HOMICIDE IN THE BATHTUB

Retrospective analysis of the deaths investigated in the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the University of Cologne (1980-1993) revealed 21 5 fatalities in the bathtub comprising 11 homicides. In six cases mout h and nose were found beneath the surface of the water, and signs of d rowning were encountered in four cases. In two cases drowning was the cause of death, the remaining fatalities being due to strangulation or sharp violence. Four corpses had merely been deposited in the bathtub , four homicides were committed in the bath, and three victims were pu t into the bathtub to control or ensure the occurrence of death. Two h omicides were not recognized before autopsy. The particular difficulti es of establishing the diagnosis of strangulation under the conditions of water-logging are discussed.