclusion.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Asphyxia / pathology*
  • Cell Phone
  • Contusions / pathology
  • Correspondence as Topic
  • Female
  • Forensic Pathology
  • Fractures, Bone / pathology
  • Hematoma / pathology
  • Hemothorax / pathology
  • Humans
  • Malaysia
  • Multiple Trauma / pathology
  • Photography
  • Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Traumatic / pathology
  • Suicide*