The deceased was a 25-year-old male employed as a heating/ventilation mechanic. He had failed to report for work, and the police were requested to check on his welfare. Police officers forced entry into the residence and discovered the man lying facedown on his bed wearing his underwear in a bound position. He had bound himself, securing his legs, hips, and arms. The man was wearing a gas mask, which was attached to some tubing through which he was inhaling refrigerant gas from a canister below the bed. The gas was chlorodifluoromethane (Freon 22), a colorless, near-odorless, nonflammable gas used in refrigeration.
Inside the apartment, the police discovered numerous sexual devices and toys as well as a blow-up doll and “heavy leather” accessories. There was a video playing depicting a girl involved in sexual bondage. On the hot tub were numerous dildos and other sexual paraphernalia. The deceased had recently purchased hundreds of dollars worth of sexual devices online. He did not have a girlfriend and was basically a loner who spent a lot of time by himself at home.
This photo shows the mask on the victim’s face after it was disconnected from the gas supply hose.
The gas canister of refrigerant gas that the deceased was using to get “high” during his autoerotic event. As for autoerotic deaths by chemical substances, in most cases the autoerotic practitioner used gases, such as nitrous oxide, propane, butane, ether, and aerosol glue, that caused suffocation by chemical asphyxia.
Paraphernalia. In the apartment, police discovered numerous sexual devices and toys as well as a blow-up doll and “heavy leather” accessories.
