An unusual suicidal death by automobile antenna: a case report

A decomposing white male was found lying beside his vehicle; blood was noted on the hood. Beneath the deceased's head was a copious amount of blood, and clutched within his right hand was a vehicle radio antenna. A search of a nearby storage shed uncovered drug paraphernalia and in the decedent's bedroom were two handwritten suicide notes. At autopsy, a defect was discovered in the right posterior oropharnyx. Immediately posterior to this injury were fractures of the right transverse processes and interarticular portions of the C2 and C3 vertebrae, with perforation of the right vertebral artery. No other injuries were noted externally. Radiographs of the head and neck showed no evidence of a projectile, and no corresponding exit defect was identified. Postmortem toxicology was positive for cocaine and methamphetamine.We present a case report of a man under the influence of cocaine and methamphetamine employing a car antenna to cause self-inflicted, intraoral penetrating trauma to the cervical spine and right vertebral artery, resulting in exsanguination and his subsequent death.Over one million individuals around the world end their own lives every year, translating into approximately one suicide every 40 seconds. These statistics have prompted the World Health Organization to proclaim September 10 "World Suicide Prevention Day" [1]. The most common methods of suicide encountered by forensic pathologists in the United States are of three principal methods - gunshot wounds, hangings, and overdoses - accounting for over 90% of suicides [2]. Regardless, some individuals can be rather creative in regard to how they kill themselves. We present a case report of a man under the influence of cocaine and methamphetamine employing a car antenna to cause self-inflicted, intraoral penetrating trauma to the cervical spine and right vertebral artery, resulting in exsanguination and his subsequent death.A 43-year-old deceased white male was found lying prone in front of his automo