Death by greyhound.

Abstract

We present the case of a man who was last seen leaving to feed his greyhound dogs. He was found dead lying in a yard just outside the gate to one of the dog pens. Holes were present in the fence on both sides of the gate. The holes were of sufficient size to allow the passage of the head and neck of a greyhound to the shoulders. To open the gate one had to bend down to unfasten a latch 45 cm above ground level. Leaning down to unfasten the latch brought one into close proximity to the holes on either side of the gate. The scene and clothing appeared undisturbed. Autopsy (K.A.L.) revealed the cause of death to be blunt throat trauma. The throat trauma was of marked degree and consistent with at least a single heavy crushing injury directed from the front and somewhat below. In addition there were a series of almost vertical light abrasions on one side of the neck. There were minimal injuries to the rest of the body. There were no injuries specific for assault. In an attempt to explain the almost vertical abrasions on the side of the neck, the scene was re-examined by the pathologist. This revealed loose wire strands on the gate post. It is consistent that a fall against this area could account for the almost vertical abrasions on one side of the neck.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)