Extended suicide by use of a chain saw.

Injuries caused by chain saws are mostly seen due to accidents. Suicides by chain saws are rare, but some cases have already been described. We present the case of homicide on a child by a chain saw followed by the suicide of his father. For the homicide and the suicide chain saws of different sizes were used. Fatal injuries in the homicide and suicide were located on the neck. Cause of death in both cases was fatal haemorrhage with blood aspiration respectively decapitation. Normally, in suicide by use of chain saws individuals suffering from schizophrenia, major depression and alcohol or drug dependence are concerned. In the presented case, the background was a litigation of a divorced couple for child custody.