Scuba Diver With a Knife in his Chest: Homicide or Suicide?

This article reports the case of a scuba diver found dead at the bottom of an undersea cave with a knife protruding from his chest. Autopsy confirmed death due to both drowning & a penetrating knife wound. The incident was first considered a homicide, but careful forensic analysis of the profile of the diver’s last dive & related evidence showed that the case was a suicide, which the diver most probably committed while running out of air, in an attempt to avoid the agony of drowning. (11 refs)