Forensic Centre, Ministry of Interior, Qatar
Title: High voltage suicidal electrocution
Biography:
Anis Benkhalifa has received his post-graduation in Forensic Medicine from both Tunisian Ministry of Public Health and Monastir University - Tunisia and also obtained degree of Clinical Toxicology from Louis Pasteur University of Strasbourg, France. His role has been forensic practitioner in many high profile cases and has undertaken several thousands of different kinds of autopsies in different Governmental Hospitals in Tunisia and of late has been working as Consultant Forensic Medical with Ministry of Interior of State of Qatar .He has been a teaching faculty to high schools of Police to both undergraduate and postgraduate medical students and officers of Police. He has published numerous papers and articles in the National and International Journals of repute.
In the world vast majority of cases of deaths due to electrocution are accidental. Suicidal electrocution and that too by high voltage is one of the rarest methods adopted for the purpose. We report the case of a 36-year-old male who committed suicide by climbing up a 10-meter-tall electric tower carrying live cables of high voltage of 40,000 volts. He was found lying dead on the ground with multiple burns all over the body, and with multiple blunt injuries. Examination and Autopsy revealed multiple burns with charred, thickened skin, singed hairs and underneath coagulation of tissues and muscles over various areas of the body. Underlying adipose tissue was melt and oily liquid was seen. Signs of trauma as multiple lacerated wounds and fractures of skull, face, ribs and right upper limb were seen but they did not contribute to the cause of death. Histopathology from skin tissues over multiple burnt sites confirmed the loss of epidermis, with collagen in epidermal and subepithilial layers with elongation of nuclei “stream of nuclei”. Features were consistent with changes induced by electrical burns. These atypical findings on the body can be explained by the proximity to electric arc produced by high voltage current and the electromagnetic field generated by it. Police investigations showed that the deceased was under severe depression because of his personal problems. The method adopted and the findings make this case a rare scientific report.