Canada. A 34-year-old was found dead in his secured apartment. The body, clad only in underwear, was completely enclosed from head to toe within a large plastic pocket. The plastic pocket had been made using a large plastic sheet folded in two and sealed on the remaining sides by duct tape, two from the outside and one from the inside. Red boxing gloves and a roll of duct tape were found along with the body. The plastic pocket was pierced by four tubes and a black wire, with three of the tubes obstructed by duct tape. Therefore, the only fresh air supply once inside the pocket was from the unobstructed tube approximately 1 cm in diameter. The internal portion of this tube was resting on the chest of the decedent, near his face. Insufficient gas exchange between the sealed plastic pocket and the outside caused asphyxia in the confined space.
Fig.1 Right lateral view of the victim’s body in the bag showing a pair of red boxing gloves.
At some point, chemical substances might have been used as well since a knotted red plastic bag was found inside the plastic pocket, along with an uncapped aerosol can of leather and suede protector. As for the black wire piercing the bag, it was plugged into a nearby computer and connected to headphones inside the pocket. Sadomasochistic content was on the computer, and numerous photographs of nude men were scattered next to the computer and throughout the apartment. The autopsy was unremarkable apart from pulmonary edema. Toxicological analyses revealed a blood alcohol level of 119 mg/100 ml and traces in the blood of the hydrocarbons naphtha and VarsolTM.
Fig.2 Body of the 34-year-old man in a home-made plastic bag. One of the sides that was sealed from the outside is opened on the picture. A black wire is noticeable inside the bag.
Although it is difficult to understand the motivation of someone to wrap entirely in plastic or blankets, it seems that this practice might be linked to a desire to be enclosed or confined and that this wish might be linked to a subconscious fantasy to return to the womb. This case illustrates particularly well the subconscious fantasy to return to the womb that is thought to motivate some autoerotic practitioners to wrap themselves completely in enclosed, confined environments. The plastic pocket, with its tubes and wire, reproduces to some extent the womb environment with the placenta and the umbilical cord.
Fig.3 Outer openings of three of the four tubes: two are obstructed by tape, while one is opened for air. The fourth tube is not shown in this picture.
Autoerotic death refers to the accidental death of individuals of either sex due to failure of devices, or unexpected effects of materials, that were being used to enhance the sexual experience. Although asphyxia from hanging has been described most frequently, a wide variety of other lethal situations have been reported. As there is great variability in the number and types of sexual aids that may be used by individuals, careful death scene examination is essential in helping to exclude suicide and more rarely homicide. The clandestine nature of this paraphilia may, however, make subsequent identification and diagnosis difficult unless the death scene features are typical. This is particularly so in the rare cases involving women.
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