title: Atypical stab injury suggesting ritual suicide.
abstract: Sharp weapons have been one of the most common deadly tools in cases of homicide and suicide for a long time. Tentative incisions accompany the majority of suicides by sharp force and the absence of hesitation marks provokes questions about the manner of death. We present the bizarre fatality of a 41-year-old male with an isolated circumscribed incision on the right neck, where the body was found lying in a pool of blood in the shower of his apartment. The internal examination revealed a 4-cm-long channel-like defect running inwardly and downwardly along the right sternocleidomastoid region. The cause of death was external bleeding from an injured right carotid artery and internal jugular vein. The wound had clean non-contused margins without any conspicuous hesitation injuries. A fragment of a razor blade, found in blood splatters, was identified as the only potential injuring tool. The case was classified as a suicide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Prague, University Hospital Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. kucerovas@lfhk.cuni.cz.
authors.forename: Štěpánka
authors.initials: Š
authors.lastname: Kučerová
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, St. Anne's Faculty Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Tomáš
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vojtíšek
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Prague, University Hospital Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hejna
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D002562:Ceremonial Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D012652:Self Mutilation; D013405:Suicide; D057772:Vascular System Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D014951:Wounds, Stab / Q000473:pathology*
keywords:  hesitation marks;  razor blade;  ritual suicide;  stab wound; autopsy