Dismembrement: a review of the literature and descriprion of 3 cases.

The authors describe 3 cases of dismemberment. Numerous methods of hiding a body and thus erasing proof of murder have been devised. Those most frequently described in the literature include: burial of the body in an unusual or impervious place such as a wood, grotto or mountain; charring the body by wrapping it in a tire, for example, to fuel the fire until all traces of the crime have been erased and identification of the victim is difficult; and dropping the weighted-down body in the open sea or in a well in the hope that it will never be found. Dismemberment is in reality a relatively rare method whereby, after killing the victim, the murderer uses a very sharp cutting weapon (a saw, axe, etc.) to sever the limbs and cut the body into small pieces. The operation is generally carried out immediately after the crime, although more rarely a long time may pass between the 2 events. Numerous methods of hiding a body and thus erasing proof of murder have been devised. Those most frequently described in the literature include burial of the body in an unusual or impervious place such as a wood, grotto, or mountain; charring the body by wrapping it in a tire, for example, to fuel the fire until all traces of the crime have been erased and identification of the victim is difficult; dropping the weighted-down body in the open sea or in a well in the hope that it will never be found. Other, less frequent methods include dissolving the body in acid or burying it in cement; for example, under the pylons on the motorway or the foundations of a house being built.