Abstract

Complex suicide is the use of more than one suicidal method to commit suicide. They are primary and secondary complex suicides depending on the utilization of multiple suicidal methods in a simultaneous or one-after-another manner. We are reporting a case of a planned complex suicide of a 47-year-old male who ingested a floor cleansing agent (phenyl) and simultaneously hanged himself. There was no suicide note at the scene of the incident. History of previous suicidal attempts and depression present. During the autopsy, a pressure abrasion was seen running obliquely above the thyroid prominence, sparing the nape of the neck. The neck structures underneath the ligature mark were intact. All the visceral organs were congested. Petechial hemorrhages were present over both lungs and the heart. The stomach contains 700 ml of pink-colored fluid with a pungent odor, and the mucosa is congested. The toxicology screening of the blood and stomach contents was positive for phenyl. This case report discusses the forensic implications associated with complex suicides by differentiating them from homicide.

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