Skip to main content

This individual committed suicide by drowning because of financial worries. Bodies removed from water show excessive gas production and tissue discoloration, owing to explosive bacterial gas production. The gas causes the bodies to bloat excessively, which can cause an explosion or sudden rupture of the tense abdomen.

Fig.1 Suicide by drowning.

Decomposition in a wet environment differs from that in other settings, both in the changes that occur and the rate at which they occur. It is essential that the forensic pathologist or medicolegal death investigator recognize and appreciate the uniqueness of immersed and submerged remains. The typical decomposition changes proceed more slowly in the water, primarily due to cooler temperatures and the anaerobic environment. However, once a body is removed from the water, putrefaction will likely be accelerated. Postmortem changes are not only affected by water temperature, but also by current as well as obstacles and structures, both natural and man-made, that may interact with the remains.

Latest posts

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,…