Unusual Suicide with Chainsaw: An Autopsy Case Report

Yonghan Jung; Seonjung Jang; Hyejin Park; Sookyoung Lee

doi:10.7580/kjlm.2020.44.1.41

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Jung, Jang, Park, and Lee: Unusual Suicide with Chainsaw: An Autopsy Case Report

Case Report

Korean Journal of Legal Medicine 2020; 44(1): 41-44.

Published online: 29 February 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7580/kjlm.2020.44.1.41

Unusual Suicide with Chainsaw: An Autopsy Case Report

Yonghan Jung¹

, Seonjung Jang¹, Hyejin Park¹, Sookyoung Lee²

¹Forensic Medicine Division, National Forensic Service Busan Institute, Yangsan, Korea.

²Medical Examiner's Office, National Forensic Service, Wonju, Korea.

Correspondence to Yonghan Jung. Forensic Medicine Division, National Forensic Service Busan Institute, 50 Geumo-ro, Mulgeum-eup, Yangsan 50612, Korea. Tel: +82-55-380-4061, Fax: +82-55-380-4059, next0608@daum.net

Received 30 January 2020 Revised 11 February 2020 Accepted 25 February 2020

The Korean Society for Legal Medicine

(open-access):

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

In autopsy practice, we encounter case of suicide or murder using various methods or tools. Damage caused by tools such as a knife or hammer is commonly encountered, but a case of damage using a chainsaw is not commonly encountered. We present an autopsy case of a suicide due to neck injury using a chainsaw. A 56-year-old man was found dead with a neck injury and a chainsaw below him. Soft tissue of the neck, thyroid cartilage, trachea, carotid vessels, cervical vertebrae, and cervical spinal cord were found to be cleaved, and a cogwheel-shaped pattern was observed in the injured area.

Keywords: Forensic pathology, Chainsaw, Suicide, Autopsy, Neck injuries

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1

Multiple parallel abrasions and lacerations on the face.

Fig. 2

(A) A deep and gaping neck injury involving the anterior and both lateral sides of the neck. Multiple cogwheel-shaped injuries on the skin (B), thyroid cartilage (C), and carotid artery (D).

Fig. 3

Chainsaw (upper) found under the deceased body and the chainsaw's teeth (lower).

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by National Forensic Service Clinical Research Fund.

Notes

^{Conflicts of Interest} Yong-Han Jung, a contributing editor of the Korean Journal of Legal Medicine, was not involved in the editorial evaluation or decision to publish this article. The authors have no conflict of interest to be declared.

References

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ORCID iDs

Yonghan Jung
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8547-0295

Sookyoung Lee
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8939-9526

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