Suicide by ligature strangulation: Three case reports

Suicide by ligature strangulation, which gives the initial impression of a homicide, is very rare. In this article, 3 suicidal death cases caused by ligature strangulation in Konya between 2001 and 2006 are presented. The first victim was a 68-year-old man who suffered from depression and lived alone in a cottage house. He terminated his life by applying a tourniquet to his neck after leaving a suicide note. The second victim was a 70-year-old woman who was found dead on the floor of the living room in her house. After she cut the vessels in her wrist, she tied pantyhose with 3 knots around her neck. It was reported that she had been intermittently receiving treatment for bronchial asthma and depression for 20 years. The third victim was a 30-year-old woman who suffered from schizophrenia for 6 years. She tied a scarf around her neck with 3 knots and died in the hospital after 1 day due to "hypoxic brain syndrome." As a result of the death scene investigations, autopsies, and judicial inquiries, it was concluded that death was by suicide in all 3 cases. Because the use of the ligature strangulation method, and particularly the tourniquet method, in suicidal cases is extremely rare in the literature, our aim is to present and discuss these cases. Copyright © 2009 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.