Suicidal Electrocution: A Case Report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37506/ijfmt.v17i1.18890Keywords:
crime scene investigation, electricity, electric current, electrocution, suicideAbstract
Most common electricity-related deaths in forensic practice are associated with accidents in domestic or industrial
environment. Despite the fact that electricity is a readily available suicidal mean in developed countries, suicides
by electrocution are relatively rare. Mostly suppose in individuals working in the electrotechnical industry or at
home by “handymen”. An autopsy findings are usually uncharacteristic, accompanied by pulmonary edema,
fluid blood, organ congestion (suffocation signs). The passage of electric current through the body is confirmed by
specific finding so-called current signs. In many cases, current marks are small, easily overlooked or unrecognizable,
which significantly complicates the diagnosis and determination of the cause of death by a forensic pathologist.
In some cases, it´s possible to determine the suicidal electrocution only by the investigated circumstances or in
cooperation with an expert in the field of electrical engineering. Authors warn of the potential risk that a person
may be part of an active electrical circuit at the time of the finding. Knowledge of the victim‘s psychiatric and social
history is an equally important part. The authors present the case of an 82-year-old man who, in a suicidal manner,
constructed a suicide electric circuit in a social services home.
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