WARNING! LONG GRAPHIC AUTOPSY COMMENT!
Part 1 of 2 posts
The following two posts reference three of the autopsy photos that can be found here:
Page 44 this thread showing triangular abrasion on front left neck, enlarged
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...Strangulation-Devices&p=12795570#post12795570
right side view of circumferential abrasions and argent lines on neck
http://www.acandyrose.com/jonbenetfaceright-x.jpg
back of neck after furrowed ligature removed by coroner
http://www.acandyrose.com/jonbenetneckback-x.jpg
JBR was 47 inches tall, 45 pounds, likely wore girl child size 6, and was of normal height but slightly underweight while well-nourished, and IMO she was lean, petite and small-framed. The AR unfortunately does not give us a neck circumference measure, nor does it provide us with the length of the ligature in the furrow on the neck. Based on what I could google about child neck circumferences*, I am estimating JBRs
natural neck circumference of approximately 9 inches, and the
constricted neck circumference of approx. 7 7.5 inches. We know there is 17 inches from the slipknot to the paint stick knot per the AR as measured by the coroner when the cord was relaxed. There is an assumption that this particular type of cord under stress will stretch a little to a possibly longer length of 17.5 18 inches. I believe the paint stick was attached as a part of the strangulation device and therefore the paint stick knot was created before it was applied to the neck and is not simply additive staging.
The front left neck injury is a PREMORTEM ABRASION. From two sections of the AR:
A prominent dried abrasion was present on the lower left neck.
and
The area of abrasion and petechial hemorrhage of the skin of the anterior neck includes on the lower left neck, just to the left of the midline, a roughly triangular, parchment-like rust colored abrasion which measures 1.5 inches in length with a maximum width of .75 inches. The roughly triangular shaped abrasion is obliquely oriented with the apex superior and lateral. The remainder of the abrasions and petechial hemorrhages of the skin above and below the anterior projection of the ligature furrow are nonpatterned
So the apex of the abrasion points up to about one or two o'clock The bottom of the triangle abrasion is a ROUNDED shape from about six to eight oclock. (The triangle shape of the abrasion is like a wing like when you make a sand or snow angel, your hand leaves a
rounded outer edge that is wider than where your shoulder is, if that makes sense.) I believe the broken paint stick caused this rounded bottom edge, triangular abrasion that I will try to explain below.
The paint stick was pulled tightening the slipknot near the posterior midline of the neck (per AR, but actually slightly to the right of midline per photos) creating the furrowed ligature line. From the posterior slipknot, the 17 inches were drawn to the victims LEFT around the neck two and a half times and pulled tightly until the paint stick can go no further, a final tug about 3 more inches to the left of the slipknot, and the paint stick is affixed from the Top in the left front neck, the far distal end over the furrowed ligature and secured under those two extra loops. (Approx. constricted neck 7 + 7 + 3 inches = 17 inches, with +1 inch error for cord stretch and + .5 inch error in measurements 7.5 + 7.5 + 3 inches = 18 inches). Oxygen deprivation to the brain resulted in continuous violent, contorting convulsions and seizures, ultimately death of brain tissue releasing strong electrical discharges to the nervous system. Some of these spasmodic contortions involved very hard, rigid straining of the head and neck to the right. I believe the stress placed on the now missing far distal end of the paint stick caught under the lower extra loop caused it to break off.
The AR states that the broken paint stick is 4.5 inches. Using an enlarged to actual size image of the paint stick, the apex end + middle knot area = 2.75 inches, and the distal end beyond on the knot = 1.75 inches, for a total of 4.5 inches. After the far distal end broke off, the remaining distal end is still on top of the furrowed ligature but only pinned under the one upper extra loop of cord, each .25 inches wide. This leaves 1.5 inches of paint stick extended below the furrowed ligature, creating the downward triangular abrasion as it scraped side to side (like the snow angel) at the oblique downward angle between six and eight oclock, and equaling the dried abrasion size stated in the AR of maximum length of 1.5 inches.
* A Canadian study of 8 yo girls had 26cm average necks = 10.2 inches. Another study had a chart of 6yo girls with average necks 24cm = 9.5 inches.