Suicide by blunt head trauma - Two cases with striking similarities

There have been several forensic pathological studies on the distinction between falls from height and homicidal blows in blunt head trauma, but few studies have focused on suicidal blows. Self-inflicted blunt head trauma is usually a part of a complex suicide with more than one suicidal method applied. Actually, no reports on suicide indicate blunt head trauma to be the singular cause of death in recent publications. Cases with self-inflicted blunt trauma are often challenging for those involved in the investigation because they are confronted with findings that are also found in homicides. A refined guideline to differentiate suicidal blows from homicidal blows in blunt head trauma allows for a more accurate representation of the events surrounding death. This paper presents two cases of suicide by self-inflicted blunt head trauma in which blunt head trauma from repeatedly hitting the decedent's head with a hammer was considered to be the only cause of death.