An autopsy case of suicide by hanging with multiple stab wounds of the neck and chest

Abstract

We report, from the aspect of 'acting' capability, an autopsy case of suicide by hanging in which multiple deep stab wounds were observed in the neck and chest. A 49-year-old man was found dead in a state typical of hanging. His car was found about 100m away with a blood-stained climber's knife on the seat. Multiple incised and stab wounds were in the neck, with a lesion of the right inner jugular vein. Three penetrating stab wounds of the chest punctured the lungs, with pooling of about 500ml of blood in the left thorax and about 100ml in the right. Two other shallow stab wounds were in the chest. All the above wounds were explainable as self-inflicted. From the autopsy findings and the circumstantial evidence, it was concluded that he walked approximately 100m after stabbing his neck and chest and finally committed suicide by hanging.