A fatal case of self-inflicted abdominal stab wound

Abstract

In general, suicide by stab wound is rare especially among females and often challenges the medico-legal acumen of an autopsy  surgeon while deciding the manner of death. In this report, we present a case of a 46 year old woman found dead in her home with a  single abdominal stab wound. No other injury including hesitation wounds was found during autopsy. History given by the relatives  revealed that she was mentally unstable and was suffering from a chronic illness. The death was labeled a suicide based on the  findings observed during autopsy along with those found at the crime scene and the personal history of the victim.