A Case of Suicidal Ligature Strangulation by Using a Tourniquet Method

Abstract

Ligature strangulations are usually homicidal. Accidental and suicidal ligature strangulations are quite rare. In this study, an unusual case of suicidal ligature strangulation with a tourniquet method using a walking stick is presented.A 70-year-old-man was found dead in his room, a piece of cloth wrapped around the neck, knotted, and tightened by a walking stick. His hand was still on the walking stick which was seemingly used by him for a tourniquet effect. Autopsy showed bilateral sternocleidomastoid muscle hemorrhage. A thorough death scene investigation, detailed corpse examination, and autopsy are extremely important for determining the manner of death in such ligature strangulation cases.

Self‐Strangulation Turning into Partial Hanging for a Suicide Victim

“…Suicide by self‐strangulation is unusual but not rare. Case reports and case series have been published in the scientific literature . Our case is an interesting case of suicide by self‐strangulation, which culminated into partial hanging due to a unique mechanism used for the process.…”

“…Analysis of various case reports and case series published on self‐strangulation indicates that the victims of these types of suicide are predominantly male and are above 30 years of age. The ligature used in these cases are a twin, cable tie, hemp rope, scarf, fabric belt, a sleeve of a shirt, nylon rope, dressing gown cord, underpants elastic, telephone wire, pantyhose, wire cloth hanger, rubber band, shoelace, elastic gymnastic bands and waist belt.…”

Asphyxia using a piece of a sarong at a psychiatric unit: a case of self-strangulation

“…Z piśmiennictwa wynika, że samozadzierzgnięcie nie jest niemożliwe i bywa mylone z zabójstwem [4,15]. Do przypadkowego zadzierzgnięcia może dojść podczas czynności seksualnych [16,17] lub u dzieci [18][19][20], a niekiedy także u dorosłych [21][22][23][24][25][26]. Określenie sposobu śmierci w takich przypadkach jest złożonym zadaniem [5].…”

“…The literature indicates that self-strangulation is not impossible and may be confused with homicide [4,15]. However, accidental strangulation can take place during sexually motivated acts [16,17] or in children [18][19][20] and in some instances in adults [21][22][23][24][25][26]. However, determination of the manner of death in strangulation is a complex task [5].…”

Suicidal ligature strangulation utilizing cable ties: a report of three cases

“…Self strangulation by ligature is uncommon [3,4] and in the majority of cases, scarves, belts, neckties and rope were used [5]. Use of a ligature with a self locking mechanism, such as creating a tourniquet [6], or blood pressure cuff [7] are extremely rare. We found only two previous reports where cable ties (which have a self locking mechanism) were utilized to commit suicide by neck compression [7,8].…”