1Associate Professor, Dept of Forensic Medicine, Dr Chandramma Dayananda Sagar Institute of Medical Education and Research Dayananda Sagar University, Devarakaggalahalli, Harohalli, Ramanagara
2Senior Resident, Dept of Forensic Medicine, Bangalore Medical College and Research Centre, Bangalore
3Professor, Dept of Forensic Medicine, MS Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore
*Corresponding Author, (Maj) Jayanth SH, Email: veejay02@gmail.com, Mobile No.: +91 9845750080
Online published on 10 February, 2023.
Complex suicide is when more than one method is used to commit suicide. Sometimes the first method chosen fails to end one's life making the person to adopt another method which was not thought of earlier. Such cases are termed as unplanned complex suicides. A 33 year old woman was found dead hanging in her bedroom. There was also a bottle of insecticide and a bowl containing a mixture of crushed glass particles and insecticide in the same room. Autopsy revealed features of ante mortem hanging and stomach perforation caused by crushed glass particles. Dichlorvos an organophosphorus insecticide was detected in stomach during chemical analysis. Perforation of stomach caused acute pain abdomen and victim survived for some time. Intolerable pain during the survival period made the person chose another method. Chain of events could be ingestion of organophosphorus compound mixed with crushed glass pieces and then hanging.
Complex suicide, Unplanned, Poisoning, Hanging
