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Asphyxia homicides in Denmark 1992–2016

International Journal of Legal Medicine (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

In this retrospective study , we present the findings in 250 homicides by asphyxia in Denmark in a 25-year period, with a particular focus on the autopsy findings in strangulation. Our intention is for the results to be used in future death investigations, where difficulties in interpretation of findings in potential asphyxial deaths arise. Asphyxia homicides showed a strong bias with respect to sex, age, and homicide type. The frequent female victim was typically an adult, whereas the rarer male victim was most often a child. Female offenders most often killed their children, and male offenders most often killed their female partner. Generally, most asphyxia homicides took place in a domestic setting. Manual strangulation and ligature strangulation were the most common mechanisms of asphyxia homicides (81.6%). A lack of petechial hemorrhages, especially in the conjunctiva, was rare in homicidal strangulation, but there were exceptions, especially when there was postmortem decomposition, making it impossible to verify them. Most victims of strangulation had skin lesions in the face (including the jawline) or on the neck, with accompanying hemorrhages in muscle and connective tissue, but the findings could be subtle or compounded by decomposition. Fractures of the laryngo-hyoid complex were common in strangulation, particularly in manual strangulation (chi-sq = 4.0993, df = 1, P < 0.05) and were clearly related to the age of the victim (chi-sq = 82.193, df = 4, P < 0.001). In children and young adults dying from homicidal strangulation, a lack of fractures is to be expected, while a lack of fractures is unusual, but not entirely unexpected, for adults and aged people.

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Funding

Asser Hedegård Thomsen has received funding from Brødrene Hartmanns Fond (A26707).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forensic Medicine, Aarhus University, Palle Juul-Jensen Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus N, Denmark

    Asser H. Thomsen

  2. Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, J. B. Winsloews Vej 17, 5000, Odense C, Denmark

    Peter M. Leth

  3. Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederik V’s vej 11, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Hans Petter Hougen

  4. Bioinformatics Research Centre, Aarhus University, CF Moellers Alle 8, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Palle Villesen

  5. Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

    Palle Villesen

Authors
  1. Asser H. Thomsen
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  2. Peter M. Leth
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  3. Hans Petter Hougen
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  4. Palle Villesen
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Correspondence to Asser H. Thomsen.

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Thomsen, A.H., Leth, P.M., Hougen, H.P. et al. Asphyxia homicides in Denmark 1992–2016. Int J Legal Med (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-022-02787-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-022-02787-0

Keywords

  • Homicide
  • Asphyxia
  • Strangulation
  • Forensic autopsy
  • Interpersonal violence
  • Forensic medicine