NCJ Number
219266
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 52 Issue: 4 Dated: July 2007 Pages: 954-956
Date Published
July 2007
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This paper presents the case of a 34-year-old man who died of asphyxia, secondary to body wrapping in the largest and most complex plastic bag ever involved in a published case of autoerotic death.
Abstract
Autoerotic deaths are usually classified as accidental (unintended) deaths that occur during individual, and usually solitary, efforts to increase sexual stimulation by decreasing oxygen into the system through a device, apparatus, or prop. In the current case, a 34-year-old White man was found dead by his partner inside the apartment they shared. There were no signs of forced entry, and the front door was locked. Clothed only in his underwear, the victim was lying on his back, completely enclosed from head to foot in a large plastic bag. The bag had been constructed from a large plastic sheet folded in two, which was then sealed on three sides, two from the outside and one from the inside, using duct tape. The bag was pierced by four tubes and a black wire. Of the four tubes, only the one with the smallest diameter opened both to the inside and outside of the bag. This tube was found resting on the victim's chest near his face. The outer openings of the other three tubes were obstructed by duct tape. Once enclosed within the bag, the victim could obtain oxygen only from the air outside the bag by breathing through the tube that was 1 cm in diameter. This tube was too narrow and too long to allow for sufficient gas exchange with the outside air. The black wire that pierced the bag was attached inside the bag to headphones, which were plugged into a nearby computer that showed a sadomasochistic Web site on its screen. 3 figures and 7 references