Supermarket shopping death: the role of forensic investigations in plastic bag suffocation.

Abstract

Background: Plastic bag suffocation may represent a very complex enigma for the forensic pathologist. The aim of this work is to highlight how the resolution of plastic bag suffocation cases is possible through the use of various forensic investigations, including psychological one (psychological autopsy) and toxicological examinations, in order to be able to define the manner of death.

Case report: A 70-year-old man was found by his daughter lying on the bed, with his head inside a plastic bag knotted around his neck. The daughter claimed to have immediately removed the bag, but the father was already dead. An autopsy was performed. The clinical history of the victim was analysed in search of reason that could lead to suicide. The statements of the people on the death scene were examined. Results were compared with the scientific literature: a literature review was performed on the search engine Pubmed, Scopus and Google Scholar using the keywords "plastic bag suffocation" and "death". The autopsy showed no typical signs of asphyxial death. Toxicological examinations revealed benzodiazepines in the urine. Investigations revealed that the victim had been suffering from severe depression.

Conclusions: The literature review confirmed that the most used wrapper is the supermarket shopping bag. We emphasize that plastic bag suffocation is a very quick event that does not leave any evident sign: this rapidity does not allow to appreciate the typical elements of asphyxiated death (petechiae, cyanosis). It seems that the fatal mechanism is a cardio-inhibitory, rather than a hypoxic process.