Abstract
Complex suicide refers to a type of suicide that leads to death using two or more methods. We report three cases of unique and rare examples of complex suicide, with the plan of the second and/or third method working simultaneously if the first suicidal attempt had failed. In the first case, the victim used three methods of asphyxia: hanging by a safety belt, plastic bag suffocation, and self-ligature strangulation by stretching rubber bands within the vehicle. In the second case, the victim hanged himself with electrocution by attaching electrical leads to the right side of his head. In the third case, the victim with the intention of drowning jumped 20 m above the water surface on the bridge by tying metal chains to the bridge rail and self-immolation by gasoline. Planned complex suicide involves more successful methods to commit suicide and may conversely be camouflaged as suicide in murder case.
Figures and Tables
![]() | Fig. 1The suspension was created by passing the passenger's seat belt through the passenger's headrest height control bar and attaching it to the handle above the rear window, with a kitchen plastic bag on the head and a stretched rubber band wrapped around the neck. |
![]() | Fig. 2The lines were about 390 cm long and 0.3 cm thick, making them circular in one layer. A single layer of string was crossed from behind the neck into an X shape and hung on the front handle of the treadmill at a height of 125 cm. Passing through both side handles of the treadmill and pulling the right leg into the cord secured the suspension point. |
![]() | Fig. 3The deceased victim was found to have removed the wire sheath of the electrical cord, tied it up with plastic rope, wrapped the wire around the sizing band behind the cap, and hung the stripped wire over his right ear. |
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