Journal de médecine légale

Complex Suicide: Unusual Combination

Abstract

Zribi M, Dhoueb R, Benamar W, Jammeli K, Feki N, Bardaa S, Hammami Z and Maatoug S

There are a great number of complex suicides in the literature. It is so interesting to expand the list and to publish more cases of complex suicide which are examined by forensic worldwide. It’s interesting to know the maximum of method that can be used by suicidal individuals. We present a case of a complex suicide of a young woman by using ingestion of paraphénylène Diamine associated with self-strangulation by a link. Self-strangulation is probably used to accelerate death or to reduce pain caused by the first method. Forensic autopsy and further tests confirmed the voluntary intoxication by PPD and showed signs of strangulation by a loose link. The circumstances of the facts and the judicial inquiry were in favor of self-strangulation without the intervention of another person. This case illustrates an example of complex suicide. To our knowledge, it is the first case of complex suicide involving intoxication PPD and self-strangulation.