Herman the Shocker

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Fig.1 Typical stellate shaped entry wound showing tattooing effect.

Typical stellate shaped entry wound showing tattooing effect

| Gunshot | No Comments
In contact gunshot wounds with bony tissue underlying the injury, the injuries are typically called a stellate wound,…

Helium suicide

| Asphyxiation, Suicide | No Comments
Poland. A grandmother found the corpse of her grandson in an apartment in a block of flats in…
Fig.1 This individual placed a 12-gauge shotgun against his right temple and pulled the trigger.

12-gauge shotgun suicide

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
This individual placed a 12-gauge shotgun against his right temple and pulled the trigger. As can be noted,…
Fig.1

Man killed by train

| Accident | No Comments
India. This individual died when he was hit by a train, no further info. In 2020 more than…
Fig.1 A murder case showing sex-related mutilation.

A murder case showing sex-related mutilation

| Homicide | No Comments
Los Angeles. A murder case showing sex-related mutilation. No further info about this case. A lust murder is…
Fig.1 Multiple injuries on a woman from an attack by three large dogs.

Multiple injuries on a woman from an attack by three large dogs

| Accident | No Comments
Dallas, Texas, US. This image shows multiple injuries on a young adult female from an attack by three…
Fig.1 Swelling of the scrotum and abdomen from putrefaction and accumulation of gases.

Swelling of the scrotum and abdomen from putrefaction and accumulation of gases

| Decomposition | No Comments
Swelling of the scrotum and abdomen occurs with putrefaction as gases accumulate from bacterial action. Numerous maggots can…
Fig.1 Bodies removed from water show excessive gas production.

Bodies removed from water show excessive gas production

| Decomposition | No Comments
Bodies removed from water show excessive gas production and tissue discoloration, owing to explosive bacterial gas production. The…
Fig.1 Anterior view of the head showing an advanced state of decomposition.

Elderly woman was located in a state of advanced decomposition

| Decomposition | No Comments
Australia. This elderly woman was located in a state of advanced decomposition. Because of decomposition the body was…
Fig.1 The offender had severed the victim’s breasts from her chest. He placed one breast across her face.

Disorganized offender acts out with victim’s body

| Homicide | No Comments
Township of Van Buren, Michigan. Police received an anonymous call reporting a body of a female in an…
Fig.6 Cadaver 1, anteroposterior view of allograft (prethinning, with maxilla intact).

Facial Allograft Technique in Facial Reconstruction

| Medical | No Comments
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Composite facial allografts have become increasingly popular in the reconstruction of complex…
Fig.1 The bathroom where a man was found dead. On the victim’s left thigh was found a black powder percussion double barreled derringer (yellow arrow).

Complex suicide with black powder muzzle loading derringer

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
Czech Republic. A 39-year-old man was discovered dead in the bathroom of his house, hanging by the neck…
Fig.1 End position after the fatal fall with destroyed skull. Black arrow: point of first impact with smashed brain tissue. White arrow: fragment of the cranial roof.

Head split open after fall from Ferris wheel

| Accident | No Comments
Germany. On a rainy September day, a 32-year-old man was working on a 50-m (164 ft) high Ferris…
Fig.1 A hard-contact gunshot wound of the head.

A hard-contact gunshot wound of the head

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A hard-contact wound of the head with the central entrance wound containing a marginal abrasion, soot, and searing…

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The February 2023 issue is out   With a monthly subscription the Shocker brings you unfiltered views of…
Fig.1 Body at the bodyfarm at The University of Tennessee Anthropology Research Facility.

Raccoon scavenging on a human corpse

| Animal Scavenging | No Comments
The image is of a body at the bodyfarm at The University of Tennessee Anthropology Research Facility. The…
Fig.1 Deceased in the sitting position on a chair at his residence.

Fatal bleeding from a laceration of superficial temporal artery

| Accident | No Comments
Toronto, Canada. A 34-year-old intoxicated male was found dead in his apartment. On scene inspection, the deceased body…
Fig.1 The victim was found lying dead in a pool of blood near a small table on which an abrasive saw had been fixed. A suicide note was found beside the glasses on the right table.

Man commits suicide by cutting his neck with a cut-off saw

| Suicide | No Comments
South Korea. Loosely translated from Korean. The deceased is a 48-year-old man who had been suffering from schizophrenia…
Fig.1 Skeletonization of the head and neck from animal predation.

Skeletonization of the head

| Animal Scavenging | No Comments
Skeletonization of the head, neck, and the left hand due to animal predation in a body that was…
Fig.1 This individual was found dead on the recliner due to self-ligature strangulation. There was a cutter, cigarette, and many liquor bottles nearby.

Self-ligature strangulation by utilizing a recliner

| Asphyxiation, Suicide | No Comments
South Korea. Most cases of ligature strangulation are generally homicides, and deaths due to suicide or accident are…
Fig.1 Extreme case of sadomasochism.

Extreme case of sadomasochism

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Extreme case of sadomasochism. This man inserted large dildos into his anus and with the trapeze-like contraption could…
Fig.4

Shotgun wound to the head

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
This individual has a 12 gauge single-shot shotgun wound to the side of the head. Found supine on…
Fig.1 Victim lying on the floor with his head adjacent to a broken marble baseboard, holding a bread knife in his right hand.

Patricide and overkill

| Homicide | No Comments
Italy. An 83-year-old man, killed by his son, was found dead in the dining room of his apartment,…
Fig.1 Decomposed sclera showing hemorrhagic discoloration of the whites of the eyes.

Decomposed sclera showing hemorrhagic discoloration of the whites of the eyes

| Decomposition | No Comments
Decomposed sclera showing hemorrhagic discoloration of the whites of the eyes. This is sometimes misinterpreted as true injury.…

Moment of impact that killed wing walker Jane Wicker

| Accident, Aircrash, Explosion, Fire | No Comments
Vandalia, Ohio. On June 22, 2013, an airplane carrying wing walker Jane Wicker crashed at the Vectren Dayton…
Fig.1 Body dumped in a wooded area near LA and scavenged by animals.

Body dumped near LA and scavenged by animals

| Animal Scavenging, Homicide | No Comments
A body was dumped in a wooded area near Los Angeles. By the time it was discovered about…
Fig.1 Decomposition & bagged hands.

Decomposition & bagged hands

| Decomposition | No Comments
In this case, police and scene investigators were suspicious that this individual was killed by blunt force injuries…

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Fig.6 The torso was unwrapped at the medical examiner’s office and identified as the deceased.

Attempt to dispose of body by mutilation and disarticulation

| Homicide | No Comments
On February 21, 1997, at approximately 4:09 p.m., the Pottawatomie County, Kansas, Sheriff’s Department took a missing person’s…
Fig.1 Entrance wound on the left side of the head.

Suicide with a hunting rifle

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
This individual committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a hunting rifle, no further info on…
Fig.1 Gunshot entrance in center of upper eyelid, contact range.

This 66-year-old man committed suicide after being told he had cancer

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
Billings, Montana - This 66-year-old man committed suicide after being told he had cancer. The entrance of the…
Fig.1 Woman's face eaten postmortem by an animal.

Woman’s face eaten postmortem by an animal

| Animal Scavenging | No Comments
The woman in this photo passed away, and an animal in the household started to eat her face…

The impact of upright position on decomposition

| Animal Scavenging, Decomposition, Mummification | No Comments
Decomposition studies have elucidated many different factors affecting the rate and process of decomposition. However, no study has…
Fig.1 Postmortem carnivore activity around the mouth of a decedent.

Postmortem carnivore activity around the mouth of a decedent

| Animal Scavenging | No Comments
A typical area of carnivore activity centered around the mouth of a decedent can be seen in this…
Fig.2 Destruction of victims head.

Explosive suicidal head destruction

| Explosion, Suicide | No Comments
November 2017 - Belo Horizonte, Brazil. A 57-year-old female was found dead in a room in the residence…
Fig.1 The victim lying dead in the bathtub. Her foot was cut off above the ankle following several incision wounds. The knife was found on the side of the bathtub near the faucet.

Woman commits suicide by cutting off her foot

| Suicide | No Comments
South Korea. Loosely translated from Korean. The deceased was a 61-year-old unemployed woman who lived alone. The mother…
Fig.2 She was reaching through the bars to depress the button on the control panel when the gate crushed her.

Woman crushed by a gate after trying to open it

| Accident, Asphyxiation | No Comments
The woman shown in the images was trying to open the electronically controlled iron gate by reaching through…
Fig.1

Badly decomposed bodies are typically not visually identifiable

| Decomposition | No Comments
Badly decomposed bodies like the one shown here are typically not visually identifiable. I have no further info…
Fig.4 Frontal view of the mummified/skeletonized body.

Living with the dead

| Decomposition, Mummification | No Comments
August 2016 - Italy. The police was called to a villa, following the reporting by neighbors of malodorous…

Polish man skinned his father and wore his face as a mask

| Homicide | No Comments
I colorized the original black and white images. Poland, 1999. A 26-year-old man killed his father by multiple…
Fig.1 Stippling around gunshot entrance wounds of the face.

Stippling around gunshot entrance wounds of the face

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
This individual has stippling around the gunshot entrance wounds of the face, intermediate range, no further info. Stippling…
Fig.1 Scene photograph showing the decedent’s posture in which he was found.

Self-inflicted explosive death by detonating a firecracker in the mouth

| Explosion, Suicide | No Comments
January 2017 - Pretoria, South Africa. A 76-year-old Caucasian man was admitted to a medico-legal postmortem examination after…
Fig.2 One of the woman had clenched in fists on her upper chest.

Fatal carbon monoxide toxicity after a car left running inside the garage

| Accident, Asphyxiation | No Comments
Four friends came from South America to vacation for a week (Probably Florida c.a. 2000). When one of…
Fig.2 Nipples cut off.

A 39-year-old prostitute stabbed, beaten, and skinned

| Homicide | No Comments
A 39-year-old prostitute stabbed and beaten. Nipples cut off and “skinned” in pubic and perineal region. No further…
Fig.1 In this suicide by intraoral shotgun wound, note the tissue tears extending from the sides of the mouth

The dynamics of a firearm discharged into the mouth

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
In these intraoral gunshot wounds, note the tissue tears extending from the sides of the mouth. These tears…
Fig.1 Close-up of victim’s face showing entrance wound.

Accidental shooting or murder?

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Police were summoned to a home of a woman who reported that there had been…
Fig.1 Variation of access to the face from an extended bimastoid resection.

Dissection of the Head

| Medical | No Comments
The head must be slightly raised with appropriate supports. There is no one correct device; each autopsy surgeon…
Fig.1 Skeletonization and mummification.

Skeletonization and mummification

| Decomposition, Mummification | No Comments
Mummification occurs in hot, dry environments. The body dehydrates and bacterial proliferation may be minimal. The skin becomes…
Fig.1 Destruction of most of the head from a contact shotgun wound.

Destruction of most of the head from a contact shotgun wound

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
Destruction of most of the head from a contact shotgun wound with preservation of the avulsed brain (next…

Subscribe To Get The Latest Monthly Magazine

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The January 2023 issue is out   With a monthly subscription the Shocker brings you unfiltered views of…
Fig.2 The victim was suspended with ligature to the shower frame.

Female autoerotic death

| Accident, Asphyxiation, Autoerotic Death, Hanging | No Comments
North Carolina, USA. The body of a white female, 33 years old, who had recently been laid off…
Fig.1

Missing man found dead and dehydrated by his Lexus

| Accident, Decomposition | No Comments
From the very little info I found, this happened in 2015 in Saudi Arabia, this guy had been…

An unusual case of murder-suicide with a single gunshot

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
Italy. When a 38-year-old policeman did not arrive at work and could not be reached by telephone, two…
Fig.1 Identification of badly charred and burned remains.

Identification of badly charred and burned remains

| Fire, Homicide | No Comments
In this particular case, the badly charred and burned remains of the victim of a kidnapping, rape, and…
Fig.1 Right lateral view showing a large disrupted lacerated injury on the right side of the lower face and the neck. The radiating lacerations and the presence of the wound on the other side of the face indicate that this is a gunshot exit wound.

Death from a gunshot wound to the neck

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
This middle-aged individual was involved in an altercation with another male relating to the manufacture of amphetamines. Circumstantial…
Fig.1 I got this way from drinking beer.

I got this way from drinking beer

| Decomposition | No Comments
This individual who was an alcoholic was found dead, and in the bloating stage of decomposition. The t-shirt…
Fig.1 This man committed suicide by cutting his throat.

Man commits suicide by cutting his throat

| Suicide | No Comments
This man committed suicide by cutting his throat while he was sitting on a bed opposite his own…
Fig.1 Multiple stabs on the back from the same knife, showing differing shapes and sizes.

Multiple stabs on the back from the same knife

| Homicide | No Comments
This deceased individual has multiple stab wounds on the back from the same knife, showing differing shapes and…
Fig.1 Intraoral blast injury.

Suicide by Detonation of Intraoral Firecracker

| Explosion, Suicide | No Comments
Detroit, MI. USA - A 21-year-old man was noted by family members to go into the garage behind…
Fig.1 Decomposing body of a woman discovered in a bathroom.

Decomposing body of a woman discovered in a bathroom

| Decomposition, Homicide | No Comments
The decomposing body of a woman was discovered in a bathroom in Indonesia, no further info. Putrefaction begins…
Fig.1 Postmortem mutilation by dogs.

Postmortem mutilation by dogs

| Animal Scavenging | No Comments
This individual died and was attacked postmortem by dogs, no further info. Postmortem animal depredation is a substantial…
Fig.1 Postmortem animal activity by mice.

Postmortem animal activity by mice

| Animal Scavenging, Decomposition | No Comments
This old man died and was then partially consumed by some mice, no further info. Postmortem animal interference…
Fig.1 Top of the head blown away from shotgun blast in the mouth.

Top of the head blown away from shotgun blast in the mouth

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
This suicide shows the devastating result of a shotgun blast in the mouth, which resulted in the top…
Fig. 3 The skull of the decedent with defleshing of the face and removal of the eyeballs. The orbits were filled with large amounts of white mold.

Postmortem predation by a clowder of domestic cats

| Animal Scavenging | No Comments
Australia. A 69-year-old man was found lying on the floor at his home address(Fig. 1). According to the…
Fig.1

Bulging face with protrusion of the tongue

| Decomposition | No Comments
Note the bulging face with protrusion of the tongue on these decomposing individuals, all related to the decomposition…
Fig.1 Catastrophic disruption of the head after a distant range discharge.

Catastrophic disruption of the head after a distant range discharge

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
Catastrophic disruption of the head after a distant range discharge. Homicide with a 30-06 Springfield rifle. Note petal…
Fig.6 Male B, anterior view showing extensive trauma to the body, involving the head, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and limbs.

Four people died when their light plane crashed into water

| Accident, Aircrash | No Comments
Australia - 2016. Four elderly adults died in a light-plane accident. The light plane crashed into water. Male…
Fig.1 There are multiple cuts on the legs of the victim. A soda bottle was placed into the eviscerated abdomen and there was evidence that the offender drank the victim’s blood.

Eviscerated woman with a large soda bottle thrust into her abdominal cavity

| Homicide | No Comments
The partially clad body of a 22-year-old female, who had been beaten and sexually mutilated, was discovered in…
Fig.1 The catastrophic effect of an intraoral discharge.

The catastrophic effect of an intraoral discharge

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
The catastrophic effect of an intraoral discharge. The head has completely opened up in a petal like fashion.…
Fig.1 Contact gunshot wound to the eye.

Contact gunshot wound to the eye

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
Contact gunshot wound to the eye. Note the lacerations of the eyelid and eye globe with soot deposition…
Fig.1 Anterior view showing the splitting laceration of the right side of the head.

Passengers head crushed in car crash

| Accident | No Comments
Two vehicles collided in an intersection. Vehicle 2 collided with Vehicle 1 on the passenger side. A male…
Fig.1 Suicidal smothering.

Suicidal smothering

| Asphyxiation, Suicide | No Comments
New York, NY. This photo depicts a victim who has been smothered. She committed suicide by placing a…
Fig.1 Victim was found burned and chained to a metal support column beneath an I-beam. He had Darby cuffs securing his feet with a chain running up from the Darby cuffs to his handcuffed hands and then to the top of the metal support column where it was affixed to a padlock. There were severe burns to the waist, chest, and upper thighs, feet, and arms. Note the mirror in the background.

Autoerotic death – Man found burned and chained to a metal support column

| Accident, Autoerotic Death, Fire | No Comments
Dearborn Heights, Michigan. Police officers were summoned to a residence to check on the welfare of a man…
Fig.1 Anterior view of the head and chest of a man who was significantly decomposed and not visually identifiable.

Significantly decomposed individual

| Decomposition | No Comments
Australia. This elderly male individual was significantly decomposed and not visually identifiable. Postmortem CT showed a metal orthopedic…
Fig.1 Postmortem rat bites.

Postmortem rat bites

| Animal Scavenging, Decomposition | No Comments
This individual received the injuries postmortem by rats, cause of death unknown. No further info on the case.…
Fig.1 The laceration of the pelvic floor with the testicles protrusion.

Fatal scuba diving accident during Costa Concordia recovery

| Accident | No Comments
Italy, 2014. A 41-year-old Spanish professional scuba diver, died while he was working to clear the wreck of…
Fig.1 Death scene. A 46-year-old male dentist was found dead of ligature strangulation next to a dental unit at the dental clinic where he worked.

Ligature strangulation using a dental unit

| Asphyxiation, Hanging, Suicide | No Comments
Seoul, South Korea. The victim, a 46-year-old male dentist, was found dead of ligature strangulation next to a…
Fig.1 Skin slippage, lividity, and marbling.

Skin slippage, lividity, and marbling

| Decomposition | No Comments
Chicago, Illinois. This photo illustrates decomposition, skin slippage, lividity, and marbling. No further info. Skin slippage is something…
Fig.4 Carol Marie Beethe was found in the bedroom of her home with a shotgun placed into her vagina. She also had been posed and propped for shock value.

The victims of serial killer George Waterfield Russell Jr.

| Homicide, Serial Killers | No Comments
A series of murders occurred in Washington State in 1990. The murders began in Bellevue, Washington, in June…
Fig.1 Extreme tissue discoloration and gas formation in a body removed from water.

Extreme tissue discoloration and gas formation

| Decomposition | No Comments
Decomposition: extreme tissue discoloration and gas formation in a body removed from water. Bodies removed from water show…
Fig.1 Maggot activity on a decomposing body.

Insects, carnivores, and other invaders can speed up the process of decomposition

| Decomposition | No Comments
Forensic entomology is the study of insects as they relate to death investigation. For example, fly larvae can…
Fig.1 Postmortem animal depredation after poisoning.

Postmortem animal depredation after poisoning

| Animal Scavenging | No Comments
Spain. This individual died after ingesting poison. The injuries were inflicted postmortem by a dog. No further info.…
Fig.3 Left lateral view of the head and neck showing scissors in situ in the right eye.

Elderly male found dead with a pair of scissors protruding from the right eye

| Homicide | No Comments
An elderly male was found dead, slightly decomposed, lying on a couch with a pair of scissors protruding…
Fig.1 Slashed throat.

Slashed throat

| Homicide | No Comments
This victim’s throat was slashed. No further info about this case. Slash wounds occur as a result of…
Fig.1 Anterior view of the head showing extensive loss of soft tissues of the head and exposure of the teeth and mandible. NB: the frames of glasses are still in situ.

Man burned to death when a LPG cylinder ignited

| Accident, Fire, Suicide | No Comments
This male individual was driving when an LPG cylinder(Liquefied petroleum gas), which was in the front passenger side…
Fig.1 This victim shot himself under the chin with a shotgun creating this classic massive tissue destruction.

Massive head destruction from an under the chin shotgun suicide

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
This victim shot himself under the chin with a shotgun creating this classic massive tissue destruction. No further…
Fig.1 Anterior view of the head and chest showing extensive trauma to the head.

Suicide with an explosive detonator in the mouth

| Explosion, Suicide | No Comments
This male individual placed an explosive detonator in his mouth. There was extensive destruction of the bone and…
Fig.1 Bloated body found in the Northern Adriatic Sea.

Bloated body found in the Northern Adriatic Sea

| Decomposition | No Comments
This individual was found in the Northern Adriatic Sea, near Italy. No further info. Many times it is…
Fig.1 The state in which the woman’s body was found.

Woman commits suicide by train

| Suicide | No Comments
Spain. This middle-aged woman with major depressive disorder committed suicide by train. No further info. Suicide by collision…
Fig.1 Decomposing woman in a bathtub.

Decomposing woman in a bathtub

| Decomposition | No Comments
Woman’s body lying face down in a bathtub in an advanced state of decomposition and with no apparent…
Fig.1 This is what the reporting witnesses saw when they looked into the window of the victim’s home. The woman had been shot and killed by her husband, who then mutilated her body.

Husband kills his wife and jammed his wedding ring onto her nose

| Homicide | No Comments
East Lake, Ohio. Police who had responded to an emergency call discovered a woman named Susan murdered in…
Fig.1 A contact shotgun wound of the lower chin.

A contact shotgun wound of the lower chin

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
A contact shotgun wound of the lower chin. Note the stretch-type lacerations of the right side of the…
Fig.1 Shotgun suicide.

Shotgun suicide

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
There was no info about this case, so here's just some general info: At close range, the shotgun…
Fig.2 The man was breathing through a latex hood gas mask.

Chemical substance autoerotic death

| Accident, Asphyxiation, Autoerotic Death, Decomposition | No Comments
Chicago, Illinois. This victim was inhaling an unknown chemical substance while practicing autoerotic activities. He was wearing a…
Fig.1 Advanced stages of decomposition.

Advanced stages of decomposition

| Decomposition | No Comments
This individual shown here had been dead approximately two weeks in an unheated, unventilated room. Note the extreme…
Fig.1 Suicide with a pistol.

Suicide with a pistol

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
This individual has died after a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, no further info. The head is the…
Fig.1 The body at the scene. Decedent lying on his right side, covered with a blue plastic bag; below the bag also the upper part of 5-L propane/butane gas bottle. [Colorized]

Suicidal asphyxiation by propane-butane mixture inside a plastic bag

| Asphyxiation, Suicide | No Comments
A 30-year-old male was found fully dressed lying on his right side on his sofa in his flat.…
Fig.7 The victim had been eviscerated and her hands were tied over her head with duct tape to the bed board.

Woman sexually assaulted and eviscerated

| Homicide, Serial Killers | No Comments
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, US. On November 3 1998, a man and a woman encountered a gunman on the front…
Fig.1 Woman's throat slashed by her assailant during a sexual assault and murder.

Woman’s throat slashed by her assailant

| Homicide | No Comments
Grand Prairie, Texas - The victim’s throat was slashed by her assailant during a sexual assault and murder.…

Christmas is cancelled – Autoerotic death

| Accident, Asphyxiation, Autoerotic Death, Decomposition, Hanging | No Comments
A 52-year-old man was found dead, already putrefied, in his apartment. He wore women’s underwear with a female…