Background: Amongst all the mechanical asphyxial deaths “compression of neck” forms the biggest chunk of the pie. In deaths due to compression of neck, faint ligature mark or absence of ligature mark poses limitations in arriving at conclusion of mechanical asphyxia due to compression of neck. Further limitation is posed in cases of decomposed bodies where the ligature mark may not be obviously appreciable. Material & Method: A retrospective analysis of deaths due to mechanical asphyxia by compression of neck was conducted at the department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, JSS Medical College, Mysore, Karnataka, India. A total of 40 cases, subjected to forensic autopsy formed the cohort of study. The details were retrieved from the autopsy reports including histopathology, done from January 2005 to December 2010. Gross and microscopic findings of the compression marks were analyzed. Result: The ligature mark was completely encircling the neck in 50% of cases. Microscopic findings were remarkable with varying degrees of vital reactions. Thinning of epidermis, crowding and compression of keratinocytes were seen in 67.5% of the cases which were the most consistent microscopic features. The importance of microscopic analysis for timing such injuries as to antemortem or postmortem is discussed with a forensic viewpoint. Conclusion: It is a useful tool in faint ligature mark and in putrefied bodies to arrive at the cause and manner of death.

Keywords: Forensic autopsy, compression of neck, mechanical asphyxia, histopathology.