Buzz
Suicide is an act that remains difficult to comprehend because, for most individuals, our basic instincts and efforts are centered around preserving and improving the lives we lead. A heartbreaking decision, suicide not only ends the suffering of those who are enduring immense mental and physical pain, but it also leaves an indelible impact on the loved ones they leave behind. The ten individuals in this list felt so deeply that their lives had no purpose left that they resorted to extraordinary and often shocking methods to end it all.
10. Volcanic Suicide
On February 11, 1933, Kiyoko Matsumoto, a student, ended her life by leaping into the Mount Mihara crater in Japan from the observation platform overlooking the molten lava below. She succumbed to her injuries from both the fall and the intense heat of the lava, which ranged between 1,450°F and 2,200°F (800°C to 1,200°C). Matsumoto had fallen in love with a fellow female student at Tokyo’s Jissan College, an affair that was strictly prohibited.
Although several suicides had occurred from the viewing platform over Mount Mihara's crater, Kiyoko Matsumoto's tragic death drew widespread attention, and within the year, 944 similar suicides followed. A fence was put up to prevent further deaths, but despite this, 619 more individuals managed to end their lives. As a result, a taller barrier, now topped with barbed wire, was eventually constructed.
9. Suicide by Router Saw
In 2014, a 30-year-old carpenter failed to return home to his family after work. His brother went to search for him at the carpentry shop where they both worked, only to find that the young man had tragically taken his life using a router saw. He had removed the safety cover from the tool and deliberately pressed his head into the rapidly spinning blade twice, resulting in two deep parallel cuts.
Both head injuries were severe enough to remove portions of the skull and brain tissue from the parietal and occipital lobes. There was no previous indication in his mental or medical history that pointed to any prior suicidal thoughts or attempts. However, he had been noticeably reflective and quiet in the days leading up to the incident.
8. Suicide by Shotgun and Forest Fire
On the night of March 8, 2010, in Kingston, Tennessee, Victor Gordon left his home and ventured a quarter of a mile (400 m) into the woods. He set up a system of bungee cords attached to a fallen tree, positioning a shotgun at head height so he could trigger it when he was ready. Surrounding the tree, he placed a bag full of fire starter logs. After igniting the logs, he positioned himself and, as the fire spread around him, he triggered the shotgun.
When the fire spread to the area behind the house, Gordon’s wife noticed and alerted the authorities. Upon their arrival, police and firefighters discovered the grisly scene. Based on the evidence, the death was classified as a suicide, though the reason behind Victor Gordon’s choice remains unclear.
7. Suicide by Chloroform and Razor
Horace Wells was a dentist in the 1840s who sought to alleviate the suffering caused by decaying teeth. However, after causing even more pain during tooth extractions, which at the time were performed without anesthetics, Wells found himself at a crossroads. His breakthrough came after witnessing a man under the influence of nitrous oxide, or 'laughing gas,' who showed a curious response instead of pain after injuring his leg. This sparked an idea in Wells’s mind.
Eager to test his discovery, Wells volunteered to have a troublesome wisdom tooth removed while under the effects of nitrous oxide, which he inhaled from a pig’s bladder. The procedure, performed by a friend, caused him only minimal pain. Elated by the results, Wells continued using nitrous oxide and perfected his technique. In 1845, he demonstrated his method to fellow dentists, but the dosage was wrong, and the demonstration was only partially successful. This failure led other dentists to explore alternative anesthetics, such as chloroform or ether, which, while having side effects, seemed to work more reliably.
Horace Wells, however, continued to experiment on himself and eventually became addicted to chloroform. On the night of his 33rd birthday, after celebrating excessively, he inhaled a large amount of chloroform. Under the influence, his perception of reality became severely distorted, and he grew paranoid. In a fit of madness, he threw sulfuric acid onto the faces and arms of two women in New York City. Arrested and imprisoned, Wells requested his shaving kit, which contained chloroform. On January 24, 1848, he inhaled deeply from the chloroform bottle before using his straight razor to sever the femoral artery in his left thigh.
6. Suicide by Chainsaw
On the night of July 5, 2008, David Phyall came dangerously close to severing his own head with a chainsaw. He rigged up an electric Black & Decker chainsaw to the leg of a table in his home, taped the trigger in the on position, and connected it to a timer that controlled his lights. After consuming a small amount of alcohol, Phyall lay underneath the table, covered his throat with a thin piece of cardboard to prevent nicks from the saw, and positioned the chainsaw blade on the cardboard. He then waited. When the timer went off, the chainsaw sprang to life and cut through ¾ of his neck before getting clogged with material from his t-shirt.
David Phyall's suicide was a protest against the pressure he faced to leave his home, which was set to be demolished. His entire block on Bodmin Road in Bishopstoke, England, had been vacated by other residents who had accepted compensation to relocate for new construction. Phyall had refused 11 prior offers from his housing association, which included payments and alternative living arrangements. Despite his protest, Phyall’s block was demolished after his death.
5. Suicide by Cobra
On July 14, 2015, in a parking lot in North Austin, Texas, Grant Thompson was found in a state of cardiac arrest. A lifelong animal lover and employee at a pet store, Thompson had multiple bites from a monocle cobra that he had taken from the store. Interestingly, there were no typical defensive wounds, nor did it appear that he had attempted to withdraw from the striking cobra. The venom from a monocle cobra leads to full-body paralysis, followed by the inability of the lungs to function within 30 minutes.
The cobra escaped the vehicle through a door that Thompson had intentionally left open, but rescuers had to deal with a viper and several tarantulas inside the car. The cobra was later found dead on a nearby street, run over by a passing car. Before stopping in the parking lot, Thompson had driven more than 70 miles (110 km) from his home, where he removed the snakes and tarantulas from their cages to carry out his plan.
4. Suicide by Molten Iron
On November 6, 1854, George Towler, a 28-year-old employee at the Farnley Iron Company, chose a particularly dramatic and final method of suicide. Standing near a furnace containing 50 tonnes (55 tons) of molten iron, Towler took a moment to glance around his workplace before calmly leaping into the liquid metal.
For iron to reach its molten state, it must be heated to temperatures exceeding 2800°F (1538°C). It was reported that only a small fragment of charred bone was recovered from the orange-hot molten iron. This was all that remained of Towler, and it was eventually laid to rest at the Church of St. Michael in the Farnley district of West Yorkshire, England.
3. Suicide by Homemade Shotgun Helmet
In the 1970s, a young man in turmoil invested considerable time and creativity in constructing a helmet designed to fire eight #00 shotgun shells, each loaded with eight .330″ (8.38 mm) lead pellets, directly into his skull. The helmet was reinforced with a fibreglass and epoxy resin blend, and metal wires connected to an arc welder triggered the shotgun shells. When activated, the arc welder caused all eight shells to fire simultaneously. There was also a manual backup to fire any shell that failed to discharge electrically.
The shotgun shells were meticulously arranged to ensure complete destruction of the brain and prevent the agony of failed suicide attempts, which can sometimes occur with shotguns. Three shells were placed at the front of the helmet, aimed at the frontal lobes, while two were positioned diagonally on either side of the head to target the temporal lobes. One shell was placed at the rear to destroy the occipital lobe, and two shells were positioned at the top to fire down through the parietal lobes, cerebellum, and brainstem. The ingeniously designed and horrific helmet worked flawlessly once, but that was all that was needed.
Talk to Someone and Get Help While topics like these may capture our attention, suicide is a permanent decision, and there are always better alternatives. If you or someone you care about is experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviors, it is important to reach out for support. Here are resources dedicated to providing help: • United States—National Suicide Prevention Lifeline—1 (800) 273-8255 • United Kingdom—Samaritans Helpline—08457 90 90 90 • European Union—Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Veterans Crisis Line—00800-1273-TALK (8255)
2. Suicide by Crocodile
A woman from Thailand made the tragic decision to end her life by leaping into the mouth of a crocodile. Witnesses to this horrifying act saw Wanpen Inyai dive into a pond at the Samut Prakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo. Reports indicate that she removed her shoes before jumping into the center of a pond, approximately 3 meters deep, which was home to hundreds of adult crocodiles.
Zoo staff attempted to use long sticks to prevent the crocodiles from attacking, but tragically, they were unable to save her. Due to the lax safety regulations at many Thai tourist attractions, Wanpen was easily able to enter the enclosure.
It was reported that Wanpen's family had tried to file a missing persons report earlier that same day after discovering her disappearance, but they were told to wait 24 hours before proceeding.
Her death was eerily similar to that of a woman who had taken her own life in 2002, using the same method and at the very same farm. A prior suicide reportedly occurred there a decade earlier.
1. Suicide via Self-Made Guillotine
After months of meticulous work, Boyd Taylor ended his life with a homemade guillotine measuring eight by three feet (2.44 m x 0.91 m). To ensure the blade's lethality, Taylor added weight with a paving slab. The blade was held up by a wire, and a timer connected to an electric jigsaw would cut that wire to release the blade. Additionally, a string, set in the path of the blade, was connected to a hammer that would swing and turn off the jigsaw once the blade had completed its grim task.
On January 8, 2003, Boyd Taylor took 12 sleeping pills to ensure a deep sleep, preventing any movement. He activated the timer, laid down on his bed, and awaited the final moment. At 3:30 a.m., the guillotine blade fell, ending his life.
