Herman the Shocker

The Shocker brings you unfiltered views of reality and educational content from the world of crime, accidents, and forensics

Please consider purchasing the Shocker Magazine to keep the website running

Buy Now
Fig.1 The victim.

Man eaten by vulture catfish

| Accident, Animal Scavenging, Drowning | No Comments
A 29-year-old man was fishing when his canoe turned over and his body submerged. The body was recovered…

Accidental masochistic death and sadomasochistic drawings

| Accident, Asphyxiation, Autoerotic Death | No Comments
Spain. This is probably a case of autoerotic activity or masochism, where the victim appears to have hanged…
Fig.1 A photograph of a suicide by shotgun.

Man kills himself with a shotgun

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
Spain. This individual killed himself with a shotgun. He had just killed his father, who had terminal cancer.…
Fig.1 Body of a 66-year-old man lying in a structure made of plastic garbage bags.

Autoerotic activity that ultimately led to asphyxiation

| Accident, Asphyxiation, Autoerotic Death | No Comments
Cologne, Germany. The body of a 66-year-old man was found by his wife wrapped up in plastic garbage…
Fig.1 Stellate-shaped contact wound to the head.

Stellate-shaped contact wound to the head

| Gunshot | No Comments
Nassau County, New York. This individual has a stellate-shaped contact wound to the head, stippling, and soot deposit.…
Fig.1 Bloated body found in water.

Bloated body found in water

| Decomposition | No Comments
The body of this male had been in the water for approximately one week. Notice the effects of…
Fig.1 Animal feeding on badly burned body.

Animal feeding on badly burned body

| Animal Scavenging, Fire, Homicide | No Comments
Nassau County, New York. This badly burned body had been dumped at an outside location where animals fed…
Fig.3 Advanced decomposition is marked by a deflation of the body, a darkening and drying of the outside tissue.

Cadaver decomposition island

| Decomposition | No Comments
Cadaver decomposition island is the area of concentrated decomposition fluid surrounding decomposing remains. Associated with active decomposition is…
Fig.1 Postmortem predation by a dog.

Postmortem predation by a dog

| Animal Scavenging | No Comments
Early postmortem predation by a dog with bite marks evident at the edge of the soft tissue defect.…

Three women were sexually assaulted and killed in Yonkers, New York

| Homicide, Serial Killers | No Comments
Between 1989 and 1996 three women were sexually assaulted, strangled, and killed in Yonkers, New York, by an…
Fig.1 Face consumed postmortem by a domestic dog.

Face consumed postmortem by a domestic dog

| Animal Scavenging | No Comments
The individual in the images received the injuries postmortem by a domestic dog, cause of death unknown. No…
Fig.1 Fatal crushing injury to the head from a train.

Fatal crushing injury to the head from a train

| Accident | No Comments
This individual suffered a fatal head crushing injury from a moving train, no further info. Railroad deaths in…
Fig.1 Fatal head crushing injury.

Fatal head crushing injury

| Accident | No Comments
This individual suffered a fatal head crushing injury, no further info. A crushing brain injury causes damage to…

Subscribe To Get The Latest Monthly Magazine

| Monthly Magazine AD | No Comments
The April 2023 issue is out   With a monthly subscription the Shocker brings you unfiltered views of…
Fig.2 Detectives noticed the prominent ligature mark around the victim’s neck consistent with hanging.

Embarrassed wife finds her husband dead from autoerotic asphyxiation

| Accident, Asphyxiation, Autoerotic Death, Hanging | No Comments
Knox County, Tennessee, USA. Police were called to a home residence in connection with an unresponsive man. His…
Fig.1 Bloating, skin slippage, and discoloration on decomposing remains.

Bloating, skin slippage, and discoloration on decomposing remains

| Decomposition | No Comments
Associated with putrefaction is the production of gases. These gases, primarily located in the abdomen, cause the body…
Fig.1 The woman was decapitated and eviscerated.

Body of decapitated and eviscerated woman

| Homicide | No Comments
Xiangzhou, China - 2014. The body of a woman was found in a sack by a sanitation worker…
Fig.1 During the investigation of the oral cavity, several blowfly larvae of different sizes were revealed.

Body found outdoors

| Suicide | No Comments
In December 2007, the body of a man was found on the waterfront of a lake in the…

Monthly Magazine April 2023

| Monthly Magazine | No Comments
Click here to open the April magazine Other magazines
Fig.4 Frontal view of the pericranial soft tissue damage produced by a circular saw blade.

Man commits suicide with a circular table saw

| Suicide | No Comments
Slovakia. A newly widowed 79-year-old man was found dead in front of the garage of his family home,…
Fig.1 Flies are often first on the scene of a dead body.

Flies are often first on the scene of a dead body

| Decomposition | No Comments
The first type of insect to arrive at a dead body is usually a blowfly (Calliphoridae), attracted by…
Fig.1 Putrefaction with skin slippage is also associated with loss of hair.

Putrefaction with skin slippage is also associated with loss of hair

| Decomposition | No Comments
Decomposition, or putrefaction, is a combination of two processes: autolysis and bacterial action. Autolysis is the breakdown of…
Fig.1 26 year old Ingrid Escamilla Vargas.

Maniac skins girlfriend – flushed her guts through the toilet

| Homicide | No Comments
Mexico City, Mexico - February 9, 2020, a woman was brutally murdered by her partner who skinned and…
Fig.1 Moderate to marked putrefaction.

Tattoos can be helpful in identifying unknown bodies

| Decomposition | No Comments
Moderate to marked putrefaction. Identification may sometimes be challenging with advancing decomposition. This individual had a tattoo on…
Fig.1 Destruction of the facial skeleton due to shotgun blast.

Destruction of the facial skeleton due to shotgun blast

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
Spain. Destruction of the facial skeleton due to shotgun blast. No further info. Shotguns differ from rifles and…
Fig.1 Destruction of the head with loss of a large part of the brain after a fall from a height.

Destruction of the head from a fall from height

| Accident | No Comments
This individual fell from a height and suffered fatal destruction of the head with a loss of a…
Fig.1 The deceased was registered in the guest house as male.

Suicide by hanging

| Hanging, Suicide | No Comments
New Delhi, India. The incident took place in one of the guest houses in the city. The deceased…
Fig.1 This individual has a contact-range gunshot wound on the forehead.

Stellate wound

| Gunshot | No Comments
This individual has a contact-range gunshot wound on the forehead. No further info. In contact gunshot wounds with…
Fig.3 Her neck had been cut open with a large butcher knife, which was then placed across her throat.

Woman sexually assaulted and neck cut open with a butcher knife

| Homicide | No Comments
Pasadena, Texas, 1975. The nude body of 22-year-old Deborah Elizabeth Hester was found strangled in her apartment. She…
Fig.1 The woodchipper and product truck.

Man accidentally pulled into a woodchipper

| Accident | No Comments
Larimer County, Loveland, Colorado, USA. The decedent and one employee were trimming trees on private residential property. The…
Fig.1 Anterior left lateral view of the head and neck showing the electrical cord wrapped around the neck.

Man tied down with electrical cords and murdered in his home

| Homicide | No Comments
Australia - This middle-aged male individual was assaulted in his home. When the individual was located his ankles…
Fig.1. Multiple fractures of the facial bones with deformity.

Multiple fractures of the facial bones with deformity

| Accident | No Comments
This individual suffered a fatal head crushing injury, no further info. A crushing brain injury causes damage to…

The lust murder of 20-year-old Keri Lynn

| Homicide, Serial Killers | No Comments
October 1998 - Bellingham, Washington, US. 20-year-old Keri Lynn was visiting relatives in Bellingham, Washington, and she had…

Decomposition of the entire body

| Decomposition | No Comments
Decomposition of the entire body, including discoloration, skin slippage, bloating, mummification of lower arms, legs, and thighs, and…
Fig.1 Bulging eyes, lips and face with protrusion of the tongue on this decomposing individual.

Bulging eyes, lips and face with protrusion of the tongue

| Decomposition | No Comments
Note the bulging eyes, lips and face with protrusion of the tongue on this decomposing individual, all related…
Fig.1 Shotgun shot wound.

Shotgun shot wound

| Gunshot | No Comments
This individual has a shotgun shot wound. A large central defect is surrounded by smaller shotgun shot wounds…
Fig.3 Flayed and crushed pattern of lacerations are developed on the orofacial area.

Fatal freight elevator accident

| Accident | No Comments
South Korea. A 53-year-old man was found dead on the roof of a freight elevator car installed on…
Fig.2 The man had a plastic bag over his head.

Autoerotic death

| Accident, Asphyxiation, Autoerotic Death, Decomposition | No Comments
C.a. 1995. This individual died during autoerotic activity, it is possible the individual was inhaling some chemical inside…
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. There was no further info about this…
Fig.5 The severed left hand.

Fatal assault and dismemberment with a knife and hatchet

| Homicide | No Comments
Australia. This male individual died from sharp-force injuries to the chest and left wrist in the setting of…

Subscribe To Get The Latest Monthly Magazine

| Monthly Magazine AD | No Comments
The March 2023 issue is out   With a monthly subscription the Shocker brings you unfiltered views of…
Fig.1 Advanced decomposition. The body was recovered after fourteen days in a well-heated residence. The necks of the teeth display ‘pink’ tooth discoloration.

Body recovered after 14 days in a well-heated residence

| Decomposition | No Comments
This body was recovered after fourteen days in a well-heated residence. The necks of the teeth display ‘pink’…

Worker dies in a lathe accident

| Accident | No Comments
Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan, Russia - November 2020. A 65-year-old worker died at the KAMAZ PJSC factory when he…
Fig.1 Man died after choking on scrambled eggs.

Man died after choking on scrambled eggs

| Accident | No Comments
This man died after choking on scrambled eggs which can be seen draining out of the mouth, no…
Fig.4 Complete crushing of the base of the skull of fatality 1.

Two military pilots killed in a helicopter induced propeller accident

| Accident, Aircrash | No Comments
February 14th 2000 - Mendig, Germany. Following routine maintenance, a Sikorsky CH-53G military helicopter was returned to service.…

Woman’s face eaten postmortem by her dog

| Animal Scavenging | No Comments
A 40-year-old woman was found dead in her apartment lying supine on the bed and the upper trunk…
Fig.1 Contact wound of the right temple with evisceration of the brain.

Contact wound of the right temple

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
Contact wound of the right temple with evisceration of the brain. Note soot at the entrance site. In…

Monthly Magazine March 2023

| Monthly Magazine | No Comments
Click here to open the March magazine Other magazines
Fig.1 Woman shot in the face at close range with a rifle.

Woman shot in the face at close range with a rifle

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
This woman was shot in the face at close range with a bullet from a 30.06 rifle in…
Fig.1 Stab wounds into the victim’s back made with a large bladed knife.

Stab wounds into the victim’s back

| Homicide | No Comments
New York - Stab wounds into the victim’s back made with a large bladed knife. No further info…

Multiple stab wounds into chest with barbecue fork

| Homicide | No Comments
Chicago, Illinois. The victim of a lust murder, who had been stabbed multiple times in the chest with…
Fig.1 Dumped body.

Dumped body

| Animal Scavenging, Homicide | No Comments
Dumped body (Illinois State Police case Highway 64). Animal scavenging on face and left arm. This victim was…

Postmortem animal predation by a cat

| Animal Scavenging | No Comments
This individual died and was attacked postmortem by a cat, no further info. Postmortem animal depredation is a…

15% Off All Merch

| Merch | No Comments
15% discount on everything in the merch shop February 23rd - 27th 2023. Latest posts
Fig.1

Fatal chop injuries after falling off a tractor

| Accident | No Comments
This victim fell off a tractor and sustained severe chop injuries when he was overrun by the chopping…

Shotgun blast to the head

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
Spain. Middle facial injury with cranial rupture caused by shotgun blast. No further info. Despite the extreme amount…

The murder of a 43-year-old Pontiac woman

| Homicide | No Comments
Pontiac, Michigan, US. On Tuesday, July 11, 1995, the nude and battered body of Margaret Midkiff, a 43-year-old,…
Fig.1 Death scene. Her face was pale and the protrusion of the tongue was observed.

Woman committed suicide by hanging herself in her bathroom

| Hanging, Suicide | No Comments
Germany. A 45-year-old woman committed suicide by hanging herself in her bathroom. The string was attached to the…
Fig.1 Gore had jammed the girl’s body into the trunk to hide her.

The killing cousins

| Homicide, Serial Killers | No Comments
Indian River County, Florida, US. On July 26, 1983, David Alan Gore and his cousin, Fred Waterfield, were…

Google says my content is shocking!

| Uncategorized | No Comments
If I had a dollar for every time I've received a notification of a violation of a content…
Fig.1 The crime scene after the blanket was removed. Her throat had been cut and she had been stabbed in the back of the neck. There was a man’s black t-shirt over the cut throat.

Alabama woman stabbed and her throat cut

| Homicide | No Comments
Homewood, Alabama, US. On March 9, 1990, Homewood Police responded to a report of a murder from the…
Fig1. Contact rifle wound of the head.

Contact rifle wound of the head

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
In some contact rifle wounds of the head, the entrance may be difficult to locate because of the…
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

| Gunshot | No Comments
A hard-contact wound of the head with the central entrance wound containing a marginal abrasion, soot, and searing…

Subscribe To Get The Latest Monthly Magazine

| Monthly Magazine AD | No Comments
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…

Monthly Magazine February 2023

| Monthly Magazine | No Comments
Click here to open the February magazine Other magazines
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

| Medical | No Comments
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…

20% off all merch

| Merch | No Comments
20% discount on everything in the merch shop January 26th - 30th 2023.
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…