Suicide by Electrocution with Low-Voltage Current

Abstract

Three cases of suicide by electrocution with low-voltage current were observed in five years (1994–1998) by medical clinical forensic examiners of an Emergency Forensic Unit of the Paris suburb among 2000 external death examinations. The cases involved one woman, aged 72 and two men, aged 38 and 41. In the last two cases, electric burns were retrieved under bared electric wires, placed on the arms or fingers in order to realize a hand-to-hand electric circuit involving the heart muscle. In the other case, the electric circuit between mouth and foot also involved the heart muscle. Household low-voltage current delivered (220 V in France) had a sufficient strength to induce local muscular paralysis and heart fibrillation. In the three cases, blood samples taken have retrieved very high levels of muscular enzymes (CPK, LDH) correlated to the mechanism of electric death. The rareness of suicide by electrocution and its forensic characteristics are detailed in order to help the clinical forensic examiners, prosecutors, and police officers concerned by such death examinations.

Electrocution in South Delhi: A retrospective study

“…Out of 153 cases in our study, only one case of suicidal electrocution was reported, in which a middle-aged male committed suicide by winding two wires, one to his left wrist and the other to his right ankle, and plugging the wires into a wall socket. Similar observations were made by Fernando andLiyanage in their study in 1990 andMarc et al in 2000. We did not see any cases of homicidal electrocution in our study.…”

Cut wrists, electrocution and subsequent drowning in a water drum: An unusual combination of methods in complex suicide

“…Electrocution as a sole method of suicide is found in scientific literature, but as a part of complex suicide is rarely reported. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] Alicot et al 18 reported a case of complex suicide where the victim allegedly used multiple methods including electrocution in a bathtub along with a medicine overdose. However, the autopsy findings did not reveal any features of electrocution or drowning in that case.…”

Elektrik Akımı ile İntihar Olgu Sunumu

“…Banyo kŸveti i•ine •alÝßan sa• kurutma makinesi ile intihar eden (6), kaza sonucu šlen (4,13), baßarÝsÝz intihar girißimi sÝrasÝnda baßÝna defibrilatšr uygulayan saÛlÝk gšrevlisi, otoerotik aktivasyon saÛlamak amacÝyla elektrik uygulamalarÝ sÝrasÝnda hayatÝnÝ kaybeden ilgin• ve nadir olgular da bildirilmiß-tir (14,15). Üntihar olgularÝnÝn bŸyŸk kÝsmÝ dŸßŸk voltajlÝ elektrik akÝmÝ uygulamÝß olup (1,8,10,16,17) yŸksek akÝma maruz kalan olgular nadiren bildirilmißtir (15). Genel olarak yŸksek elektriksel gerilime maruz kalan elektrik šlŸmŸ olgularÝ sÝklÝkla kaza orijinlidir (1-3).…”

“…eninde, kahverengi lezyonlar olduÛu izlendi. Olgumuzda olduÛu gibi histopatolojik olarak deride elektrik yanÝÛÝ lezyonlarÝ gšsterilebilir (8)(9)(10), ancak geniß serilerde šzellikle su i•inde ve daha geniß bir vŸcut yŸzeyinin elektrik akÝmÝna maruz kaldÝÛÝ olgularda, mikroskopik bulgular saptanamayacaÛÝnÝn altÝ •izilmektedir (1,4,13), kas kontraksyonlarÝ sonrasÝnda ani vazospazmlara baÛlÝ olarak i• organlarda yaygÝn peteßiyal kanamalarÝn olußabileceÛi bildirilmektedir (17). FarklÝ olarak mikroskopik incelemede i• organlarda yanÝÛa baÛlÝ kaslarda hiperkontraksiyon bandlarÝ ve perinšriumda koagŸlatif deÛißikliklerin bulunduÛu bir olgu rapor edilmißtir (12).…”

“…Logemann ve arkadaßlarÝ yanÝk alanÝndan elektrik kablosu baÛlanmasÝna baÛlÝ olußabilecek metal artÝklarÝn saptanmasÝnÝn yardÝmcÝ yšntem olarak kullanÝlmasÝnÝn šnemine deÛinmißtir (11). Baßka bir •alÝßma-da elektrik akÝmÝ etkisine baÛlÝ yaygÝn kas hasarÝnÝn, artmÝß kan kreatin fosfokinaz ve laktat dehidrogenaz seviyelerinin tespitiyle elektrik etkisinin ortaya konulabileceÛi vurgulanmÝßtÝr (10). …”