Hanging deaths with bound hands: what is the manner?

Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2007 Sep;28(3):232-4. doi: 10.1097/PAF.0b013e31814258a4.

Abstract

In Franklin County, Ohio, 3 cases of hangings with bound hands were reported in a 4-month period in 2005. All of the victims were men. In 2 of the 3 cases, the hands were bound behind the back. One victim bound his hands in front of his body. In each case, the police ruled the deaths "suspicious" due to the fact that the victims' hands were bound. Complete investigation is required. Only after a thorough scene investigation, medicolegal autopsy, and knowledge of recent circumstances of the decedent's life can a determination of manner be made.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Asphyxia / etiology*
  • Forensic Pathology
  • Hand
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neck Injuries / pathology*
  • Restraint, Physical*
  • Suicide*