Hyoid bone fracture and an elucidation of circumstances in a case of ligature strangulation by garroting

Abstract

Ligature strangulation is an important aspect of forensic practice and unless proven otherwise is considered to be a homicide. We report a case of a traveler, who was attending a political procession, but was later robbed and strangulated with a scarf by some anti-social elements. His body was subsequently abandoned in the wilderness to get decomposed leading to the diminution of valuable traumatic signatures over the neck, thereby presumably raising difficulties in diagnosis of cause and manner of death. After the body was recovered, a careful autopsy was conducted on it with fruitful results. The cause of death was opined to be homicidal ligature strangulation. Therefore, thorough assessment and proper documentation of strangulation injuries, even in highly decomposed corpses, may lead to smooth execution of justice. Key words: Decomposition, ligature strangulation, hyoid bone fracture, garroting.