Journal List > Korean J Leg Med > v.41(3) > 1088022

Lee, Park, Jung, Kim, and Ha: Drowning with Bound Wrists: Report of Two Autopsy Cases

Abstract

Drowned bodies with bound wrists are occasionally observed in forensic practice. Suicidal victims may bind their hands or feet with a rope to ensure success of the suicide attempt, but the possibility of homicidal drowning cannot be excluded. We report on two autopsy cases of drowning with bound wrists. A 51-year-old man (case 1) was found in the bathroom beside the bathtub, with his head under the water in the bathtub. His wrists were tied with a green bath towel. An 83-year-old man (case 2) was found dead in a reservoir. His wrists were loosely bound with blue nylon traps on the back, and both ankles were loosely tied with socks, with a simple knot on the left ankle. At autopsy, the lungs were hyperinflated, and foamy fluid was exuded from the bronchi in both cases.

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1

Case 1.

(A) The deceased was found aside of the bathtub in the bathroom, with his head under the water in the bathtub. (B) His wrists were tied with a green bath towel.
kjlm-41-78-g001
Fig. 2

Case 2.

Ropes and knots of wrists (A) and ankles (B).
kjlm-41-78-g002
Fig. 3

Case 2.

Lungs were hyperinflated (emphysema aquosum, A) and foamy fluid was exuded from bronchus (B).
kjlm-41-78-g003

Notes

Conflicts of Interest No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

References

1. Statistics Korea. 2015 Causes of death [Internet]. Daejeon: Statistics Korea;2016. [cited 2017 May 1. Available from: http://www.kostat.go.kr.
2. Statistics Korea. 2013 Suicide investigation [Internet]. Daejeon: Statistics Korea;2014. cited 2017 May 1. Available from: http://www.kostat.go.kr.
3. World Health Organization. Injuries and violence: the fact 2014 [Internet]. Geneva: World Helath Organization;2014. cited 2017 May 1. Available from: http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/other_injury/drowning/en/.
4. Ajdacic-Gross V, Weiss MG, Ring M, et al. Method of suicide: international suicide patterns derived from the WHO mortality database. Bull World Health Organ. 2008; 86:726–732.
5. Bierens JL. Drowning: prevention, rescue, treatment. 2nd ed. Berlin: Spinger-Verlag;2014.
6. Armstrong EJ, Erskine KL. Water-related death investigation: practical methods and forensic applications. Boca Raton: CRC Press;2016.
7. Behera C, Karthik K, Singh H, et al. Suicide pact by drowning with bound wrists: a case of medico-legal importance. Med Leg J. 2014; 82:29–31.
8. Todt M, Ast F, Wolff-Maras R, et al. Suicide by drowning: a forensic challenge. Forensic Sci Int. 2014; 240:e22-4.
9. D'Ovidio C, Rosato E, Carnevale A. An unusual case of murdersuicide: the importance of studying knots. J Forensic Leg Med. 2017; 45:17–20.
10. Piette MH, De Letter EA. Drowning: still a difficult autopsy diagnosis. Forensic Sci Int. 2006; 163:1–9.
TOOLS
Similar articles