You can read the first three parts here:
Asphyxiation occurs when a person's oxygen supply is cut off
and air is unable to reach the lungs and hence the rest of the body. The
methods of asphyxiation we’re talking about today are hanging and
strangulation. Accidental strangulation is most often achieved through
auto-erotic asphyxiation in which the victim chokes themselves (or has a
partner do it) in order to achieve orgasm. I’m not going to talk about it that
much in this post because the symptoms on the body are very similar.
Death by hanging is an ancient form of punishment that was
popularized in the old west. A rope is tied around the victim’s neck and they
are dropped suddenly from a height, death resulting from a broken neck.
However, if the length of rope is incorrect, death can be caused by suffocation
or decapitation. Other variants include the victim being lifted by the noose
already around their neck, resulting in death by suffocation. Suspended hanging involves little to no drop
in which death occurs by compression of the trachea and/or the major blood
vessels connecting the heart (carotid arteries) and the brain (vertebral
arteries).
Strangulation is constriction of the neck without suspending
the body either by ligature or manually (by hand). Sudden and violent
compression of the windpipe (with a strong hand, or a rope) will cause almost
immediate death however if the windpipe is only partially closed, buzzing in
the ears, vertigo, muscle weakness, bleeding from the mouth, nose and ears and
convulsions can occur. The victim will usually lose consciousness before death,
sometimes confusing the killer into leaving them alive. A clear indication of
strangulation is the distinct mark left on a person’s neck, a bruise from the
weapon used – although a soft ligature will produce pale marks that may not be
distinguishable. In cases of hanging the mark will an upward u-shape from just
under the chin tilting back towards the ears, whereas manual and ligature
strangulation will vary depending on the height and strength of the killer but
are usually distinguishable from hanging by being horizontal across the throat.
Signs of mechanical violence (manual strangulation) include
fracture of the larynx or hyoid bone, bruising of the muscles and visible
impressions on the skin, and petechiae (or petechial hemorrhaging) which are
pinprick points of bleeding where the blood vessels have ruptured around the
eyes and eyelids, easiest to detect in the whites of the eyes. When a person’s
airflow is cut off or restricted (smothering, suffocation, strangulation) the
body struggles to breathe and move oxygenated blood to the vital organs. This
increased pressure can be too much for the blood vessels and they simply burst
open. Of course this symptom is not exclusive to strangulation; it can be seen
in victims of drowning or even heart failure. In cases of homicide it’s common
to see fingernail marks around the victim’s neck where they tried to claw their
way out. The thumb generates more pressure than the other fingers so often that
is the only impression (or the most noticeable impression) found.
What do you want to see next? Let me know in the comments.
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