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A rare case of bucket drowning
Article · May 2018
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Ivan Tsranchev, SF J Forensics, 2018, 1:1
SciFed Journal of Forensics
Case Report Open Access
А Rare Case of Bucket Drowning
*1,2
Ivan Tsranchev, 1,2
Kristina Hadzhieva, 1,2
Plamena Dineva, 1,2
Svetlozar Spasov, 1,2
Todor Dobrev, 1,2
Pavel
Timonov, Bogdan Mirchev
1
1
Department of Forensic Medicine and Deontology, Medical University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria
2
Department of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital “Saint George”, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Abstract
Statistically, the majority of deaths due to submersion are accidental or suicidal. Suicides by drowning usually happen
at home or in sewage. The reason for this act is usually depression due to poor health, death of a loved one, financial
problems, chronic or acute pain, or being “tired of life”. A 77-year- old man was found dead in the bathroom of his
house. The entry door was locked from the inside, with the key still on the door from the inside. All windows of the
house were closed. The head of the corpse was submerged in a small bucket of water. The results of the autopsy and
the histological examination concluded that the death has occurred due to acute asphyxia caused by drowning. Except
the fact that the case is interesting as casuistry to coroners, it induces many questions with the understanding of the
problem with suicidal attempts.
Keywords pain, or being “tired of life” [6].
Forensic; Bucket; Drowning; Suicide; Casuistry
Case Presentation
Introduction A 77-year- old man was found dead in the
In forensic medicine asphyxia is a condition in bathroom of his house. The entry door was locked from
which there is a physical obstruction between the mouth and the inside, with the key still on the door from the inside.
nose to the alveoli, leading to inability to utilize ogygen at All windows of the house were closed. The head of the
the cellular level [1]. Drowning as pathological condition corpse was submerged in a small bucket of water used for
is a form of asphyxia due to aspiration of fluids into the cleaning purposes. Immediately, the man was visited by
airways, caused by a submersion in water or other fluids.
In order for the drowning to occur it isn’t necessary whole
*Corresponding author: Ivan Tsranchev, Department of Forensic
body to be submersed in water, it can be caused by filling Medicine and Deontology, Medical University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
of the nose and mouth alone with water or other fluids. E-mail:
[email protected]; Ph: +359878700486
Statistically, the majority of deaths due to submersion are
Received March 26, 2018; Accepted May 02, 2018; Published May 14,
accidental or suicidal. According to these cases, suicidal 2018
submersions of adults in a bucket of water are really rare
and only a few cases are reported into the literature. Most Citation: Ivan Tsranchev (2018) А Rare Case of Bucket Drowning. SF J
Forensics 1:1.
vulnerable to bucket drowning are toddlers and infants and
most of these cases are accidental events [2-5]. Suicides Copyright: © 2018 Ivan Tsranchev. This is an open-access article
distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License,
by drowning usually happen at home or in sewage. The which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any
reason for this act is usually depression due to poor health, medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
death of a loved one, financial problems, chronic or acute
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Citation: Ivan Tsranchev (2018) А Rare Case of Bucket Drowning. SF J Forensics 1:1.
a physician who declared his death. On the table in the The drowning may occur in different fluids than water.
kitchen a dying note was found. On the crime scene the Other fluids that in rare occurrences have been mentioned
external examination of the cadaver was made by a coroner. in the literature are: shampoo, wax, paraffin, beer, bitumen,
There were not any signs of struggle. The postmortem and gas oil [8].
lividity was well presented on the anterior surface of the Figure 1: The Position of the Corpse on the Crime Scene
body in the area of face, neck, thorax, abdomen and upper
and lower extremities. Also, the postmortem lividity was
well fixed to the tissues. The postmortem rigidity was well
presented all over the muscular groups of the entire body.
The corpse was cold to the touch.
On an external autopsy examination no injuries were
noted. Internal examination showed that the brain was with
severe congestion and oedema, weighing 1400 grams with
few petechial hemorrhages of the white matter. The lungs
were presented heavy and on incision fluid and froth were
exiting from the cut surfaces. The lungs were congested,
edematous and weighed 650 grams each. The bronchi were
presented with solid froth. The heart was normal externally
and weighed 300 grams with mild atherosclerotic changes Figure 2: The Submersed Head of the Cadaver in the Bucket of
of the coronary arteries. Over the lungs and epicardium Water
of the heart pin – point hemorrhages were found, and
the blood of the major blood vessels was dark and also
liquid. The abdominal organs were presented with severe
congestion, the liver weighed 1700 grams, spleen- 320
grams and kidneys- 140 grams each. Organ samples were
preserved for histological examination. The microscopic
examination of the lung tissues confirmed the cause of
death- asphyxia due to submersion. The chemical analysis
of blood showed medium degree of alcohol concentration.
Discussion
The results of the autopsy and the histological examination
concluded that the death has occurred due to acute asphyxia
caused by drowning. The cause that brought about the Figure 3: The Postmortem Lividity and Rigidity of the Cadever
suicide by drowning is attributed to severe pain induced at the Crime Scene
due to cancer of kidneys, according to the suicidal note
and the fact that there are no forensic elements allowing us
to confirm the hypothesis of accidental death or homicide.
Furthermore, the external examination of the body does
not show any signs of trauma referable to the possible
intervention of other subjects. In this case homicidal
drowning caused by forceful submersion of the head in
water seems impossible, according to all circumstances on
the crime scene. In many cases of drowning determination
of cause and manner of death may be possible in the light
of the crime scene investigation, necropsy, psychological
autopsy findings and the laboratory analysis together [7].
Rare cases of drowning are cited by many other authors.
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Citation: Ivan Tsranchev (2018) А Rare Case of Bucket Drowning. SF J Forensics 1:1.
Figure 4: The Suicide Note 7. Çağlar Ö, Tuğcu H, Asil H et al. (2018) Yorulmaz C. Drowning
as a Method of Suicide Case Report. The Bulletin of Legal
Medicine 12: 130-135.
8. Spagnolo E, Mondello C, Cardia L, et al. Peculiar and Unusual
Drowning in Waste Oil from Motor Vehicles: Case Report.
Journal of Forensic Research.
9. Salib E, Agnew N (2005) Suicide and undetermined death by
drowning. Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract 9: 2.
Citation: Ivan Tsranchev (2018) А Rare Case of Bucket Drowning. SF
J Forensics 1:1.
Conclusion
Cases of suicidal drownings are rare and there
are many reported into the literature [6, 8]. Incidents of
drowning vary between countries and within the country
itself. The manner of death may remain undetermined even
when the diagnosis of drowning is confirmed or declined.
It is expected that drowning suicide rates in some of the
available studies may have been over- or under-reported
because of misclassification [9]. Except the fact that the
case is interesting as casuistry to coroners, it induces many
questions with the understanding of the problem with
suicidal attempts. It is necessary serious analysis of the
problem to be made, with the appropriate introduction of
preventive and rescue strategies, and preventive programs
for patients with chronic pain and manifested depression.
References
1. Payne-James J, McGovern C, Jones R, et al. Simpson’s
Forensic Medicine, 13th Edition: Irish Version.
2. Armstrong E, Erskine K, Water-Related Death Investigation:
Practical Methods and Forensic Applications.
3. Mann N, Weller S, Rauchschwalbe R (1992) Bucket-related
drownings in the United States, 1984 through 1990. Pediatrics
89: 1068-1071.
4. Celis A, Orozco-Valerio MJ, Mendez-Magana AC, et al.
(2017) A search for a safer bucket to prevent children drowning
at home. J Inj Violence Res. 9: 91-94.
5. Jumbelic MI, Chambliss M (1990) Accidental toddler
drowning in 5-gallon buckets. JAMA 263: 1952-1953.
6. Copeland AR (1987) Suicide by drowning. Am J Forensic
Med Pathol 8: 18-22.
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