Homicides with marginal injuries, a case series in Zambia

Homicides are usually apparent before an autopsy is conducted in the majority of cases. However, those that reveal minimal injuries pose a challenge in the determination of the cause of death. Occasionally, pathologists are faced with cases where the history and circumstances surrounding the death indicate violence, while autopsy findings show marginal or no trauma. We report five cases composed of three males and two females with ages ranging from late teens to the late eighties. All the male cases were autopsied after a long burial period after being killed on suspicion of witchcraft and theft. The females were autopsied a few days after been discovered in hostile environments. The autopsy findings in all the cases showed marginal or no injuries and did not elucidate a specific mechanism of death. The cause of death opinion was determined as homicidal violence in all the cases. Homicidal violence is a descriptive cause of death based on the history and totality of the circumstances surrounding the death. In conclusion, the cause of death opinion “homicidal violence” has a place in medicolegal death investigations.