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Fig.1 Laceration of the scalp from a heavy torch.

Laceration of the scalp from a heavy torch

| Homicide | No Comments
Laceration of the scalp from a 30 cm long heavy torch (insert). The skin over the shoulders is…
Fig.2 The man had gunshot wound on his face.

Man found dead in a truck

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
Russia. A man was found dead in the back of a truck. The man had gunshot wound on…
Fig.1

Suicide by cutting arms

| Suicide | No Comments
This individual committed suicide by cutting deep wounds into his arms and bled out. Self-inflicted sharp-force injuries, including…
Fig.1 Homicide with a broken bottle.

Homicide with a broken bottle

| Homicide | No Comments
Russia. This man was killed with a broken bottle and has deep cuts and lacerations on his neck.…
Fig.1 Gaping laceration in front of neck of a mental patient.

Mental patient commits suicide with a frame saw

| Suicide | No Comments
Gaping laceration in front of neck of a mental patient, who on leave from a psychiatric hospital, had…

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The February 2025 issue is out   With a monthly subscription the Shocker brings you unfiltered views of…
Fig.1

Homicidal lacerations of the scalp

| Homicide | No Comments
Homicidal lacerations of the scalp penetrating the skull. Although some of the injuries resemble incised wounds, their margins…
Fig.1

Suicide by hanging using a belt

| Asphyxiation, Hanging, Suicide | No Comments
This individual committed suicide by hanging using a belt. Suicide by hanging is the intentional killing of oneself…
Fig.2 After scalp removal.

Homicidal chop wounds

| Homicide | No Comments
This individual has homicidal chop wounds. Chop wounds can be considered a combination of sharp and blunt force…
Fig.1 Maggots on face of deceased person.

Maggots on face of deceased person

| Decomposition | No Comments
Maggots cause most of the body's decomposition because the maggot will do the majority of the eating. Maggots…
Fig.1 Middle facial injury.

Suicide with a shotgun to the head

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
This individual committed suicide with a shotgun to the head, no further info. In the head, neck, and…
Fig.1 Cut throat and abrasions.

Cut throat and abrasions

| Homicide, Suicide | No Comments
This man has cut throat and abrasions on his neck. No further info. Cut throat is not the…

Pregnant woman killed and her baby taken

| Gunshot, Homicide, Suicide | No Comments
On September 27, 2000, 23-year-old Theresa Andrews, who was 9 months pregnant, disappeared without a trace. Her husband…
Fig.1 Suicidal discharge of a shotgun below the chin.

Suicidal discharge of a shotgun below the chin

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
Close-range suicidal discharge of a shotgun below the chin. There is marked powder blackening of the chin and…
Fig.1 Close discharge of a 12-bore shotgun to the chest.

Close discharge of a 12-bore shotgun to the chest

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
Close discharge of a 12-bore shotgun to the chest. There is a large hole, partly due to disruption…
Fig.1

Drinking buddy kills friend with a chair leg

| Accident, Homicide | No Comments
Russia. This man was killed by his drinking buddy with a leg from a chair. When drunk people…
Fig.1 A complex suicide.

Suicide by hanging

| Asphyxiation, Hanging, Suicide | No Comments
This individual committed suicide by hanging and plastic bag suffocation. A complex suicide involves multiple methods of self-harm…
Fig.1 In the bathroom next to the toilet on the floor, lying on its right side, was a corpse in a state of decomposition.

A secret life with a deceased relative

| Accident, Decomposition | No Comments
In the summer of 2015 in Germany, a body in a state of decomposition was found in an…
Fig.1 Man with shotgun wounds on his face.

Man with shotgun wounds on his face

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
This individual has shotgun gunshot wounds on his face from the shotgun pellets. Injuries from shotgun pellets vary…
Fig.2

A man murdered in a field

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
Russia. A man was found dead in a field. The man had wounds on his neck and a…
Fig.1 Multiple homicidal lacerations of the scalp.

Multiple homicidal lacerations of the scalp

| Homicide | No Comments
Multiple homicidal lacerations of the scalp. The unusual shape is difficult to interpret, but they were caused by…
Fig.1 Tangential shotgun wound of face.

Tangential shotgun wound of face

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
Tangential shotgun wound of face. The edge of the dispersal cone of pellets and gas has ploughed through…
Fig.1 Victim of a motor vehicle collision.

Victim of a motor vehicle collision

| Accident | No Comments
Depending on the injury type, severity, and location, persons who are victims of severe trauma may not be…
Fig.1 Localized injury by an explosive device.

Localized injury by an explosive device

| Accident, Explosion | No Comments
Localized injury by an explosive device. The soldier picked up an apparently ‘dud’ smoke shell, which then detonated.…
Fig.1 Disintegration of the head of a young female terrorist.

Disintegration of the head of a young female terrorist

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
Disintegration of the head of a young female terrorist in the Malayan emergency from a single bullet entering…
Fig.1 Suicidal cut throat.

Suicidal cut throat

| Suicide | No Comments
Suicidal cut throat. The wounds are horizontal, rather than the more common sloping-down from left to right in…
Fig.2

Mummified pensioner and his homemade sex doll

| Decomposition, Mummification | No Comments
2018 - St. Petersburg, Russia. Rescuers found the mummy of an elderly man in one of the residential…
Fig.1

Shot in the head and processed through a garbage compactor

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
This person was killed with a shot in the head, placed in a garbage compactor where the body…
Fig.1 Masses of P. terraenovae puparia on partially mummified corpse suggest that the flies have been breeding on it for several generations.

Masses of puparia on partially mummified corpse

| Decomposition, Mummification | No Comments
Necrophagous insects play an important role in the decomposition of the human body. Fly species that are commonly…
Fig.1 Chop injuries inflicted by a boat propeller.

Chop injuries inflicted by a boat propeller

| Accident | No Comments
Several chop injuries inflicted by a boat propeller. Chop injuries are sometimes regarded as a variant of blunt…
Fig.1 Decapitation of the head from a train suicide.

Decapitation of the head from a train suicide

| Suicide | No Comments
Spain. Decapitation of the head from a train suicide. Train suicides often result in severe and fatal injuries…
Fig.1 Natural mummification. Brown to black leathery appearance of the skin.

Natural mummification

| Decomposition, Mummification | No Comments
Natural mummification. Brown to black leathery appearance of the skin. Mummification is the product of desiccation, the drying-up…
Fig.1 Chopping neck wounds.

Chopping neck wounds

| Homicide | No Comments
This man has fatal neck wounds from an axe. Chopping wounds are caused by heavy, sharp-edged instruments like…
Fig.1 Mummified body of an elderly male.

Mummified body of an elderly male

| Accident, Decomposition, Mummification | No Comments
Mummified body of an elderly male that had been lying dead in a block of flats for about…

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The January 2025 issue is out   With a monthly subscription the Shocker brings you unfiltered views of…
Fig.1 The nude body of a 27-year-old victim lying on the bedroom floor.

Woman beaten and strangled to death

| Asphyxiation, Homicide | No Comments
USA. The police were summoned to an apartment when friends of the deceased recounted that she had failed…
Fig.1 An electrocution system linked to a timer in a suicide by electrocution.

Suicide by electrocution

| Suicide | No Comments
Fatalities caused by electrocution often lack specific morphologic evidence. Investigation of the death scene together with technical inspection…
Fig.1 Irregular and finely serrated wound margins.

Postmortem rodent scavenging

| Animal Scavenging | No Comments
Irregular and finely serrated wound margins with a series of parallel cutaneous lacerations deriving from the biting action…
Fig.1 Straight incised wound placed right across the neck with a mildly abraded margin placed almost horizontally at the level of the 5th cervical vertebra.

Bizarre use of log splitter in a suicide

| Suicide | No Comments
The decedent was a 47-year old motor mechanic, who worked in a workshop in a rural community. He…
Fig.1 Suicide by drowning.

Suicide by drowning

| Decomposition, Drowning, Suicide | No Comments
This individual committed suicide by drowning because of financial worries. Bodies removed from water show excessive gas production…
Fig.1 Massive head trauma from gunshot.

Massive head trauma from gunshot

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
Suicidal gunshot wound to the head. No further info. At close range, the shotgun is the most formidable…
Fig.1 Cut and slash wounds.

Cut and slash wounds

| Homicide | No Comments
Russia. This individual has multiple cut wounds and slash wounds. Slash wounds occur as a result of tangential…
Fig.1

Train track suicide

| Suicide | No Comments
Russia. This individual committed suicide by laying on the train tracks, he then got decapitated from an arriving…
Fig.1 Note the matching pressure marks indicating that the head had been resulting on the neck for a prolonged time interval whilst the woman was still alive yet severely neglected by her son.

Corpse of an old woman found in her apartment

| Accident, Decomposition | No Comments
In March 2002, the corpse of an old woman found in her apartment in an urban apartment in…
Fig 1. furrow marks are on the neck from the rope.

Suicide by hanging

| Hanging, Suicide | No Comments
This man committed suicide by hanging, furrow marks are on the neck from the rope. Hanging is one…
Fig.1 Opening of the abdominal body cavity.

Opening of the abdominal body cavity

| Accident, Explosion | No Comments
Opening of the abdominal body cavity following the (probably accidental) explosion of a homemade pipe bomb containing black…
Fig.1 High velocity rifle wound.

High velocity rifle wound

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
This individual was shot in the head one time by a police swat team member. The officer was…
Fig.1 Fly larvae in the mouth and eyes.

Fly larvae in the mouth and eyes

| Decomposition | No Comments
This individual had been dead for approximately four days. His body was found in the backyard by neighbors.…
Fig.1 The partially charred body of the 64-year-old man found on an “altar” made of banknotes. The plastic container with the accelerant is shown nearby the body.

A burned body found on an “altar” made of banknotes

| Fire, Suicide | No Comments
Greece. The partially charred body of a man was found by fire department officers inside a burnt house.…
Fig.1 Protrusion of the tongue due to putrefactive gas formation and purging of putrefactive fluid from the nostrils.

Protrusion of the tongue due to putrefactive gas formation

| Decomposition | No Comments
Postmortem protrusion of the tongue due to putrefactive gas formation and purging of putrefactive fluid from the nostrils.…
Fig.1 Postmortem injuries inflicted by a domestic dog.

Postmortem injuries inflicted by a domestic dog

| Accident, Animal Scavenging | No Comments
Postmortem animal depredation is a substantial part of the taphonomic processes a body undergoes after death. While the…
Fig.1 Adipocere formation in remains recovered from a moist environment.

Adipocere formation in remains recovered from a moist environment

| Decomposition | No Comments
The image shows adipocere on the remains of an individual recovered from moist environment. Adipocere, also known as…
Fig.1 A homeless alcoholic found dead in a fire.

A homeless alcoholic found dead in a fire

| Accident, Fire | No Comments
A homeless alcoholic, found dead in a fire, was extremely drunk. Fatal residential fires account for 10% of…

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The December 2024 issue is out   With a monthly subscription the Shocker brings you unfiltered views of…
Fig.1 Fatal boat propeller chop wounds of the trunk.

Fatal boat propeller chop wounds of the trunk

| Accident | No Comments
Cuyahoga County, Ohio. This individual has suffered from a fatal boat propeller chop wounds of the trunk and…
Fig.1 Macroscopic bilateral external view of the head lesions.

Suicide in a cemetery

| Suicide | No Comments
Italy. A 62-years old man, with a depressive syndrome in pharmacological treatment, was found dead in the parking…
Fig.1 The man died at the scene.

A man opened fire on bailiffs evicting him

| Gunshot | No Comments
USA. A 61-year-old man opened fire from his apartment door on bailiffs evicting him, he was fatally shot.…
Fig.1 Bone abrasion due to the dragging force of a moving vehicle.

Bone abrasion due to the dragging force of a moving vehicle

| Accident | No Comments
A 30-year-old male pedestrian was involved in an accident with a truck. He became trapped in the front…
Fig.1 A 31-year-old man, suicide by shooting himself in the mouth.

Postmortem animal activity by a pet dog

| Animal Scavenging, Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
Germany. A 31-year-old man lived with his 71-year-old mother and his pet German Shepherd in a converted garden…
Fig.1 Decomposition after submersion in water.

Decomposition after submersion in water

| Accident, Animal Scavenging, Decomposition, Drowning | No Comments
If a body is placed in water containing a large amount of bacteria, such as that from sewage…
Fig.1 Case 1. The body of a man with a plastic bag on the head, a compressed helium cylinder in the background.

15 Cases of helium suicides

| Asphyxiation, Suicide | No Comments
Helium is one of inert gases causing physical asphyxiation, whose excess content in the breathing atmosphere reduces the…
Fig.1 Brush-burn type abrasion.

Brush-burn type abrasion

| Accident | No Comments
Brush-burn type abrasion on the left flank. One common type of blunt force injury is the so-called brush-burn…
Fig.1 Blunt force trauma.

Blunt force trauma

| Accident | No Comments
Forensic autopsy of blunt force trauma. Two abraded lacerations on the forehead. Lacerations are a bursting of the…
Fig.1 A cut throat on the victim.

Man killed by his own brother

| Homicide | No Comments
Man killed by his own brother with throat cut and stabbing. One can notice that this was an…
Fig.1 A man cuts his own neck.

A man cuts his own neck

| Suicide | No Comments
Russia. At a local market, a man started cutting his neck and tried to remove his larynx, he…
Fig.1 Woman murdered with a scythe.

Woman murdered with a scythe

| Homicide | No Comments
Russia. A woman was murdered with a scythe in her home. Homicide involving a scythe presents distinct forensic…
Fig.2 Complete self-amputation of the scrotum and penis with scissors.

Complete self-amputation of the scrotum and penis with scissors

| Suicide | No Comments
Self-mutilation thought by the police to be a bizarre homicide. The genitals have been amputated, the throat cut…

Neck dissection in a 36-year-old woman

| Accident, Medical | No Comments
Postmortem hypostatic hemorrhages in a 36-year-old woman who died of multiple drug intoxication and was found in the…
Fig.1 Decapitation by a train.

Decapitation by a train

| Accident, Suicide | No Comments
Railway injuries are not uncommon, especially in countries with many ‘level crossings’ (called ‘grade crossings’ in the USA),…
Fig.1 Gunshot wound in the right temple.

Gunshot wound in the right temple

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
This individual died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the right temple. The impression of the muzzle print…

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The November 2024 issue is out   With a monthly subscription the Shocker brings you unfiltered views of…
Fig.24

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami victims

| Accident, Decomposition, Drowning | No Comments
On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time, a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2–9.3 Mw struck with an epicenter off the west…
Fig.1 The victim fell down stairs and sustained a fracture of CVII and died of a spinal cord injury.

Laceration of the forehead

| Accident | No Comments
Laceration of the forehead with surrounding bruising. The wound is stellate as a result of crushing against the…
Fig.1 The victim was discovered in a New York City hotel room lying on the floor.

New York City hotel room autoerotic asphyxiation death

| Accident, Asphyxiation, Autoerotic Death | No Comments
The victim was discovered in a New York City hotel room lying on the floor with his leg…
Fig.1 The mummified body of an absconder from a mental hospital.

The mummified body of an absconder

| Accident, Decomposition, Mummification | No Comments
The mummified body of an absconder from a mental hospital who was found a year later in a…
Fig.1 Multiple homicidal lacerations of the forehead.

Multiple homicidal lacerations of the forehead

| Homicide | No Comments
Multiple homicidal lacerations of the forehead. The perpetrator finalized his act by squeezing toothpaste on the left eye.…
Fig.4 X-ray taken at Medical Examiner’s Office showing electronic cigarette mouthpiece and battery housing within decedents head.

Florida man killed by exploding mech mod vape

| Accident, Fire | No Comments
2018 - St. Petersburg, Florida, US. A 38-year-old man was found dead and with burns to 80% of…
Fig.3 Position of the body after the removal of the objects collapsed over the woman.

A lethal case of hoarding

| Accident, Asphyxiation, Decomposition | No Comments
Italy - A 75-year-old woman affected by hoarding disorder was found dead in her apartment. The woman’s family…
Fig.1 Advanced adipocere formation after 2.5 years in a grave.

Adipocere formation after 2.5 years in a grave

| Accident, Decomposition | No Comments
Advanced adipocere formation after 2.5 years in a grave. Exhumation due to exclusion of an accidental death (fall)…
Fig.1

Man commits suicide by jumping off building

| Suicide | No Comments
Suicide by jumping from a building is not uncommon, and it is a method that has been used…
Fig.1

Man beaten up and his throat cut

| Homicide | No Comments
Russia. This man was beaten up and his throat cut. No further info. Cut throats can be homicidal,…
Fig.1 Cut throat death.

Cut throat death

| Homicide, Suicide | No Comments
This individual bled to death after a cut throat injury. Cut-throat deaths involve deep incisions or lacerations across…
Fig.1 Putrefactive blisters and skin slippage.

Putrefactive blisters and skin slippage

| Decomposition | No Comments
Formation of putrefactive blisters and detachment of the upper layers of the skin in a decomposing individual. Decomposition,…
Fig.3 This photograph depicts the gunshot wound to the victim’s head.

Homicide staged as a suicide

| Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
USA. The victim’s body was discovered after a neighbor became suspicious about the manner in which the young…
Fig.1 Gunshot wound on the side of the head.

Gunshot wound on the side of the head

| Gunshot | No Comments
This individual has a contact-range gunshot wound on the side of the head. No further info. In contact…
Fig.1 Protrusion of the tongue with dark discoloration due to postmortem drying.

Protrusion of the tongue with dark discoloration

| Asphyxiation, Decomposition, Suicide | No Comments
Autopsy photograph featuring protrusion with dark discoloration of the tongue due to postmortem drying, in a case of…
Fig.1 The cadaver on day 7 of decomposition, the skull of the cadaver is becoming visible under drying skin.

A cadaver at an Australian body farm

| Decomposition, Mummification | No Comments
Image of a cadaver at a body farm in Australia. The body farm is the Australian Facility for…
Fig.1 Adipocere formation in remains recovered from a moist environment.

Adipocere formation in remains recovered from a moist environment

| Decomposition | No Comments
The image shows adipocere on the remains of an individual recovered from moist environment. Adipocere, also known as…
Fig.1 Forensic dental identification on a corpse.

Forensic dental identification

| Decomposition | No Comments
Forensic dental identification is a method used in forensic science to identify deceased individuals through dental records. Teeth…
Fig.1 Suicidal cuts using a box cutter.

Suicidal cuts using a box cutter

| Suicide | No Comments
The finding illustrated is a group of sharp force injuries (incisions) that are self-inflicted, as evidenced by the…
Fig.1 Mechanical asphyxia.

Mechanical asphyxia

| Accident, Asphyxiation | No Comments
The orientation of the decedent with the tire of the motor vehicle apparently compressing the midsection and with…
Fig.1 Craniofacial injuries on the woman.

Three people killed by a black bear

| Accident | No Comments
China, 2020. A 47-year-old woman and her 7-year-old son were attacked by a black bear while walking through…
Fig.1 High-velocity gunshot wound.

High-velocity gunshot wound

| Decomposition, Gunshot, Homicide | No Comments
Colombia. This decomposing individual has a high-velocity gunshot wound. The entrance wound is under his right ear and…
Fig.2 Postmortem dog feeding occurred around the anus.

Postmortem dog feeding around the anus

| Animal Scavenging | No Comments
Note the fixed anterior lividity. The decedent was lying prone on a bed with a wrinkled comforter. Postmortem…
Fig.1 Homicidal throat cut.

Homicidal throat cut

| Homicide | No Comments
Spain. The throat of this elderly woman was cut in a homicide. A homicidal throat cut refers to…
Fig.1 Fatal contusions with a blunt object.

Fatal contusions with a blunt object

| Accident | No Comments
Spain. This individual suffered multiple and violent contusions with a blunt object, which caused facial injuries and fractures…

Firearm discharged into the mouth

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
Note the tissue tears extending from the sides of the mouth. These tears result from the large amount…
Fig.1 Contact gunshot wound.

Contact gunshot wound

| Gunshot | No Comments
Contact gunshot wound with .410-gauge derringer. Only the lower barrel has been fired. After reapproximating the gas pressure-induced…
Fig.1 This individual was lying on an “egg crate” foam mattress when he died.

Patterned livor mortis

| Decomposition | No Comments
Livor mortis or lividity is the gravitational pooling of blood in the dependent parts of the body, both…
Fig.1 Shotgun shell characteristic individual satellite injuries.

Shotgun shell characteristic individual satellite injuries

| Gunshot | No Comments
Shotgun shells contain multiple small "BBs," called shot. As the shot comes out of the barrel of the…