Elder homicide: a 20-year study.
A subcategory of elder maltreatment is the fatal outcome, or elder homicide. Some cases of elder homicide result from chronic abuse and/or neglect, while others appear to be sudden, with no pertinent history. The research and literature of elder homicide are lacking, making the investigation of each case difficult; the typical victim, perpetrator, scenario, and cause of death are not known. Components of homicide such as sexual assault and toxicology also lack study. We analyzed all elder deaths over a 20-year period. Cases included those with victims greater than or equal to 65 years of age. These deaths totaled 2137: natural = 1506, accident = 344, suicide = 139, homicide = 127, and undetermined = 21. Focusing on homicides, variables analyzed were age, race, gender, cause of death, location of death, time of year, motive, perpetrator, toxicology, and sexual assault component. By identifying the typical victim, perpetrator, scenario, and autopsy findings, these cases can be more completely investigated and possibly prevented.
Collins
Kim A
KA
Department of Pathology, Forensic Section, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA. collinsk@musc.edu
Presnell
S Erin
SE
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002423:Cause of Death; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000032:analysis; D019548:Crime Victims; D000431:Ethanol / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011902:Rape / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013022:South Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001741:Black or African American
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol