Suicidal choking caused by a bizarre combination of inhalation to the bronchi and external neck compression.
We report a remarkable case of suicidal choking in an elderly man with depressive episodes and one previous attempt of suicide. Initially, the presence of a sweater around his neck and blunt injuries on his head, left elbow and sacrum region seemed to indicate a suspicious violent death. During the necropsy study, a fragment of newspaper was discovered inside his lower respiratory tract. Autopsy findings showed minimal punctata haemorrhages on the larynx and trachea. The subsequent toxicological investigation was negative. This case is extremely rare, because the deceased was not a schizophrenic patient and the peculiar foreign object was found in the lower level. To the best of our knowledge, in medicolegal literature, few similar cases have been reported.
Pampin
J B
JB
Ministry of Justice, Department of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, c/ Viena s/n, 15701 Santiago de Compostela, Spain. pepeiml@usc.es
Varela
L G
LG