Decapitation and Dismemberment of the Corpse: A Matricide Case

• NCJ Number: 230739
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 55 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2010 Pages: 542-545
• Author(s): Kamil Hakan Dogan, M.D.; Serafettin Demirci, M.D.; Idris Deniz, M.D.; Zerrin Erkol, M.D.
• Date Published: March 2010
• Length: 4 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Case Study
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Presented at the 1st International Eurasian Congress of Forensic Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey, October 8–11, 2008.

Annotation

Dismemberment of a corpse has always been viewed by society to be a more hideous crime than the homicide itself. This paper presents a case of a 57-year-old woman who was decapitated and her right arm and both hands were dismembered.

Abstract

It was determined that the victim was murdered and dismembered by her 33-year-old daughter, who had been receiving treatment for schizophrenia for 15 years. On the victim's head and back there were 71 incised and stab wounds in total. They were superficial, except the five stab wounds which were connected to the right chest cavity and which incapacitated the victim. Although there is not a regulation for the act of dismembering the corpse in the Turkish Penal Code, since this type of case is rare, the crime scene and the autopsy findings were evaluated together with other pertinent data available in the literature. Figures and references (Published Abstract)