Dearborn Heights, Michigan. Police officers were summoned to a residence to check on the welfare of a man who had not reported to work for three days. There was no response at his home. Officers were able to enter the premises through a closed but unlocked window. The interior of the home, which was unkempt, was putrid. The victim’s two dogs had relieved themselves throughout the home. Nothing appeared to have been removed or disturbed. When the officers checked the basement of the home, they discovered the dead 48-year-old, white male victim. He was found burned and chained to a metal support column beneath an I-beam.
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.
Fig.2 Victim bound with chains and burned. This was an equivocal death case since this event first appeared to be some sort of bizarre homicide. An examination of the crime scene and the victimology revealed this death was an autoerotic fatality.
The deceased was chained in an upright position. He had Darby cuffs securing his feet with a chain running up from the cuffs to his handcuffed hands and then to the top of the metal support column where it was affixed to a padlock. Above his knees was another chain hooked with a clasp at his waist. A third chain wrapped around him and the pole and was secured with another small padlock.
There were severe burns to the waist, chest, and upper thighs, feet, and arms. A charred piece of cloth was wrapped around his penis with a remnant of burned cloth at his feet. Soot was present in the mouth, lips, and teeth as well as around his nostrils. The Darby cuffs on his feet did not have a key and one could not be located in the area of the decedent. There also wasn’t a key to the handcuffs. The crime scene was searched and the following items were discovered on the floor by the decedent’s feet: some burnt cloth and ash, medical forceps, a glass “crack” pipe, electrical cord, a tow strap, a paper cup, a plastic bottle, and a cigarette lighter.
There was a dresser next to the victim’s body. On the top of the dresser was a candle and melted candle wax, a set of keys for the padlocks, and the dresser appeared to have been kicked back from its original position. The area in the basement around the victim contained the following items: a large mirror facing the deceased, a pair of pliers, a screwdriver, a hand drill, bolt cutters, cords, strapping material, and a weight bench.
Fig.3 Note the severe burns and how tightly the victim is fastened by the chains to the pole.
Fig.4 Mirror in the scene that the deceased was using to view himself.
The death was considered highly suspicious; therefore, the body was transported to the medical examiner’s office with the cuffs still on the victim’s ankles and hands and with the chains still attached. Toxicology indicated the presence of cocaine in the victim’s system. Interviews of family members and neighbors revealed that the deceased had been caught in the past by his mother while he was engaged in sexual gratification using handcuffs.
The deceased basically kept to himself; he lived alone and did not date. On occasion, he would have some friends from work in to play poker. Interviews also revealed that the deceased had been introduced to “crack” by his older brother. The detectives had a forensic analysis of his computer done, which revealed over 300 jpeg images of preteen boys from different Web sites. The Darby cuffs had been ground out so that the victim could use the medical forceps instead of a key, which explained why there wasn’t a key for the cuffs.
He was quite adept at binding and releasing himself from the cuffs using the forceps. At the time of the event, he was engaged in autoerotic behavior for self-gratification. The dresser had originally been close to the victim, so he could lean over and light his crack pipe. Apparently, the candle ignited his sweatshirt, while he was under the influence of the crack. The victim had burned shirt material in one hand indicating his attempt to remove the burning shirt. The burning material fell onto his lap and ignited his shorts and socks. The manner of death was ruled accidental.
Fig.5 The Darby cuffs.
Fig.6 The Darby cuffs on his feet did not have a key, but the cuffs had been ground out so that the victim could use medical forceps instead of a key.
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