Ligature mark on the face - forensic implications

In deaths due to hanging and strangulation, the position, course and direction of the ligature mark, the kind of knot used and injuries to the neck structures help in deducing the cause and manner of death. Two cases of suicidal hanging are reported where the unusual positioning of ligature and presence of the ligature mark on the face raise doubts concerning the circumstances of death. The presence of a ligature mark on the face is an unusual and rarely reported phenomenon that can have serious medico-legal implications.