Citation

Cioffi A, Cecannecchia C, Bertozzi G, Cipolloni L, Baldari B. J. Forensic Leg. Med. 2022; 89: 102372.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jflm.2022.102372

PMID

35623228

Abstract

Fatal injuries caused by power saws are rare. In most cases, they are accidental and non-voluntary. Even rarer are suicides carried out using power saws, with no previously reported cases of suicide by electric jigsaw. We report a case of suicide by electric jigsaw of a young obese woman suffering from major depression with psychotic features. The peculiarity of our case - compared to those known in the scientific literature - concerns not only the means used for suicide, but also the results of psychological autopsy and the characteristics of the fatal injury. In fact, the autopsy showed a large wound on the anterior and lateral region of the neck with preservation of the integrity of the large vessels of the neck. The cause of death was attributed to haemorrhagic shock due to slow bleeding of small and medium calibre neck vessels, with blood aspiration.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; Power saw; Psychological autopsy; Saw wound; Sharp force