Death by Hanging

This person died as a result of hanging by his neck from a tree limb. Death in this case was due to compression of the blood vessels in the neck.

The second photo shows the congestion of the face (i.e., excess blood) due to the handing. Evidently the veins, which carry the blood from the head, were occluded much more than the arteries, which carry the blood to the head. This is usual, since arterial pressure is higher than venous pressure. The red color on the back of the neck is from settling of the remaining blood after death, as the body lay on its back.

The third picture shows the ligature impression on the neck. Notice that there was some surface bleeding where the rope cut into the neck. A forehead wound was also sustained during the hanging. Since the pressure is higher at the rope than above, there was more bleeding from damaged vessels in the rope wound than on the forehead wound. If a body is suspended after death to conceal murder, there will be less of a vital reaction at the site of the rope.

No one has a right to make you feel worthless or unloved. Whatever the circumstances of this death, it is almost always a bad idea for a physically healthy person to take his or her own life. Almost everyone who has been in this position and failed the attempt is VERY glad, one year later, that it was a failure.

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