Herman the Shocker

The Shocker brings you unfiltered views of reality and educational content

from the world of crime, accidents, and forensics

Welcome to Hermantheshocker.com

The purpose of the website is to delve into the realms of forensic education, accident awareness and suicide prevention. The Shocker brings a comprehensive resource for individuals seeking knowledge in the field of forensic science and investigation. The Shocker wants to empower students, professionals, and the curious with the tools to understand the intricacies of forensics and to raise awareness about accident prevention and safety by presenting real world cases. Running a website with high traffic is not cheap, you can support by subscribing to the Monthly Magazine or by donating.

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Fig.1 This victim’s body was found indoors during the summertime.

Putrefaction indoors in summertime after 60 hours since death

| Decomposition | No Comments
Note the bloated face of the deceased. This victim’s body was found indoors during the summertime. He had…
Fig.1 Oval to round cutaneous defects caused by crustaceans postmortem on the neck and upper trunk in a drowning victim.

Postmortem animal depredation by crustaceans

| Accident, Animal Scavenging, Drowning | No Comments
Oval to round cutaneous defects caused by crustaceans postmortem on the neck and upper trunk in a drowning…
Fig.1 This 52-year-old woman has a contact gunshot wound of her right temple.

Contact gunshot wound of her right temple

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
This 52-year-old woman has a contact gunshot wound of her right temple. Note how the scalp is split…
Fig.1 Morbidly obese bodies require special lifting devices to be handled in the morgue.

Morbidly obese bodies require special lifting devices

| Decomposition | No Comments
The morbidity and mortality produced by obesity in the United States and other developed societies has reached epidemic…
Fig.1 Diptera larvae collected from the ocular cavity of a cadaver in active decay.

Diptera larvae collected from the ocular cavity of a cadaver

| Decomposition | No Comments
On June 28, 2009, a 70-year-old male corpse was found in his house in Pisa. He was lying…
Fig.1 Skin burns on a victim of lysol suicide.

Skin burns on a victim of lysol suicide

| Suicide | No Comments
Skin burns on a victim of lysol suicide. The trickle pattern makes it obvious that the victim was…
Fig.1 Greenish white molds on the forehead, right side of the cheek, perioral, and perinasal areas, and anterior part of neck, and chest.

Fungal growth on a corpse

| Decomposition | No Comments
A 42-year-old woman was discovered dead, the body was covered with fungal plaques. She had been leading a…
Fig.1 Contact wound, between the eyes from a .357 Magnum revolver.

Contact wound between the eyes from a .357 Magnum revolver

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
Massive injuries from contact handgun wounds of the head, when they do occur, are associated with Magnum calibers,…
Fig.1 Contact blanching on the back of the body depicting a pistol.

Contact blanching on the back of the body depicting a pistol

| Decomposition | No Comments
This individual died lying on top of a gun. The patterned appearance of the gun is seen because…
Fig.1 Postmortem injuries inflicted postmortem by a domestic dog.

Postmortem injuries inflicted by a domestic dog

| Animal Scavenging | No Comments
Postmortem animal depredation is a substantial part of the taphonomic processes a body undergoes after death. While the…
Fig.1 State of the corpse.

Woman found mummified in her apartment

| Decomposition, Suicide | No Comments
A woman was found dead in her apartment in January 2009. She had not been seen for 40…
Fig.1 Complete body transection, across abdomen, sustained in a motorcycle accident.

Complete body transection across abdomen and decapitation

| Accident | No Comments
This individual died from a complete body transection across abdomen, and decapitation in a motorcycle accident. Blunt-force abdominal…
Fig.1 Italian medical students travel to Malta to practice cadaver face dissection.

Cadaver face dissection

| Medical | No Comments
This picture was taken by an Italian medical student during an autopsy on the island of Malta. Apparently,…
Fig.1 The so-called “burst head” effect from a shotgun.

The so-called “burst head” effect from a shotgun

| Gunshot, Suicide | No Comments
The "burst head" effect from a shotgun refers to extreme cranial trauma caused by a close-range shotgun blast…
Fig.1 Incomplete skeletonization of a forearm due to post-mortem animal scavenging by a domestic German Shepherd.

Postmortem animal scavenging

| Accident, Animal Scavenging | No Comments
Incomplete skeletonization of a forearm due to post-mortem animal scavenging by a domestic German Shepherd. Skeletonization (synonym: skeletalization)…
Fig.1 Suicidal plastic bag suffocation.

Suicidal plastic bag suffocation

| Asphyxiation, Suicide | No Comments
USA. A case of simple asphyxia combined with external airway obstruction by a plastic bag, in a suicidal…