Ateriya Navneet, Kanchan Tanuj, Shekhawat Raghvendra Singh, Setia Puneet, Saraf Ashish
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Basni Phase II, Jodhpur 342 005, India.
J Forensic Sci. 2018 May;63(3):945-946. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.13609. Epub 2017 Aug 2.
Detailed death investigations are mandatory to find out the exact cause and manner in non-natural deaths. In this reference, use of multiple methods in suicide poses a challenge for the investigators especially when the choice of methods to cause death is unplanned. There is an increased likelihood that doubts of homicide are raised in cases of unplanned complex suicides. A case of complex suicide is reported where the victim resorted to multiple methods to end his life, and what appeared to be an unplanned variant based on the death scene investigations. A meticulous crime scene examination, interviews of the victim's relatives and other witnesses, and a thorough autopsy are warranted to conclude on the cause and manner of death in all such cases.