Crime Scene Forensics - Death by Hanging

Whenever a crime such as a hanging occurs, crime scene investigators (CSI's) are called to the scene to collect any evidence related to the homicide.

How does hanging cause death in an individual? What does the forensic medical examiner (ME) look for in the event of such a crime to determine if the hanging was a suicide or a murder?

In this article, I will attempt to explain how death results from a hanging and what forensic investigators look for to determine whether or not the hanging is a suicide or a homicide.

Crime Scene Forensics - Death by Hanging

In a hanging, a ligature such as a rope or noose pulled tight by the body's weight causes compression of the airways and the carotid arteries. The narrowing of the passageways prevents the cells from getting their required oxygen to sustain cellular function. Asphyxia is the result when the body's cells can not get oxygen. The victim must be under complete or partial suspension for asphyxia to occur. Many times, hangings are suicidal. Most accidental hangings occur in children. There was a case in December, 2006 in Houston, Texas when a child, imitating Saddam Hussein's death on television, put a rope, tied to his bunk bed, around his own neck and jumped off the bed resulting in his own death. The child eventually got tangled in the rope when relatives discovered his lifeless body partially hanging at the bottom of the bed.

Even though hanging blocks the airways and compromises breathing, the actual cause of death in many hangings is compression of the carotid arteries, which normally carry oxygenated blood to the brain. Fractures of the bones of the neck (called cervical vertebra) are a rare occurrence in hanging deaths because these fractures require that the body drop a particular distance in order to cause the bones to break. In Saddam Hussein's execution, for instance, he was taken to the second floor balcony where the trap door was released allowing his own body to fall close to the first floor. At the time of his death, he was in complete suspension (meaning his body was freely hanging with support provided by nothing more than the rope around his neck) with accompanying fractures of the neck due to the distance his body dropped between the two floors.

In cases of death by hanging, the ME looks for the following as evidence:

Neck markings: The markings on the victim's neck after a hanging are due to the kind of noose used to carry out the hanging. Soft nooses made from bed sheets may leave minimal markings. A hard noose such as a rope, on the other hand, may leave behind a very deep, distinct groove in the victim's neck. The longer the body is suspended, the deeper the groove. Groove pattern: In hanging deaths, the groove reveals an inverted V pattern. The groove most likely runs diagonally across the neck with its superior end at the knot. Facial color changes: If the victim is found several hours following a hanging, his face may be pale, his tongue may be dark purple and protract from the mouth. On the autopsy table, a forensic medical examiner will not usually find petechial hemorrhaging, or bleeding under the surface of the skin due to the explosion of capillary blood vessels, that normally show up in manual and ligature strangulations. Toxicological study: The ME should perform a toxicological study on all hanging victims because the offender may have used drugs or alcohol to subdue the victim prior to the hanging. In the event of a suicidal hanging, the victim may have willfully ingested drugs or alcohol to develop the courage to go through with the hanging. In this case, the ME may be able to determine if the level of drugs or alcohol found in the toxicological study were enough to render the victim unconscious or just enough to compromise his judgment. In many cases, making either of these choices is not easy.

The next time you watch your favorite CSI or Forensic Files TV show, you will have a better understanding of how a homicide such as hanging is investigated by the crime scene investigators.

Crime Scene Forensics - Death by Hanging
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