Considerations arising from a case of cannibalism: A forensic autopsy report
Cannibalism represents an individual of a species eating another of the same species and is a widely recognized phenomenon in many species. Issues surrounding the existence of human cannibalism have long been debated and motivations for consuming human tissue have been divided into three types: ritu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Forensic Science International: Reports |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665910724000525 |
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| author | Naoto Tani Tomomi Michiue Aya Matsusue Takaki Ishikawa |
| author_facet | Naoto Tani Tomomi Michiue Aya Matsusue Takaki Ishikawa |
| author_sort | Naoto Tani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cannibalism represents an individual of a species eating another of the same species and is a widely recognized phenomenon in many species. Issues surrounding the existence of human cannibalism have long been debated and motivations for consuming human tissue have been divided into three types: ritual, survival, and pathological. Individuals who engage in such practices are usually either severely mentally ill or suffering from a significant paraphilia. In the present case, an autopsy was performed on a victim of cannibalism in her 20 s. The suspected male perpetrator had been found dead at the same time, and autopsy revealed parts of the victim’s breast and tongue in the stomach of the suspect. DNA analysis of stomach contents confirmed that they belonged to the female victim. The present case involved a murder targeting a woman, and the female genitalia were cut off and partially eaten, suggesting pathological cannibalism. In addition to significant paraphilia, the male suspect in this case may have also had psychological aspects such as identification. When encountering such murders, cannibalism may need to be considered, particularly if parts of the victim’s body are missing. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3b8d7b27422e4da3b331cc6f95a7fdef |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2665-9107 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forensic Science International: Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-3b8d7b27422e4da3b331cc6f95a7fdef2025-01-09T06:14:35ZengElsevierForensic Science International: Reports2665-91072025-07-0111100403Considerations arising from a case of cannibalism: A forensic autopsy reportNaoto Tani0Tomomi Michiue1Aya Matsusue2Takaki Ishikawa3Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, Asahi-machi 1-4-3, Abeno, Osaka 545-8585, JapanDepartment of Forensic Medicine, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1194, JapanDepartment of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, JapanDepartment of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, Asahi-machi 1-4-3, Abeno, Osaka 545-8585, Japan; Corresponding author.Cannibalism represents an individual of a species eating another of the same species and is a widely recognized phenomenon in many species. Issues surrounding the existence of human cannibalism have long been debated and motivations for consuming human tissue have been divided into three types: ritual, survival, and pathological. Individuals who engage in such practices are usually either severely mentally ill or suffering from a significant paraphilia. In the present case, an autopsy was performed on a victim of cannibalism in her 20 s. The suspected male perpetrator had been found dead at the same time, and autopsy revealed parts of the victim’s breast and tongue in the stomach of the suspect. DNA analysis of stomach contents confirmed that they belonged to the female victim. The present case involved a murder targeting a woman, and the female genitalia were cut off and partially eaten, suggesting pathological cannibalism. In addition to significant paraphilia, the male suspect in this case may have also had psychological aspects such as identification. When encountering such murders, cannibalism may need to be considered, particularly if parts of the victim’s body are missing.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665910724000525CannibalismSex-related crimesHistologyDNA analysisForensic |
| spellingShingle | Naoto Tani Tomomi Michiue Aya Matsusue Takaki Ishikawa Considerations arising from a case of cannibalism: A forensic autopsy report Forensic Science International: Reports Cannibalism Sex-related crimes Histology DNA analysis Forensic |
| title | Considerations arising from a case of cannibalism: A forensic autopsy report |
| title_full | Considerations arising from a case of cannibalism: A forensic autopsy report |
| title_fullStr | Considerations arising from a case of cannibalism: A forensic autopsy report |
| title_full_unstemmed | Considerations arising from a case of cannibalism: A forensic autopsy report |
| title_short | Considerations arising from a case of cannibalism: A forensic autopsy report |
| title_sort | considerations arising from a case of cannibalism a forensic autopsy report |
| topic | Cannibalism Sex-related crimes Histology DNA analysis Forensic |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665910724000525 |
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