[Vedderman]

Teenage girl was found hanging from an entry gate at the perimeter of a historical train station yesterday morning.

She was fully dressed and wearing a backpack and jacket. Because her body was found in such a public place (with security patrols), there has been some degree of outcry among the local crime watch groups that she may have been strangled prior and then hung up as a staged suicide.

While this does happen sometimes, it is extremely rare. Though the debates rage on social media about the actual circumstances of her death, the police reported that the coroner's preliminary COD is asphyxiation by hanging-suicide.

The coroner's report and witnesses at the scene confirmed some details, but not all. Most are fairly visible in the photos, but here are the ones specifically mentioned by witnesses or law enforcement:

The ligature with which she was hanged was a wrap of her own shoelaces, tied off around the gate and used as a very short noose. Her head was tilted backwards, facing slightly upward. Her tongue was not protruding, but the presence of saliva was noted on her chin and lips. Her hands were upraised and clenched, but apparently not actually gripping the noose. Her feet were planted lightly on a cross-beam, but raised up on her toes in a partial suspension position. Finally, her pants were thoroughly soaked with urine all the way down to her her left ankle and right calf.

Onlookers and 'netizens' in the crime watch forums were concerned about several factors. The positioning of her hands was considered suspicious, though the coroner did not opine upon this in his statement. Several commented that her posture was too rigid for a recent hanging and that if she'd been there long enough for rigor, her tongue would have likely protruded. There was also some concern voiced that despite obviously emptying a very full bladder, witnesses to the scene (and the photos) indicated that there was no urine puddle beneath her and suggested that she had been strangled to death earlier, perhaps while on her knees, and pissed her pants at that time, and was then suspended by her assailant(s).

The coroner and the police continue to stand by suicide. Her body had no signs of sexual trauma and no injuries other than the ligature mark from those shoelaces. No explanation was offered for her hands, though the lack of a urine puddle is hardly conspicuous. Chances are that her pants soaked most of it up and the small amount on the cement likely evaporated before the photos were taken. A quick perusal of the thousands of hanging photos on this site will indicate that there is very rarely noticeable urine on the ground unless the decedent is nude, wearing a skirt, or wearing only underpants.

In any event, her family is shocked by the death, but are not contesting the suicide ruling. Chances are she had previously demonstrated some signs, but that's just me speculating.

Will update the post if anything changes with the story.

[K53]

So young
So Tragic

[TheBigB]

She tinkled.

[LERK]

I recently got jammed up by Amtrak and felt like doing the same thing.

[Agrenthor]

Clever, but really sad... poor girl

[smoker]

braces got stuck

[Ninjavandal]

I told her to "Hang in there." I'm pretty sure she misunderstood me.

[madstone72]

What a waste. Pity her.

[jennyt]

Hanging at a train station seems strange.. so many other ways to go there

[Vedderman]

Police have updated and stated that they are still treating it as a likely suicide, but have not closed off a route of homicide investigation, for various reasons. They are waiting for the complete autopsy from the coroner before closing the case, as there are enough 'oddball' factors involved that it isn't necessarily cut-and-dried.

But they more or less indicated that unless the autopsy brings back something untoward, it'll be handled as a suicide and closed. As mentioned above, the coroner's preliminary report and scene investigation did not indicate that she was harmed in any way. Her body bears no external injuries nor readily-identifiable sexual trauma, no markings or indications of a struggle, and the prelim report has stuck with cause and manner of death being asphyxiation by suspension hanging, suicide.

Given that she had no drop whatsoever and that her shoelaces were not very long, I suspect she strangled really fucking hard on that gate. That is one of the shortest 'nooses' I have ever seen after viewing tens of thousands of hangings. Personally, I'd have probably preferred to jump on the tracks instead. :/