Two unusual stab injuries to the neck: homicide or self-infliction?

Abstract

A 31-year-old woman was found dead by her daughter, lying in the living room which showed a large pool of blood, secondary droplets and stains from arterial blood spatter, dropping and contact. This bloody scene and two puncture wounds at the anterior aspect of the neck, one of them transecting the left common carotid artery leading to exsanguination, arose suspicion of homicide. However, the wound morphology including notches and a parallel skin incision as well as microradiography demonstrated that the two puncture wounds had been produced by glass. At the scene, a broken wine glass with two dagger-like tips had been standing on a table in front of a sofa where the woman had been sitting, and she most likely sustained the injury when she suddenly moved her head downwards, thus moving into the protruding tips. This self-inflicted accident demonstrates that inspection of the scene and synthesis of autopsy and scene findings can be crucial for a successful medico-legal reconstruction. The mechanism of producing the accidental injury is very extraordinary, in that the woman actively moved into a shattered wine glass instead of falling into an intact architectural glass surface.

Retrospective study on suicidal cases by sharp force injuries

“…11,[13][14][15] Moreover, several independent groups have reported unusual cases in which stab wounds were found to the head or throat. [16][17][18][19][20][21] In our series, a 61-year-old male was found lying on his back, with a knife in the rear of his head near the mastoid process. Moreover, forensic pathologists have to take account of the victim's handedness.…”

Suicidal or Homicidal Sharp Force Injuries? A Review and Critical Analysis of the Heterogeneity in the Forensic Literature

“…Sharp force injuries have been and will remain a major cause of violent death and trauma. Fatalities from sharp force are mainly homicidal, as suicides by sharp force represent only 1.6–3% of all suicides .…”

Analysis of experimental cranial skin wounding from screwdriver trauma

“…Yet, screwdriver stab wounds are often described in the surgical and traumatological literature [1][2][3][4][5][6], which has prompted the call by Trutton et al [7] for an increased awareness of such injuries to the skin. Moreover, a number of recent reports [8][9][10] have highlighted the importance of a careful analysis of dermal stab wounds in forensic investigations.…”