Asphyxial deaths: staged hanging after death: practice question

A Forensic Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Forensic Medicine · Asphyxial deaths: staged hanging after death

Sample item

A body is found hanging by a rope. Post-mortem lividity is fixed over the back, buttocks and calves, the ligature mark is pale with no ecchymosis or other vital reaction at its edges, and the lower limbs show no lividity. What is the most likely conclusion?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. The person was dead and lying supine before being suspended

In a true suspension hanging lividity settles in the lower legs, feet, hands and forearms. Fixed lividity on the back with a pale, non-reactive ligature mark indicates that the body lay supine for hours after death and was hanged afterwards to simulate suicide. The scene and injuries then need investigation as a possible homicide.

Option by option

  • A. Livor mortis moved due to gravity after cut-down

    Fixed lividity does not shift after cut-down, and this pattern means earlier supine posture.

  • B. The hanging lasted several hours and was ante-mortem

    Prolonged ante-mortem hanging would show lividity in the legs and a vital ligature mark.

  • C. The person was dead and lying supine before being suspended (correct)

    Correct. The pattern of lividity does not fit the position in which the body was found.

  • D. The person died of suspension hanging within minutes

    Suspension hanging produces lividity in the dependent lower limbs, not the back.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is C, The person was dead and lying supine before being suspended. In a true suspension hanging lividity settles in the lower legs, feet, hands and forearms.

Why is "Livor mortis moved due to gravity after cut-down" not the answer?

Fixed lividity does not shift after cut-down, and this pattern means earlier supine posture.

Why is "The hanging lasted several hours and was ante-mortem" not the answer?

Prolonged ante-mortem hanging would show lividity in the legs and a vital ligature mark.

Why is "The person died of suspension hanging within minutes" not the answer?

Suspension hanging produces lividity in the dependent lower limbs, not the back.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Asphyxial deaths: staged hanging after death in Forensic Medicine. Fixed lividity on the back with a pale, non-reactive ligature mark indicates that the body lay supine for hours after death and was hanged afterwards to simulate suicide. The scene and injuries then need investigation as a possible homicide.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Asphyxial deaths: staged hanging after death?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.