Post-mortem decapitation by domestic dogs: three case reports and review of the literature

Abstract

Post-mortem animal depredation is not an uncommon phenomenon in routine forensic autopsies. We present three cases of complete post-mortem decapitation by domestic German shepherd dogs. In two cases, the head had been bitten off, defleshed and left lying near the body, while in one case it had been completely devoured by two dogs; only small skull fragments and crowned teeth could be found. Two of the three bodies were putrefied; all dog bite injuries had been inflicted after death. The cause of death was drug toxicity in two cases and fatal hemorrhage from ruptured esophageal varices in one case. These rare injuries due to post-mortem animal depredation are discussed in the light of earlier studies and case reports.

Animals, autopsies and artefacts

“…In the last issue of Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology Buschmann et al [1] described decapitation associated with postmortem dog attacks. While drawing attention to a specific form of craniocerebral trauma, the paper also raises the issue of difficulties that may arise in assessing the significance of injuries inflicted by animals, as not infrequently autopsies are conducted on bodies with features that have been modified by animal activity.…”

Decapitation by the Force to the Body: A Case Report and a Review of the Literature

“…Sharp tool Clear-cut wound [16,17] Band-like abrations, and several incisions [16] Blunt facial injuries, several stab wounds in the body [16] None [16,17] Suicide/Homicide [16,17] Hanging Irregularly shaped defects [9] Sharp-edged lacerations with band-like abrasions [10] Laceration with wavy abrasion [11] Circumferential skin abrasion [12] None [9][10][11][12] Suicide [9][10][11][12] Animal Bite marks and tissue defects [13] Tooth puncture wounds [14] None [13,14] Accident [13,14] Explosion Sharp-edged gaping lacerations [15] Lacerations and contusions in all region [15] Suicide/Homicide [15] Vehicle assisted Clear-cut wounds with demarcated abrasions [1,4,6,8], Band-like abrations [2,5] Irregular [3,4] Liner abrasions with thinner erosion [7] None [1,2,4,[6][7][8] Abrasions on the limbs [3] Rib fractures …”

“…In most of the cases, these objects act around the neck directly. The force for decapitation by blunt instrument is strongish, such as vehicle-assisted ligature strangulation [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8], suicidal hanging [9][10][11][12], rarely, attacks by animal such as dog and so on [13,14], and explosion [15]. However, any strong force is not necessary for decapitation by sharp instrument [16,17].…”

“…Ihama et al reported an accidental decapitation by the movement of the chain [5]. Buschmann et al reported that the dogs attacked the neck of 3-week-old male infant and swallowed his head [13]. Therefore, decapitation can be caused by the force to the narrow width in the neck directly and strongly.…”

Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and forensic practice

“…The typical scenario involves a socially-isolated individual who has been dead within a house for some time [11,12]. Dogs left in a house without food will eventually feed on the remains of their owners [13]. This activity may result in significant problems at the time of autopsy as large wounds may suggest inflicted injuries to investigating police officers, and in the case of genuine homicides the morphology of inflicted injuries may be considerably altered by animal feeding.…”