Complete decapitation in suicidal hanging – a case report and a review of the literature

Complete decapitation as a result of a suicidal hanging is rarely observed in forensic practice. The authors report a case of a 38-year-old man hanging from a bridge with a 4.2 m nylon rope. The man, weighing 70 kg, was wearing a 6.5 kg rucksack. The headless body was found lying in the river below the bridge and his head was found the next day in the river 6 m away from the bridge. Autopsy findings recorded a regular and concentric skin abrasion pattern and cervical spine transection between C2 and C3. Radiologic study depicted C2-C3 neck transection and the fracture of the left lamina and the spinous process of the axis. The force applied to the neck and the kinetic energy were calculated.