Case Report of Decapitation in Hanging

Jung Sik Jang; Kyung-moo Yang

doi:10.7580/kjlm.2016.40.4.138

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Jang and Yang: Case Report of Decapitation in Hanging

Original Article

Korean J Leg Med 2016;40(4):138-141.

Published online: 19 December 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7580/kjlm.2016.40.4.138

Case Report of Decapitation in Hanging

Jung Sik Jang¹, Kyung-moo Yang²

¹Forensic Medicine Division, National Forensic Service Daegu Institute, Chilgok, Korea

²Medical Examination's Office, National Forensic Service, Wonju, Korea

Correspondence to Jung Sik Jang Forensic Medicine Division, National Forensic Service Daegu Institute, 33-14 Hoguk-ro, Waegwan-eup, Chilgok 39872, Korea Tel: +82-54-970-0541 Fax: +82-54-970-0529 E-mail: drjangjungsik@gmail.com

Received 7 November 201615 November 2016 Accepted 21 November 2016

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The authors report two cases of complete decapitation due to hanging. The decapitated body of a 49-year-old man weighing 53 kg was found next to a motel, and the head was 1.2 m away from the body. A rope (length, 3.5 m; diameter, 1.0 cm; nylon rope with a running noose), from the rescue and descent device of the room, was on an exterior wall of the motel. Another decapitated body of a 50-year-old man weighing 74 kg was found floating on the river. The head was found the next day. A rope (length, 7.2 m; diameter, 1.0 cm; nylon rope with a running noose) was tied to a bridge located on the upper side of the river. In both cases, the neck had a sharply demarcated circumferential laceration, similar to that noted in cases of sharp force injury. However, the laceration was formed by Langer's lines, and internal examination revealed findings of overstretching injury and blunt force injury. These cases were determined to be those of complete decapitation due to hanging.

Keywords: Hanging, Decapitation, Suicide

REFERENCES

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Fig. 1.

(A) The head of case 1. The definite ligature mark was around the neck. (B) The body of case 1. Well demarcated band-like abrasion was formed along the laceration. (C) Case 2. Although the skin showed sharp cutting edge, no sharp injury was on superficial muscles. (D) The cut surface of neck internal organs showed irregularity as feature of overstretching injury and blunt force injury.

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