Protrusion of the tongue with dark discoloration

Autopsy photograph featuring protrusion with dark discoloration of the tongue due to postmortem drying, in a case of suicidal hanging. No further info.

The tongue protrusion is a common finding in some deaths for asphyxiation (e.g., hanging, incomplete strangulation), and the compression of neck tissues and vessels is considered the cause of the phenomenon. The forward and upward compression of the anterior neck structures by the hanging ligature often causes protrusion with exposure of the tongue, which may dry to a brown-black color, not to be mistaken for trauma.