Citation

Byard RW, Heath K. Med. Sci. Law 2019; 59(3): 160-163.

Affiliation

Forensic Science South Australia, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, British Academy of Forensic Sciences, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0025802419852184

PMID

31106676

Abstract

Analysis of autopsy cases of suicide from Forensic Science South Australia files (2003-2017) where helium, nitrogen or nitrous oxide gas had been used revealed that only 2/58 (3.5%) cases utilised nitrous oxide; the remainder of cases had used helium or nitrogen. The two cases are presented here. In case 1, a 48-year-old man was found completely encased in a plastic bag with a hose connected to an opened cylinder of nitrous oxide. In case 2, a 27-year-old woman was found with a plastic bag over her head, tied around her neck, with a tube connected to a small canister of nitrous oxide. There were approximately 20 empty canisters of nitrous oxide nearby. Death in both cases was due to nitrous oxide augmentation of plastic bag asphyxia, manner suicide. The relative ease with which helium and nitrogen cylinders containing large amounts of gas can be obtained may explain the low numbers of suicides utilising nitrous oxide.

Language: en

Keywords

Nitrous oxide; asphyxia; helium; inert gases; nitrogen; plastic bag; suicide