Homicide in the bathtub

Retrospective analysis of the deaths investigated in the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the University of Cologne (1980-1993) revealed 215 fatalities in the bathtub comprising 11 homicides. In six cases mouth and nose were found beneath the surface of the water, and signs of drowning were encountered in four cases. In two cases drowning was the cause of death, the remaining fatalities being due to strangulation or sharp violence. Four corpses had merely been deposited in the bathtub, four homicides were committed in the bath, and three victims were put into the bathtub to control or ensure the occurrence of death. Two homicides were not recognized before autopsy. The particular difficulties of establishing the diagnosis of strangulation under the conditions of water-logging are discussed.