Self-inflicted hanging with bound wrists and a gag

This is a report of an unusual suicidal hanging by a 30-year-old male. He was found in his bedroom by friends, suspended from a ceiling light fixture by an electrical cord around his neck. His hands were bound behind his back and a sock gag was in his mouth. A paperback book was lying on the bed headboard. The book contained a detailed but totally inaccurate description of a fantasized hanging which may have contributed to the unusual binding and gagging. Homicide and autoerotic accident had to be considered. A series of suicide notes, however, simplified the case.