ACCIDENTAL DEATH CAUSED BY BONDAGE
ACCIDENTAL DEATH BY SELF-BONDAGE
Autoerotic Fatalities (AEFs) are unintentional deaths
caused by solo sexual gratification activities.
Most written material about AEFs focuses on noose-based
autoerotic asphyxiation. However, many deaths are actually
due to complications arising from physical restraint
(self-bondage).
Any person who engages in solo physical restraint should
be fully aware of the risks involved.
If a person decides to engage in self-bondage in spite of
the risks, they should prepare a current legal will, in
case of accidental death.
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REPORTED AEF CASES INVOLVING SELF-BONDAGE
Some restraint materials can be dangerous
Date: 1931
Age: 37
Gender: M
Cause of death: Bled to death
Shop assistant found dead in his bed. Lying under the covers,
gagged with handkerchiefs, head tightly wrapped in a towel.
Legs tied with towels, hands tied up behind his back. He
was clutching a nail-scissors in his left hand to free himself,
but the arteries were cut up by the tight laces around the
wrists, and he bled to death.
Source: Schackwitz
Don't drink and die
Gender: M
Cause of death: Compression
Victim winched himself up off the ground by a rope wrapped
around his abdomen. High blood alcohol content probably
contributed to his inability to release the winch. Pressure
continued unabated on his abdomen until breathing became
impossible.
Sources: R.R. Hazelwood, et al., Autoerotic Fatalities,
Lexington Books, 1983, Lexington, MA. / J Forensic Sci
1984 Apr;29(2)679-84. "An unusual autoerotic death
asphyxia with an abdominal ligature." Thibault
R, Spencer JD, Bishop JW, Hibler NS.
Bound hands prevent control of personal safety
Gender: M
Cause of death: Compression/asphyxiation
Yale graduate constructed an airtight vinyl bag that he
zippered himself into. He bound his hands behind his back
with a short length of chain. Penis was wrapped with a saran-wrap/
rubber-band condom. Found dead of asphyxiation.
Source: Sean Gabb
Having a knife doesn't always mean escape
Gender: M
Location: New Orleans
Cause of death: Asphyxiation
Victim enclosed his body into plastic with an airway out
of his "cocoon" in the form of a snorkel tube.
He was engaged in masturbation when he apparently lost
his mouth piece or airway. He attempted to use a knife to
cut himself out, but did not succeed in time.
Source: Am J Forensic Med Pathol 1985 Jun;6(2)151-2. "Wrapped
to death. Unusual autoerotic death." Minyard F.
Even without bondage, a gag's effects can sneak up
on you
Gender: F
Age: 30
Cause of death: Choked on gag
Found dead in her locked apartment. Nude and lying supine
on a blanket on the bedroom floor. A pillow beneath her buttocks
elevated them. (Many women use pillows as masturbation
tools.) Legs were slightly spread, arms by her sides. Blouse
lodged in her mouth and covered her face. Next to body was
a dental plate belonging to the victim. Near left foot:
empty beer can, an ashtray, and a drinking glass. Neither
the body nor the scene exhibited signs of a struggle. Victim's
clothes and purse containing her keys were on bed. Vibrator
and leather bondage materials were found in her closet.
Door was locked with a spring bolt. The autopsy report indicated
that she had choked to death.
Source: Hazelwood, Burgess, and Dietz
Elaborate scenarios lead to unanticipated complications
Date: 1973
Age: 40
Gender: M
Cause of death: Compression/asphyxiation
Airplane pilot drove his Volkswagen to a secluded, roughly
circular, flat clearing, He removed his clothes and put
on a self-manufactured harness, which connected him via
a ten-foot length of chain to the car's rear bumper.
He tied a belt to the steering wheel and strapped it down
so that the wheel was completely counter-clockwise. He
started the engine and placed it in first gear, so that the
car circled the clearing slowly with him being led walking
behind. He had performed this ritual previously. On this
final occasion, however, when he approached the car to
end the scene, the chain began winding around the left rear
axle; he was pulled in toward the left wheel area, and died
of compression against the car.
Source: J.C. Rupp, "The Love Bug, " Journal
of Forensic Sciences, vol. 18, 1973. pp. 259-262.
"Escape mechanisms" can fail
Gender: M
Cause of death: Compression/asphyxiation
Victim was in a garbage can. He'd intended to use a roll
of chicken wire as an escape mechanism. The mechanism failed
and the man died of compression. (In chest compression,
the movement of the ribcage is restricted or the diaphragm
movement is cut off.)
Source: R.R. Hazelwood, et al., Autoerotic Fatalities,
Lexington Books, 1983, Lexington, MA.
Automated suspension with unexpected error
Age: 62
Gender: M
Cause of death: Compression/asphyxiation
Found dead in his barn, pinned under the hydraulic front
scoop of a John Deere tractor. A neighbor found him lying
prone on the ground with the scoop of the tractor on his back.
The tractor engine was no longer running, but the ignition
was still in the on position. Victim nude except for a pair
of red women's shoes with eight-inch heels and knee-high
nylons. Duct tape was wrapped around ankles. Ankles were
bound to a four-foot-long segment of pipe such that legs
were spread. A yoke was attached to the center of the pipe,
which was attached to the front loader bucket by a chain.
Two ropes led from the victim to the tractor's control
lever for raising and tilting the bucket. Fully raising
the hydraulic bucket would have caused complete suspension
of his inverted body by the ankles. He died when accidentally
pinned to the ground under the shovel after intentionally
suspending himself.
Source: J Forensic Sci 1993 Mar;38(2)359-64. "Autoerotic
fatalities with power hydraulics." O'Halloran
RL, Dietz PE. Ventura County Medical Examiner Office,
CA.
Complete explanation not yet found
Gender: M
Date: 1988
Cause of death: Asphyxiation
Victim found lying on side in semi-fetal position. Right
wrist bound behind, in small of back. Left wrist handcuffed
in front at crotch level. Legs bent up at knees. Ropes, straps,
belts, rings combined for restraints. Undressed but wearing
women's shoes.
Source: Wetli, Mittleman, Rau. Practical Forensic Pathology.
Scenarios and activities become more elaborate over time
- more experience leads to greater danger of death, not
less danger
Gender: M
Age: 26
Victim died while suspended by leather wrist restraints
from a hook in the ceiling. Was wearing a commercially produced
'discipline mask' and a had a bit in his mouth.
A length of rope was attached to each end of the bit and ran
over his shoulders, going through an eyelet at the back
of a specially designed belt he was wearing. The pieces
of rope ran to eyelets on both sides of his body and were connected
to wooden dowels that extended the length of his legs. The
ropes were attached to two plastic water bottles, one on
each ankle. The bottles were filled with water and each
weighed 7 pounds. The victim's ankles had leather
restraints about them. A clothespin was affixed to each
of the victim's nipples. The victim's belt had
a leather device that ran between his buttocks and was attached
to the rear in front of his belt. This belt device included
a dildo that was inserted in his anus and an aperture through
which his penis protruded. His penis was encased in a piece
of pantyhose and a toilet-paper cylinder. A small red ribbon
was tied in a bow at the base of his penis.
Source: Hazelwood, Burgess, & Dietz
Handcuffs prevent self-rescue
Gender: M
Date: July 10, 2000
Location: Bossier City, LA
Cause of death: Asphyxiation/Strangulation
Man in women's clothes found hanging from a tree, gagged
and handcuffed in Louisiana. Was wearing women's
clothing. Police said the death was "accidental
and sexual in nature." Feet may have slipped while
enacting hanging fantasy. Victim was Christopher Jones
(caucasian, not black as erroneously reported by some).
Source: SF Gate News (Mike Halphen, Bossier City police)
The next two cases describe pseudo-hogties position where
the ankles are leashed toward the neck. The victims believed
the neck pressure would be minimal and controllable. Even
though their hands were free, they did not survive.
Gender: M
Date: 1968
Cause of death: Asphyxiation
Pseudo-hogtie position where rope was tied to one ankle,
leashed up over one shoulder, round front of neck, back
over other shoulder and tied back to the other ankle. Hands
were free but reduced air intake accidentally led to permanent
loss of consciousness. Victim was naked.
Source: T. Watanabe. Atlas of Legal Medicine
Gender: F
Age: 22
Cause of death: Asphyxiation (hair got tangled in the rope)
Victim discovered dead by her sister, who had been staying
with the victim temporarily. The sister had been away for
two days and returned on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. She went directly
to her bedroom and did not discover the victim until the
following morning. The deceased was found with her abdomen,
thighs and forearms resting on the floor. Her feet were
pulled back toward her head. Her body was in an arched position
with an electrical cord attached to her neck by a slip knot,
passing over a doorknob, and wrapped around her ankles.
Her hair was entangled in the slip knot. She was clothed
in a sleepshirt. Commercial lubrication cream was found
in the victim's vagina, and a battery-operated vibrator
was found 4 feet from her body. The only trauma was a 1 1/2-inch
contusion above and behind her right ear. The cause of death
was determined to be asphyxia due to laryngeal compression.
Source: Hazelwood, Burgess, and Dietz
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FEMALE DEATHS
Female AEFs are rarely correctly identified or reported.
A review of eight fatal cases and one near-fatal case was
conducted to determine more clearly the characteristics
of AEFs by women.
Six of the fatal cases had objective evidence of sexual
activity, three had used neck padding to prevent chafing,
and eight had failed self-rescue mechanisms.
The majority of women did not use unusual clothing, props,
or devices to augment their activity. (These details distinguish
females from males; male deaths frequently include presence
of crossdressing, sexual props and devices -- these details
are not typical in female AEFs.) Five of the women were naked.
One was found with elaborate clothing and extra ligatures.
Two fatal cases were atypical in that the apparatus that
was used for sexual purposes was not intended to cause asphyxia
in one case and did not directly cause asphyxial death in
the second case.
Six cases involved characteristic fatal autoerotic asphyxial
activity. The final case was not fatal.
Source: Am J Forensic Med Pathol 1993 Mar;14(1)70-3. "Fatal
and near-fatal autoerotic asphyxial episodes in women."
Byard RW, Hucker SJ, Hazelwood RR. Department of Histopathology,
Adelaide Children's Hospital, Australia.
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SEXUAL ACTIVITY IS NOT ALWAYS THE MOTIVE
Sometimes, a person intends to be bound for other reasons,
not understanding the possible dangers.
How a gag can suddenly change everything
Date: October 30, 1998
Gender: F
Age: 46
Location: Brixworth, Northamptonshire
Cause of death: Choked on vomit
Kathleen Yeoman, divorced mother of two, staged a fake
burglary to win back the affection of former lover/neighbor
Paul Cockerhill. She ransacked her house, tipping out
drawers and throwing jewelry on her bed. She piled electrical
goods in the front room, taped her mouth, put a plastic bag
over her head and tied her hands together. Leaving her front
door open, she went and lay across Paul's front doorstep.
As she waited for his return from a pub, she vomited and,
unable to remove the tape from her mouth as her hands were
shackled with self-tightening plastic ties, she choked
to death. Police at first treated the death as suspicious,
but they reviewed the case when they found that nothing
had been taken and she still had money in her handbag.
Source: Times, Daily Telegraph 7/1/99.
Just because you decide to be a captive doesn't mean
you will be able to retain control
(Not self-bondage, but notable for cause of death)
Gender: F
Age: 22
Location: Valparaiso, Indiana
Date: September 2000
Cause of death: Hypothermia
Burger King night manager Lisa Goetz conspired with day
manager Lori Thomas to steal over $4000 from the restaurant.
They staged a fake robbery. Lisa was bound with duct tape
and placed in a walk-in cooler. Lori started a small fire
in a wastebasket and left with a duffel bag of cash. They
envisioned a quick rescue of Lisa by the local fire department.
Instead the fire smoldered without erupting until the
morning shift arrived. Lisa was found in the freezer, chilled
and semi-conscious, and was rushed to a hospital where
she later died from hypothermia. Police later recovered
the cash from Lori's home, at which time she confessed.
Source: APB News and others
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STATISTICS
The authors of a published study of 150 cases of autoerotic
asphyxiation estimated that 500 to 1, 000 autoerotic
deaths occur annually in the United States.
One Canadian researcher studied 117 males aged 10-56 who
had died accidentally during autoerotic asphyxial activities.
Message from a visitor to this site:
I'm writing to thank you for the information you compiled
about self-bondage. A few years back I used to fit the description
in one of the stories on your self-bondage page: "Scenarios
and activities become more elaborate over time - more experience
leads to greater danger of death, not less danger".
There's a good chance I might not be alive today if I
hadn't come across your page. I found it while searching
the web for ideas to make my solo scenes more elaborate.
I have to admit that sometimes the craving for bondage gets
very strong and I still indulge in a little self-bondage
now and then. But I don't do it as frequently, and my
scenes are much simpler now, because of the dangers your
page taught me about.
So thank you again. You may have saved my life.
~(anonymous)
4/25/03
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