A fatal case by a suicide kit containing sodium nitrite ordered on the internet

Fatal sodium nitrite poisonings are rare in the forensic context. The present work describes a first fatal case of sodium nitrite contained in a suicide kit that the victim acquired over the internet. The results of the autopsy showed general signs of asphyxia, such as intense cyanosis of the extrem...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of forensic and legal medicine Vol. 73; p. 101989
Main Authors Durão, Carlos, Pedrosa, Frederico, Dinis-Oliveira, Ricardo Jorge
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2020
Subjects
Adult
Chromatography, Gas
Chromatography, Liquid
Citalopram - analogs & derivatives
Citalopram - blood
Commerce
Crime scene
Food Preservatives - poisoning
Gastrointestinal Contents
Humans
Internet
Male
Mass Spectrometry
Nitrites - analysis
Pathology
Poisoning
Sodium nitrite
Sodium Nitrite - poisoning
Suicide
Suicide kit
Suicide, Completed
Trazodone - blood
Suicide kit
Poisoning
Crime scene
Sodium nitrite
Suicide
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Summary:Fatal sodium nitrite poisonings are rare in the forensic context. The present work describes a first fatal case of sodium nitrite contained in a suicide kit that the victim acquired over the internet. The results of the autopsy showed general signs of asphyxia, such as intense cyanosis of the extremities, brown-gray-blue-red livor mortis, and some Tardieu petechiae in addition to intense visceral congestion. It is clear that forensic experts must be aware of the proliferation of this market and the risks of improper selling of these substances through suicide support networks available on the internet. The lack of knowledge of this reality may become unidentifiable, when toxicological analysis contemplates only the most classical and frequent substances involved in poisoning and reinforce the importance of a careful analysis of the death scene. •Fatal sodium nitrite poisonings are rare in the forensic context.•The first fatal case of sodium nitrite contained in a “suicide kit” is presented.•General signs of asphyxia, brown-gray-bue-red livor mortis and visceral congestion, were observed.•This case highlights the importance of preventing and fighting existing suicide support networks over the internet.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Case Study-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-4
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ObjectType-Report-1
ObjectType-Article-3
ISSN:1752-928X
1878-7487
1878-7487
DOI:10.1016/j.jflm.2020.101989