WARNING: FORENSIC PATHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTIONS AND REFERANCES MAY BE UPSETTING.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS ASSESSMENT IS TO CHALLENGE THE OFFICAL RULING OF DEATH BY SUICIDE, CONCLUDED BY ASSISTANT MEDICAL EXAMINER THEODORE BROWN M.D.. THE INCONSISTANT DETAILS IN THE WAKE OF CHRIS CORNELL'S ABRUPT DEATH, IN ADDITION TO THE RULING AND THE NARRATIVE THAT FOLLOWED, ARE GREATLY MISLEADING.
THIS ASSESSMENT CONCLUDES TO THE CONTRARY FROM THE INFORMATION PRESENTED TO THE PUBLIC, MEDICAL DOCUMENTION AND REASONABLE CIRCUMSTANCES. THE ODDITIES IN THE CASE AND THE FORENSICS THOROUGHLY NEEDED TO BE EXAMINED.
CHRIS'S NAME AND HIS MUSICAL LEGACY SHOULD NOT CONTINUE TO BE TARNISHED.
ALL UNJUST DEATHS ARE TRAGIC, AND IT WAS WITH THIS TRAGEDY THAT THE LIKELY TRUTH MUST BE EXPLICITLY PRESENTED, TO BRING LIGHT TOWARDS A SLIVER OF JUSTICE FOR ANY DEATH OR ANY OTHER EVENT THAT AROUSES QUESTIONS, CONCERNS AND DOUBTS. THIS CONTRIBUTION OF ANALYSIS ADDITIONALLY IS INTENDED TO INSPIRE ANYONE TO ASSESS ALL INFORMATION GIVEN, AND NOT FALL PREY TO APPEALS TO AUTHORITY, POPULARITY, CENSORSHIP, FALL VICTIM TO AND PERPETUATE MISCONCEPTIONS.
A thorough review of this two part breakdown would be greatly appreciated. Feedback is welcome from all in regards to the analysis and conclusions presented here, especially feedback from professionals and students of forensic pathology, criminology and medical personnel.
Anonymity will be respected.
Dec, 12th/18. (REVISED Sept/2022)
". . . Information Shared with the Public *Full reports and images for personal review.
Assistant Medical Examiner Theodore Brown M.D. was the only medical doctor to conduct Chris Cornell's autopsy on Thursday, May 18th/17 in Wayne County, Detroit. Brown rules the manner of death a suicide by hanging. The findings on the body, in addition to the ". . . .investigative report and the police report. . . " according to Brown, (the reports contradictory to each other analyzed later in this post) are stated to be evident of a hanging.
However, within the medical literature cited and compared to Chris's post-mortem report, the physical evidence presented through forensic pathology contradicts the official ruling of death.
In strong likelihood, the autopsy conducted on Chris was botched.
Wayne County morgue’s reported financial issues and its understaffed facilities may have been behind the lack of a proper, thorough examination.
Additionally, the Michigan Office of the Auditor General ". . . investigated mistakes and mismanagement at the morgue from Oct. 1, 2019, through April 30, 2022. The audit cites 50 findings and 30 recommendations." - Investigation finds a wide range of serious mistakes, mismanagement at Wayne County Morgue.
This could also be the case with the Detroit Police Department.
HEAD INJURY.
The head trauma mentioned by a medic (first responder) via the Detroit Police scanner (audio presented in part 2)". . . trauma to the back of the head.. . . , the DMCare patient care report (pictured below) and MEO (Medical Examiner's Office) Investigator Angela Anderson-Cobb’s comments (Case Registration Summary: page 2 of 3) of “Stains of suspected blood are present on his face and on the floor next to and beneath his head” while Chris lay deceased in the bedroom, to the images and video footage (presented in this post) of Chris on Soundgarden's final performance are irrefutable.
With absolute certainty, the medical examiner intentionally omitted Chris's head injury from the post-mortem report.
It’s highly unlikely that a head injury noted twice and strongly implied once with, “Stains of suspected blood are present on his face and on the floor next to and beneath his head”
(Angela Anderson-Cobb) would be a simple mistake by three different medical professionals.
Generally, all minor injuries on a decedent should be noted in an autopsy report.
Assistant Medical Examiner Theodore Brown M.D., indeed, had mentioned the following minor injuries on Chris:
Post-Mortem Report Page 2 of 5, Under External Examination:
-"The medial (middle) aspect of the right thumb had a 1 x 0.7 centimeter red ulcer.
(ULCER - . . . are caused by a multitude of different factors, from trauma, lack of circulation, or long-term pressure.)
If Chris supposedly died in the manner of a partial suspension, he would not have developed a skin ulcer precisely in the middle on his thumb.
The red ulcer noted on Chris's right thumb was not present during his final performance.
Evident in the photo below.
With the disruption of blood flow the primary cause of a skin ulcer, reveals a strong likelihood Chris was in a physical altercation, as well as the strong indication the position of Chris's body opposed to a "hanging" that ultimately lead to his death. *Analyzed in part 2.
Fox Theatre (Detroit, Michigan) May, 17th/17.
- '"The left knee had multiple, up to 2 centimeters, scars.
-" The anterior aspect of the left leg had two, 3.5 x 3 centimeters, each ecchymoses. (Ecchymosis can be caused by a traumatic incident, such as being hit with an object or falling on a hard surface.)
The ecchymosis (bruise) additionally supports the strong likelihood of a physical altercation, specifically, strong impact on a hard surface in room 1136. (MGM Grand Hotel)
*Analyzed in part 2.
Post-Mortem Report Page 2 of 5, Under Evidence of Treatment:
". . . The skin under the adhesive tape had a red-purple discoloration. the mid aspect of the lower lip had a focal, tan abrasion.
". . . The left antecubital fossa had four, 0.1 centimeter to 0.2 centimeter, needle puncture wounds.
In conclusion, there's seemingly no possibility the medical examiner failed to notice,
" trauma to the back of the head."
What has been noted, with particular circumstances considered, indicate Chris's life ended violently.
HEAD INJURY: DMCARE EXPRESS.
*NOTE* The person who provided the DMCare report in an upload to their video, linked below as "Vicky", answered where the document was obtained when personally asked. My username "cielgris4441" among the comments. I also inquired who exactly gave the uploader permission to share the patient care report, from what the uploader states in the title of their video:
"btw. . i have permission to put this out there."
Upon further inquiry via Twitter, the person told me "his wife shared".
Their video is the prime source of the DMCare report that Vicky provided.
This is how the partial medical document was personally obtained.*
The partial DMCare Express patient care report was provided by Vicky, shared with the person mentioned above, and uploaded to their channel a month after (June, 18th/2018)
The Detroit News article published May,15th/18. of Vicky publicly mentioning for the first time that very DMCare report.
Nearing the one year anniversary of Chris's passing, Vicky mentions even further (from initially acknowledging Chris's head injury on March, 3rd/18 and after her interview with Dr. Oz) transcribed by Alternative Nation on April, 13th 2018 CHRIS CORNELL’S WIDOW REVEALS WHAT SHE ASKED SOUNDGARDEN ABOUT FINAL SHOW:
“He did not have control of his faculties due to toxicology, perhaps even exacerbated by other factors, including a head injury, which was referenced in two EMS reports that were left out of the autopsy report.”An emergency technician is heard on medical dispatch audio referencing a gash in Chris Cornell’s head. Also, a written report by the crew from DMCare Express, the ambulance company owned by the Detroit Medical Center, stated: “Laceration to back of skull. Minor bleeding noted upon crew arrival.”Nothing in the autopsy report reflects a head wound.“You can clearly see a gash or at least a visible big bald spot in pictures and video footage. It was confirmed by the band and crew — they said they saw it at the show and not at sound check,” Vicky Cornell said. “You can’t tell people there was no laceration when it’s documented, and we can all see it.”Vicky Cornell said she believes the wound happened after sound check because she said his bandmates didn’t notice anything wrong before then.
Chris's large patch of hair missing, his scalp dotted with blood, is clearly shown in images and footage from Soundgarden's last show. Additionally, Chris's missing patch of hair was never mentioned by the news, his bandmates, Vicky or anyone close to him within the year he had died.
"Your scalp can bleed profusely from even a minor cut. Many tiny arteries and veins serve the individual muscles and skin on your head. Some of these blood vessels lie deep within your skull, while other superficial arteries and veins are quite close to the surface of your skin.“The scalp is very thick skin, and because of it’s extensive blood supply even small lacerations to the head can lead to very large amounts of bleeding," says Troy Madsen, MD, an emergency physician at the University of Utah Hospital - WHY DO HEAD INJURIES BLEED SO MUCH?
Fox Theatre (Detroit, Michigan) May, 17th/17.
VideoGremmie (VideoGremmie's account is no longer available)
Observing closely, the hair appeared to be pulled out; likely in a violent manner before the concert.
Full Video: Fox Theatre (Detroit, Michigan) May, 17th/17.
It's known Chris had flew to New York and spent time with his family after Soundgarden's second to last show (The Starlight Theater in Kansas City, MO) for Mothers' Day May,14th/17, where he did not display a large patch of hair missing from the back of his head.
Soundgarden's second to last show: The Starlight Theater in Kansas City, MO May,14th/17.
HEAD INJURY: THE UNNECESSARY DEBATE.
The following event that blew up the "head wound debate" began in March/2018.
The conversation personally witnessed in real time.
Prior to the exchange, Vicky, the news, nor anyone else mentioned Chris's head injury.
Renee S. DeCamillis, a friend of mine, writer and a musician spoke with Vicky via Twitter in this exchange; Renee replied to Vicky's post on March, 1st/2018:
Vicky replied back on March, 3rd/2018 with, "Yes it could have and most certainly exacerbated all the symptoms."
A month later, Alternative Nation covers Vicky's interview she had with Dr. Oz on
April,13th 2018: CHRIS CORNELL’S WIDOW REVEALS WHAT SHE ASKED SOUNDGARDEN ABOUT FINAL SHOW She mentioned Chris's "weird bald spot" for the first time publicly and that she "didn't know about that."
The interview afterwards sparked additional articles published by Alternative Nation, mentioning Chris's head injury but dismissed the wound as nothing more than a myth;
rather a "bald spot."
After the Detroit News (published May, 15th/18) covered Vicky's (sudden and supposed) concern over a "botched investigation," Alternative Nation published
Chris Cornell Laceration Injury Detailed By Family: ‘You Can See A Gash’ May,17th/18 and shows images of Chris supposedly "losing" hair nearly a decade ago. but in actuality,
are not of natural balding.
The screenshot of Chris Alternative Nation presented ('You Can See A Gash') from an interview by 1019rxp (2007/2008) is not a bald spot.
The second to last image, also in the article, is not a bald spot but a part in the hair.
It's not even at the back of Chris's head!
The last image? A cowlick.
The debate over Chris's head injury was personally frustrating.
Alternative Nation's article Chris Cornell Head Trauma Theory Explored On Autopsy Special (Aug, 7th/18) claim the head injury as merely a theory. Additionally, statements from
Dr. Michael Hunter, explored in Your Logical Fallacy. . . , are also misleading.
The images of Chris within the article, on his final night alive, were shot in high definition: AVCHD mode using a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 using “P” mode in ISO 3200 exposure and 1/60 min shutter speed.
That's hardly poor lighting!
VideoGremmie (VideoGremmie's account is no longer available)
In the article, Chris Cornell Head Trauma Theory Explored On Autopsy Special:
Chris Cornell had a bald spot that was visible at times for several years where the apparent head wound may have been."
Not only does Alt-Nation fail to provide any photographic reference to the statement above, the ambiguity of ". . . where the apparent head wound may have been." is meant to have readers dismiss that Chris bore a head injury, despite the fact of written, audio, pictorial and video evidence of trauma to the back of Chris's head.
Referring back to The Detroit News (May,15th/18) Vicky goes on to say "It was confirmed by the band and crew — they said they saw it at the show and not at sound check."
However Matt, Kim nor Ben, their crew that night, nor anyone else had confirmed nor denied the "gash" or a visible "bald spot."
THE NATURE OF CHRIS IN HIS FINAL PERFORMANCE.
Kim was featured within The Detroit Free Press (Oct, 25/18) and mentioned, among other matters, the nature of Chris's performance on Soundgarden's last show.
The article's seemingly incomplete and vague quotes attributed to Kim:
". . .nothing that would have allowed us to anticipate what would happen."
"There were a few minor difficulties (early) in the show that I felt adjusted themselves within a few songs," Thayil says of Cornell's Fox performance. "And then the rest of the show went pretty well."
Thayil's tone sharpens with anger when he references "the cockamamie ideas floating around out there" — conspiracy theories that hit the web after Cornell's death, such as speculation the singer was murdered because he was about to expose a pedophile ring.
"The fact of the matter is there was nothing that would suggest this outcome," he says.
On the contrary, Chris was likely in distress from a possible physical altercation before the concert.
Matt had a clear view of the back of Chris's head as shown in the image below.
With certainty, the bandmates knew what transpired with Chris on the night of his death. Considering the band's seemingly lack of chemistry while performing for the final time, there was a particular moment of tension between Chris and Kim.
(Refer to Brother, under . . . Tension at the last gig)
Since Chris's abrupt death, Matt, Kim and Ben continue to remain quiet on the matter; at the very least, Chris's death uttered vaguely and primarily from Matt.
The Fox Theatre; Detroit, Michigan. May,17th/17. Image taken by Paul Lorkowski.
*At the 3:00 minute mark of Robin Robert's (ABC News Good Morning America) interview with Vicky, is where the screen capture of Paul's shot was taken from.*
Another odd detail within the The Detroit Free Press (Oct,25th/18) was the claim that,
"Thayil and other Soundgarden members were already en route to Columbus for the band's next date when they got word that Cornell had died back in his Detroit hotel room."
However, according to The Daily Mail (May, 18th /17) when the story of Chris's death first broke out, that, "The group were whisked off together to the MGM Grand Hotel in a mini-bus." and "The guards, who were dressed in blue, accompanied the band to the hotel and they arrived within minutes."
and
". . . His fellow band members have helped police by agreeing to be interviewed, but are 'reeling' at their friend's suicide."
UNKNOWINGLY ADMINISTERED A SEDATIVE: BUTALBITAL/BARBITURATES. A POSSIBILITY.
Additionally, from The Detroit News (May,15th/18) butalbital in Chris's system (5.1 mcg/ml) page 5 of 5 of the post-mortem report, was mentioned for the first time.
Butalbital (5.1mcg/ml, a safe dosage) was questioned, as personally witnessed from other fans, on why Chris would have that particular drug.
"The toxicology report also found the singer had barbiturates in his system. They were not prescribed." - The Detroit News (May,15th/18)
The article states Chris had no prescription for the sedative (butalbital) yet the article, let alone Vicky who was adamant on the medication "Ativan" that certainly lead to Chris's supposed suicide, does not elaborate further on how Chris ended up with barbiturates in his system.
Who provided Chris, with or without his knowledge, the sedative? Why did he have it?
BUTALBITAL - "In the US, Butalbital (acetaminophen/butalbital systemic) is a member of the drug class barbiturates and is used to treat Light Sedation." - Drugs.com
BARBITURATES - What are Barbiturates?
"Barbiturates are a class of drugs that were used extensively in the 1960s and 1970s as a treatment for anxiety, insomnia, and seizure disorders. Apart from a few specific indications, they are not commonly prescribed these days, having been largely superseded by benzodiazepines, which are much safer, although still potentially addictive.
Barbiturates are known as central nervous system depressants. They enhance the action of GABA, a neurotransmitter that inhibits the activity of nerve cells in the brain."
What are Barbiturates used for?
"Historically, barbiturates were used in the treatment of anxiety, epilepsy, to induce sleep, and as anesthetics. Nowadays, their use is limited to a few specific conditions, such as:
-extreme cases of insomnia
-seizures that are unresponsive to other, less toxic, agents
-the induction of anesthesia
-in combination with acetaminophen and caffeine to relieve tension headaches." - Drugs.com
BUTALBITAL IN COMBINATION WITH "ATIVAN"/LORAZEPAM: AFTERWORDS.
Ativan is a prescription medicine used to treat anxiety disorders. - Drugs.com/Ativan
Chris indeed, however, had a safe dosage of 41 ng/ml Ativan/Lorazepam in his system.
- Page 5 of 5, post-mortem report.
Common Ativan side effects may include:
dizziness, drowsiness;
weakness; or
feeling unsteady. - Drugs.com/Ativan
In strong likelihood, Chris would've been greatly incapacitated with the combination of
*Ativan (41 ng/ml) and *Butalbital (5.1 mcg/ml) in his system.
"ATIVAN" NOT PRESENT AT THE SCENE. . .
*It's personally unknown specifically when Chris took the Ativan/Lorazepam.
MEO Angela Anderson-Cobb's statement from "observations of the scene"
via Case Registration Summary page 2 of 3, "There are prescription bottles for Omeprazole and Prednisone prescribed to the deceased. I did not observe any other medications (unintelligible) substances, alcohol or tobacco products at the scene."
*Chris supposedly was given "2 sleeping pills" from Martin Kirsten,
as Martin Kirsten stated literally in his interview with the investigator; "2 sleeping pills."
Thereafter, The Detroit News (May, 15th/18) and all other news outlets reported, ". . .
a pair of 2 mg Ativan pills. . .."
"Ativan" was solely perpetuated by Vicky yet, there was no bottle of "Ativan"/Lorazepam present in Chris's hotel room. *As reported by MEO Angela Anderson-Cobb referenced above.
Though a bottle of "Ativan"/Lorazepam (pictured here) prescribed to Chris was showcased to the public.
The black and white photograph of the Lorazepam was taken separately from the photograph of the Omeprazole and Prednisone,
Chris's two bottles of medications at the scene, excluding the bottle of the Lorazepam
*is highly suspicious.*
Additionally, the focal image of the lorazepam was shot with
an intended shallow depth of field; *the background of the image blurred.
*Where or whom and when was the photograph of the Lorazepam sourced from?*
Omeprazole and Prednisone were photographed on scene in Chris's hotel room at the MGM.
But the bottle of Ativan/Lorazepam were not.
*With only two bottles of prescription medication present in Chris's hotel room,
Omeprazole and Prednisone, both of which were not in Chris's system, it's likely Chris did not have "Ativan" in his personal possession, even though "Ativan" was found in his system.
This aligns within the entirety of the reports of "Ativan" not worded and only, "sleeping pills" mentioned given to Chris as Martin Kirsten literally stated he gave.*
What were those "2 sleeping pills" exactly?
Were they actually the barbiturates?
Again, "Ativan" was solely perpetuated by Vicky.
It's also highly suspect that Chris was assigned anybody to carry and provide him with his own prescribed medications, considering the images of the Omeprazole and Prednisone left on the table at the scene.
*Did Martin carry the bottles of Omeprazole and Prednisone and placed them on the table to be photographed by investigators?
Or were the two bottles simply sitting on the table originally found that way?*
Chris was, in strong likelihood, unknowingly drugged.
THE LIKELY EFFECTS OF BUTALBITAL. (5.1/mcg/ml)
Chris's during Outshined, seemingly at a moment, appeared to come "in and out" of something and nearly fainted before verse two.
In another moment during Slaves & Bulldozers, Chris also appeared to be in a droopy state; nearly losing his balance.
BRIEFLY BEFORE THE FORENSICS: Chris Cornell's "Hair Loss. . ."
Chris's missing patch of hair on his final night alive were not of natural balding.
As it appeared, his hair was ripped out and left him with minor bleeding on his scalp.
To reiterate, Chris's head injury was noted twice:
-" Lacaration(s): TO BACK OF SKULL" and "Minor Bleeding" noted in the DMCare Express patient care report. *As seen in the images/video clips of Chris, May, 17th/17*
-"Trauma to the back of the head" - (first responder) via the Detroit Police scanner (audio presented in part 2) This explicit detail not written up in the post-mortem report
does not mean the wound didn't exist.
Additionally,
-“Stains of suspected blood are present on his face and on the floor next to and beneath his head” - Angela Anderson-Cobb, (Case Registration Summary: page 2 of 3)
Certainly, a medical examiner would not overlook noticeable trauma anywhere on a decedent, especially noted before hand by three different medical professionals.
Chris to walk out on stage with a visible injury to his head raises a lot of questions.
An act out of rebellion, to signal distress and passively plea for help are strong possibilities.
Likely, the primary reason for the band's apparent lack of interaction with one another during their final performance.
A particular moment of tension, in my strong personal opinion, between Chris and Kim occurred before "Been Away to long."
*Refer to Brother, under . . . Tension at the last gig.*
STAGES OF HAIR LOSS.
Scouring the internet, they're no pictures of Chris's supposed hair loss equivalent to the night of May, 17th/17.
With an image search: "Chris Cornell balding/losing hair/hair loss" results in no photographic evidence of gradual balding, naturally evident from the back of his head.
Just a full head of hair!
No images of him losing hair "over the years." Again, the only images of Chris with a "bald spot" was on his last night alive; the reported head injury. A cowlick is not a form male pattern baldness. Natural parts in the hair, especially seen with longer and heavier hair, is also not a form of male pattern baldness.
Male pattern baldness is a gradual loss of hair, the hair loss beginning from the forehead (receding) or from the top of the head.
Male pattern baldness is not exemplified with Chris here.
Fox Theatre (Detroit, Michigan) May, 17th/17.
Instead, there's a strong appearance of hair ripped out with minor bleeding right in the center, and precisely, on the back of his head.
Here's a forum I came across during a personal quest for the "bald spot" Chris supposedly had for many years. HAIRLOSSTALK: CHRIS CORNELL, HAIRLINE.
With Chris, the "male pattern baldness" he had was hair receding over time.
The examples below are among thousands of photographs available online through
an image search.
Chris in 1992: Tony Woolliscroft.
Chris in 2009: Randall Slavin.
Chris in 2009: Justin Borucki.
Chris in 2016: Matt Winkelmeyer.
When I saw Chris live for Higher Truth in Calgary, (Sunday, July 24th 2016) I was seated in Orchestra Center "B", second row from the stage at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Chris was inches away from me as he turned left and right, bent over a few times while he performed "Times are a Changin,'" and his free flowing hair covered his face, which gave me a clear view of the top of his head. He also turned around several times as he paced the stage, which also gave me a clear view of the back of his head.
Here's a photo I took of him that night to get a sense of the proximity.
There was no balding on Chris in 2016, nor later thereafter in any images found of him in the entirety of the internet.
Except for Chris's last night alive; a result of trauma to the back of his head.
CHRISTOPHER JOHN CORNELL: THE FORENSIC PATHOLOGICAL BREAKDOWN & THE CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
DISPUTES OF ASSISTANT M.E. THEODORE BROWN M.D. OFFICIAL RULING OF SUICIDE: CHRISTOPHER JOHN CORNELL.
350206037-Autopsy-Report-Chris-Cornell
.pdf
Download PDF • 56KB
". . . Information Shared with the Public *Full reports and images for personal review.
THE LIGATURE FURROW MARK.
page 3 of 5: EVIDENCE OF INJURY-HANGING:
"A circumferential ligature furrow mark was around the neck. On the anterior aspect and left side of the neck, the ligature furrow mark was dry, red-purple, and had areas of pallor. On the right side and posterior aspect of the neck, the ligature furrow mark was dry, faint red-purple, and had a central area of pallor.
On the anterior aspect of the neck, the ligature furrow mark was 11-1/2 inches below the top of the head, up to 0.5 centimeter wide, and above the thyroid cartilage. On the left side of the neck, the ligature furrow mark extended posterior and upward, and was up to 1.2 centimeters wide. On the right side of the neck, the ligature furrow mark extended posterior and upward, and was up to 2 centimeters wide. On the posterior aspect of the neck, the ligature furrow mark curved upward and was 8 inches below the top of the head. In addition, the posterior aspect of the neck had four, less than 0.1 centimeter to 0.5 centimeter, dry, tan, abrasions, associated with the ligature furrow mark."
The following sketches are my best, life size representations of the ligature furrow mark described by Assistant M.E. Theodore Brown M.D.
Many who go against the official ruling of suicide, point to Brown's description of the ligature furrow mark to be uneven measurements for a suicidal hanging.
Anatomical references by: ANATOMY 4 SCULPTURES
The images of the resistance tube from inside Chris's hotel bathroom below, supposedly represent how Chris used the stretchy exercise band to operate as a noose.
With closer examination of the "noose" here, strands of hair are present on the band.
The hair strands and the smears of blood on the band, strongly indicate a likely physical altercation. *Analyzed further in part 2.
"The same exact resistance band and anchor that was used on Chris Cornell."
" . . . the resistance band was 5feet long looped around the neck most likely 4 1/2 feet".
How was the stretchy, soft rubber band tied to leave a deep furrow on Chris's neck?
Examine the sketch of the back (posterior) side of the neck. The ligature furrow mark noted curved higher on the right side of the neck than the left. What's demonstrated in the three photographs above in the bathroom, which are highly suspect to be staged, (analyzed in part 2) do not represent the ligature furrow mark observed on Chris.
SLIDESHARE.NET (slide 13 of 45) Warning: Graphic Images.
THE LIGATURE FURROW MARK:
UNEVEN MEASUREMENTS & THE ABRASIONS.
Anterior (front): up to 0.5 centimeters wide
Left: up to 1.2 centimeters wide
Right: up to 2 centimeters wide
Posterior (back): ligature furrow mark curved upward, and was 8 inches below the top of the head.
I purchased a "Bionic Body Resistance Tube" similar to the one Chris allegedly used.
The abrasions ("an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off "
- vocabulary.com/dictionary/abrasion) noted on Chris were not caused by the rubber material of the resistance band.
Fingernails are likely to have caused the abrasions, another sign of a possible altercation (SYNOMYM: scratch) as Brown notes, "four less than 0.1 centimeter to 0.5 centimeter dry, tan, abrasions associated with the ligature furrow mark."
EXAMPLE: Physically act out tying to relieve the pressure of a rope wrapped around your neck from someone behind you.
The fingers and thumbs curve naturally for the most part, whether acted out physically on the anterior (front) or posterior (back) of the neck.
After completing visual representations of the ligature furrow mark, I acted out with the resistance tube I purchased around my own neck, as if I were to strangle someone from behind. Also, being slightly taller than the victim. Being right handed, I raised my right arm naturally while my left arm remained lower, while both of my hands were clenched hard (simulating tension of coarse) and both of my arms crossed, the left arm underneath the right arm created full circumferential contact with the exercise band on my neck.
I then shook both of my arms, again, simulating tension. It was then that I visualized how those uneven marks observed on Chris were made.
A Study of Gross Postmortem Findings in Cases of Hanging and Ligature Strangulation
.pdf
Download PDF • 283KB
Under, OBSERVATION: paragraph 4.
"In the present study 70 cases (81.39%) of hanging did not show any periligature injuries around the ligature marks, while in all cases of ligature strangulation periligature injuries were present around ligature mark."
". . . Aside from the ligature mark, abrasions and contusions of the skin of the neck are usually not present. They can occur, however, if the assailant places his hands beneath and around the ligature and twists it, tightening it around the neck, or if the victim claws at his neck in an attempt to remove the ligature or relieve the pressure. . ." (forth paragraph)
- Ligature Strangulation (https://www.mussenhealth.us/carbon-monoxide/ligature-strangulation.html. WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES)
Initially, I noted within my sketch of the posterior (back) side of the neck, that the stretchy, rubber material of the resistance band did not leave behind abrasions.
Again, the scratches were likely from Chris's fingernails (or the assailant applying additional pressure with their hands) from a possible struggle that took place with Chris's attempts to stop the asphyxiation.
"PARTIAL SUSPENSION."
There is an oddity within the DETROIT NEWS when Chris's death was first published on
May, 19th/17, apparently referenced the police report, "(Kirsten) again called for security but could not gain access to (the) room," the report said. "At this time (Kirsten) kicked in (the) bedroom door and found the victim laying on the bathroom floor."
The announcement of Chris's death was on May,18th/17, the same day the police report was written up and Chris's autopsy performed and completed.
Though Theodore Brown M.D. (assistant medical examiner) states in Chris's post-mortem report (the post-mortem report completed on May, 18th/17), ". . . the decedent was found partially suspended. . . " according to "the investigative report and the police report,. . ." - page 1 of 5, Summary & Opinion.
These are two different accounts of how Chris was found, supposedly from the same police report. I caught on to the contradictory from a blog post authored by *Glen Hetfield.
Articles later on reported or edited Chris to be "partially suspended" only after the release of the autopsy report; the autopsy report released Friday June, 2nd/17. Again, the medical examiner supposedly referenced the same police report of Chris "partially suspended" when the DETROIT NEWS (Chris's death first published May, 19th/17) stated the police report noted Martin Kirsten found Chris laying on the floor.
How was Chris "partially suspended" if Martin claims to have found Chris in the bathroom laying on the floor with the door partially open?
What supposedly kept the band engaged to operate as a tight noose? ". . .I went inside and the bathroom door was partially opened and I could see his feet." No mention from Martin to have found Chris "partially suspended." Additionally, Martin (exclusively) never mentioned anywhere in his statement about a carabiner clip and a door anchor.
The carabiner clip and door anchor were demonstrated by photographs (shown below) to have been jammed, the carabiner clip specifically jammed in a notch, between the top of the door and door frame. However, the door wouldn't have been able to close completely to hold the carabiner clip alone in place, along with the door anchor and exercise tube attached for Chris to supposedly "hang himself."
Even if the door was able to close with the carabiner clip/door anchor in place, this would not function as a noose for Chris to be "partially suspended," let alone "hang." The resistance exercise band would not have supported Chris's weight to "hang" in any position.
The band looks to have a 70lb resistance and it stenches.
Chris weighed 180lbs and was 6'3.
"The same exact resistance band and anchor that was used on Chris Cornell."
" . . . the resistance band was 5feet long looped around the neck most likely 4 1/2 feet".
LIVOR MORTIS (LIVIDITY) & "PARTIAL SUSPENSION" continued.
The medical examiner notes on page 2 of 5, paragraph 1 in Chris's post-mortem report
that, ". . .livor mortis was present posteriorly and unfixed."
". . . He's cool to the touch and there is lividity that blanches to pressure on the anterior surfaces of the body. . . " - Angela Anderson-Cobb, Case Registration Summary page 2 of 3.
A physical occurrence after death called livor mortis or lividity, specifically the livor mortis observed on Chris, dismisses Chris's death from a "suspension."
Livor Mortis is "an unnatural color of the skin. Lividity can be a useful reaction in determining the position of a body at the time of death and even whether a body was moved within the first few hours after death."
"Lividity can also result when blood flow ceases after death. The blood that was formerly flowing through the body can be drawn to the lowest point in the body by the influence of gravity. For example, if a victim was lying on her right side at the time of death, lividity would be evident on the right side of the face, hip, and on the areas of the right arm and leg that were closest to the ground." - ENCYCLOPEDIA: LIVIDITY
Lividity was present posteriorly (back) and unfixed ( livor mortis was still occurring, "unfixed", since Chris was deceased for less than 24 hours. Livor mortis was present on his back, his calves, triceps, nape of his neck, etc.) There were no other areas of lividity noted anywhere on Chris's body.
This indicates the position of his body after death was supine. (laying on his back)
". . . an adult white male is lying supine on the floor of the suites bedroom area having been moved there to facilitate resuscitation efforts prior to my arrival on scene. . . " - Angela Anderson-Cobb, Case Registration Summary page 2 of 3.
*Timelines significant to the "discovery" of Chris analyzed in part 2.
Had Chris died while "partially suspended", and "partially suspended" for a long period of time, lividity would be present anteriorly (front) on his abdomen, in his legs, his hands, forearms, etc.
"In hangings, blood will pool in the dependent areas of the body, usually the forearms, hands, and lower legs, secondary to gravity. This is caused by hydrostatic rupture of vessels. - SLIDESHARE.NET (slide 14 of 45) Warning: Graphic Images.
Chris's supposed "suicide by hanging." demonstrated below in the images is impossible.
Again, one of the signs on Chris's body (livor mortis) indicated he was on his back long after death. page 2 of 5, paragraph 1 "Narrative Summary" in the autopsy report: ". . .livor mortis was present posteriorly and unfixed."
View of the exercise band from inside the bathroom.
View of the carabiner clip in the notch from outside the bathroom door. The door anchor hanging of the clip.
View of the outside of the bathroom door, the door anchor in full view attached to the clip.
View of the outside of the bathroom door closed, the door anchor and supposedly the carabiner clip held in place within the notch.
*OBSERVE CLOSELY to see that the notch, the tiny white area on the top of door to the right of the door anchor, does not even have the anchor within or near the notch, as the carabiner clip and the door anchor are within the notch demonstrated in the above images.
The photos that follow, view of the outside of the bathroom door closed, show the door anchor and supposedly the carabiner clip allegedly pulled into the door frame (supposedly how Chris "hanged" himself) from the exercise band from inside the bathroom.
*The door anchor, and allegedly the carabiner clip within the notch, firmly in place between the top of the closed door and door frame, while the exercise band supposedly pulled from inside the bathroom, would add more length to the band!
Also and once again, the band was stretchy!
*OBSERVE CLOSELY AGAIN to see that the notch, the tiny white area on the top of door to the right of the door anchor, does not even have the door anchor within or near the notch, as supposedly the carabiner clip and the door anchor within the notch demonstrated in the above images.
*Additionally, the notch upon closer observation, is shown with the damage to the door made downward on the outside of the door, while the door from inside the bathroom, supposedly the band pulled from inside the bathroom (Chris's supposed "hanging") was without a similar notch with the door damaged downward. These specific details to the notch brought to my attention, again, by a blog post written by *Glen Hetfield, analyzed further in part 2.
*No notch on the inside part of the bathroom door.
As mentioned earlier under "Partial Suspension", How was Chris "partially suspended" if Martin claims to have found Chris in the bathroom laying on the floor with the door partially open?
What supposedly kept the band engaged to operate as a tight noose? ". . .I went inside and the bathroom door was partially opened and I could see his feet." No mention from Martin to have found Chris "partially suspended." Additionally, Martin (exclusively) never mentioned anywhere in his statement about a carabiner clip and a door anchor.
The carabiner clip and door anchor were demonstrated by photographs to have been jammed, the carabiner clip specifically jammed in a notch, between the top of the door and door frame. However, the door wouldn't have been able to close completely to hold the carabiner clip alone in place, along with the door anchor and exercise tube attached for Chris to supposedly "hang himself."
Even if the door was able to close with the carabiner clip/door anchor in place, this would not function as a noose for Chris to be "partially suspended," let alone "hang." The resistance exercise band would not have supported Chris's weight to "hang" in any position.
The band looks to have a 70lb resistance and it stenches.
Chris weighed 180lbs and was 6'3.
HANGING - Encyclopedia.com paragraph 3: ". . . hanging can also occur with the person kneeling, sitting, or half lying, from a relatively low point of suspension such as a doorknob or bedpost."
HANGING - Encyclopedia.com paragraph 5: "Hanging from a high suspension point leaves diagonal marks on the neck like an inverted V, which do not run around the full circumference of the neck. The point where the noose meets the vertical part of the rope is pulled up and away from the body and does not leave a mark on the neck. This can be used to distinguish a hanging from a manual strangulation. However, in a hanging from a low suspension point, the marks on the neck tend to be horizontal rather than diagonal and may look more characteristic of a manual strangulation."
The ligature furrow mark observed on Chris was uneven, and ran around the full circumference of his neck. If Chris was "partially suspended" at a low point (the doorknob for instance) of a suicide by hanging, the horizontal ligature pattern would be closely even on all sides of his neck.
Though at a low point of a partial suspension, with the same exercise band used, there would be no method for a successful hanging.
"A circumferential ligature furrow mark was around the neck. . ." - M.E. page 3 of 5 post-mortem report.
THE HYOID BONE AND THYROID CARTILAGE
The M.E. notes "A layered dissection of the anterior aspect of the neck demonstrated no hemorrhages of the soft tissues and muscles. "The hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage had no fractures." - page 3 of 5, post-mortem report.
Comments specifically from those who work in the medical field, stated that Chris's death could not of been a suicidal hanging since his hyoid bone was not fractured.
Later to my understanding, though not always the case, hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage fractures are strong indications of a suicidal hanging and less likely of ligature strangulation.
Further research in the frequency of hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage fractures, in both hanging and ligature strangulation deaths:
"A cross sectional study of a total of 105 cases of hanging and ligature strangulation was conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Victoria Hospital over a period of 20 months from November 2009 to June 2011. Results: Of the 109 cases studied, hanging constitutes 105 cases (96%) and ligature strangulation constitutes 04 cases (4%)."
Study of Fracture of Hyoid Bone in Hanging Cases "The presence of Hyoid Bone fracture has been documented more in the case of manual strangulation than in cases of hanging or ligature strangulation."
A Study of Hyoid Bone Fractures in Mechanical Asphyxial Deaths concludes, under abstract page 1: "Most of the of the cases of fractured bones were noted in throttling and none were reported in ligature strangulation"
The ligature furrow mark observed on Chris was above the thyroid cartilage,(on both sides of the neck) evident of where pressure was placed on his neck. As a result, his thyroid cartilage was not fractured.
The hyoid bone, also not fractured, demonstrated that the ligature (the exercise band) had no significant pressure to cause damage. Additionally, the ligature furrow mark on the left side of the neck, visually represented in my sketch, show to be slightly below the hyoid bone whereas the ligature furrow mark on the right side of the neck, similarly above the thyroid cartilage as the left, came into contact "in junction between the HEAD and NECK."
"The hyoid bone is a small horseshoe shaped bone located in the front of your neck. It sits between the chin and the thyroid cartilage and is instrumental in the function of swallowing and tongue movements." - ANATOMY 4 SCULPTURES
The hyoid bone in a suicidal hanging, specially within a high point of suspension, result in fractures in the majority of cases; age of the victim (40 and above) sometimes a contributing factor.
Refer to the 3rd sketch (medicalency) below depicting the back of the neck. Take note of the inverted "V" and where the rope doesn't make full circumferential contact. Notice the pressure of the rope is even on both sides of the neck.
Compare the 3rd hanging sketch (medicalency) to my sketch below of the posterior side of Chris's neck, described by the medical examiner.
Pictorial reference by medicalency.
In Chris's case, the ligature (exercise band) did not leave a diagonal inverted "V" mark on the back his neck. It would only be if the "noose" met the vertical part of the exercise band, pulled up and away from the body thus not leaving a full circumferential ligature furrow mark on his neck.
The ligature furrow mark on Chris, from the rubber exercise band, left an uneven pattern and made full circumferential contact on his neck.
A circumferential ligature furrow mark was around the neck. . ." - M.E. page 3 of 5, post-mortem report.
HANGING - Encyclopedia.com paragraph 5: "Hanging from a high suspension point leaves diagonal marks on the neck like an inverted V, which do not run around the full circumference of the neck. The point where the noose meets the vertical part of the rope is pulled up and away from the body and does not leave a mark on the neck. This can be used to distinguish a hanging from a manual strangulation. However, in a hanging from a low suspension point, the marks on the neck tend to be horizontal rather than diagonal and may look more characteristic of a manual strangulation."