Homicidal Fall from Height with ‘Tram-line’ Bruise at Buttocks

Beijing Scales Forensic Center, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Division of Forensic Medicine, National Forensic Service, Seoul, Korea

Department of Legal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea

Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea. kuforen@hallym.or.kr

A teenaged female was found dead in front of a three story building. Blunt force injuries were found mainly in the right upper-posterior part of the body. Autopsy findings revealed basal skull fracture, multiple rib fractures of the right thoracic cage, both scapular fractures and right iliac bone fracture. Additionally, typical so-called  ‘tramline’ bruises were bilaterally noted at buttocks. The hymen was intact, but showed mucosal hemorrhage. After the personal identity was revealed, the police could find a witness who heard the detailed description of the criminal acts from one of the suspects. According to the witness, the deceased was pushed by two other teenaged girls from the concrete fence of the roof floor after the suspects molested the genitalia of the deceased and beat on the buttocks with a wooden stick. Mathematical estimation of the height of fall based on the severity of injuries correlates with that of the three story building. Authors suggest that a careful examination of injury patterns is required to differentiate homicidal falls from suicidal or accidental ones. Furthermore, application of mathematical model might be helpful to estimate the height of falls or correlate the assumed height of fall with severity of injuries.

Key words : forensic pathology, autopsy, accidental falls, homicide, contusions

Case report