Homicide by methane gas.
Methane is a suffocating gas, and "methane deaths" are largely the result of suffocation by gas-air displacement after accidental or deliberate exposure. Neither methane gas nor other suffocating gases are a common means of homicide, with the potential exception of the use of gas in chemical weapons or gas chambers. Here, we report the case of a 53-year-old woman who was killed by her husband with methane gas. The man had given his wife a dose of Lorazepam before setting up a hose that conveyed methane from the kitchen into the apartment's bedroom. The man subsequently faked his own suicide, which was later discovered.
Institute of Legal Medicine, Catholic University, Medical School, Rome, Italy. fabio.degiorgio@rm.unicatt.it
Fabio
F
De-Giorgio
Vincenzo M
VM
Grassi
Giuseppe
G
Vetrugno
Riccardo
R
Rossi
Nadia
N
Fucci
Ernesto
E
d'Aloja
Vincenzo L
VL
Pascali
D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D005740:Gases; D006708:Homicide; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D008140:Lorazepam / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008697:Methane / Q000506:poisoning*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D013406:Suicide, Attempted
D005740:Gases; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D008140:Lorazepam; D008697:Methane