Strange Deaths

[EnolaGaia]

This 2017 Detroit News article is the most detailed biography I've found:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/n...ton-man-niagara-falls-cheats-death/104931426/

All indications were that he had planned to go over the falls a second time in an inflatable ball along with the boa constrictor and using a drone to film the plunge for merchandising purposes. He'd already set up a website for marketing souvenir T-shirts.

The ball was sighted drifting and spinning above the falls - empty. It then drifted into the current and was swept over the brink. The drone was found crashed on an island in the river. Its camera had some footage of the river, but nothing showing Jones or the ball.

No one connected the mystery ball with Jones until his ex-wife contacted Niagara authorities. Jones' van and an empty snake cage were found soon after the cops learned who / what they were looking for.

It would be roughly 6 weeks later that his body was discovered 12 miles downstream from the falls. The boa was never found.

 

[Kondoru]

Perfectly normal, eh?

 

[GNC]

This 2017 Detroit News article is the most detailed biography I've found:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/n...ton-man-niagara-falls-cheats-death/104931426/

All indications were that he had planned to go over the falls a second time in an inflatable ball along with the boa constrictor and using a drone to film the plunge for merchandising purposes. He'd already set up a website for marketing souvenir T-shirts.

The ball was sighted drifting and spinning above the falls - empty. It then drifted into the current and was swept over the brink. The drone was found crashed on an island in the river. Its camera had some footage of the river, but nothing showing Jones or the ball.

No one connected the mystery ball with Jones until his ex-wife contacted Niagara authorities. Jones' van and an empty snake cage were found soon after the cops learned who / what they were looking for.

It would be roughly 6 weeks later that his body was discovered 12 miles downstream from the falls. The boa was never found.

Thanks, @EnolaGaia - seems I could also have posted this in the Great Acts of Stupidity. The maniacal behaviour that goes into getting likes on YouTube!

 

[ramonmercado]

They expected a short journey but it lasted three months.

The decomposed remains of seven people, believed to be undocumented migrants, have been discovered in a fertiliser container in Paraguay, officials say.

It set off from Serbia on 21 July. The container had travelled through Croatia - thought to be the migrants' planned destination - before going through Egypt, Spain and Argentina en route to Paraguay
.
Three of the seven were from Morocco and one was from Egypt, forensic doctor Pablo Lemir said. The discovery was made by employees of an agricultural company in Paraguay's capital, Asuncion. Asphyxiation was the likely cause of death, Dr Lemir said, adding that all of the victims are believed to be male adults. ...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54675172

 

[ramonmercado]

Truly bizarre.

A woman was strangled to death after two dogs pulled on their leads which were around her neck as she walked them, an inquest has heard.

Deborah Roberts was fatally injured in Garden Village, Wrexham on 8 July. She had been walking two Staffordshire bull terriers when it is thought she may have stumbled, possibly due to her Huntington's disease. The coroner told the inquest at Ruthin that it was a "tragic case" and concluded the death was an accident.

Ms Roberts, 47, had the two rope leads around her neck as she walked the animals. The inquest was told she usually placed the leads around her neck, but not normally in the way it would be attached to a dog. She had been suffering from Huntington's disease, an inherited, degenerative condition, which had led to her mobility deteriorating. ...

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55170356

 

[Mythopoeika]

Why did she put the leads round her neck? Most odd.

 

[WeeScottishLassie]

Truly bizarre.

A woman was strangled to death after two dogs pulled on their leads which were around her neck as she walked them, an inquest has heard.

Deborah Roberts was fatally injured in Garden Village, Wrexham on 8 July. She had been walking two Staffordshire bull terriers when it is thought she may have stumbled, possibly due to her Huntington's disease. The coroner told the inquest at Ruthin that it was a "tragic case" and concluded the death was an accident.

Ms Roberts, 47, had the two rope leads around her neck as she walked the animals. The inquest was told she usually placed the leads around her neck, but not normally in the way it would be attached to a dog. She had been suffering from Huntington's disease, an inherited, degenerative condition, which had led to her mobility deteriorating. ...

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55170356

OMG! that's awful

 

[WeeScottishLassie]

Why did she put the leads round her neck? Most odd.

Very strange decision.

 

[EnolaGaia]

Why did she put the leads round her neck? Most odd.

I've seen persons do that to free up both hands for some situational purpose (e.g., to use a cellphone) - if the 'handle' end (loop) is fixed so as to not tighten and big enough to slide over one's head or up one's arm onto a shoulder.

According to the article Ms. Roberts was using leads that constrict at the dog end (i.e., a choke style), and for some reason she had reversed the leads so that it was the constricting end / loop that was around her neck:

His colleague said in a statement both of the choke areas which go around the dog's necks were around Ms Roberts's neck.

 

[MorningAngel]

This is very strange. The dogs made it worse by trying to help. I would suggest maybe it was a weird form of suicide but she had a young relative with her.

 

[escargot]

We discussed this back in the summer. I think it was an accident.

Here's what I said at the time -

When I kept two dogs I'd routinely walk them on two leads clipped together. Sometimes it would be one lead (actually an old handbag strap!) with a connector at each end, about a yard long, because having the two full-length leads attached together made a trip hazard.

Maybe the dogs had seen something they wanted to chase, like a squirrel, and become agitated and started circling round her. Or perhaps they started fighting.

If she was trying to control them by passing a lead over her head so both dogs were on the same side, or else trying to keep them apart, she might have got it caught round her neck. This sort of thing can happen quickly with dogs.

I've had something similar but my only injury was a slight rope burn.

 

[WeeScottishLassie]

We discussed this back in the summer. I think it was an accident.

Here's what I said at the time -

I can only imagine it to be a tragic accident too.

Her poor dogs must have been so distressed and not understanding what's going on.

 

[escargot]

I can only imagine it to be a tragic accident too.

Her poor dogs must have been so distressed and not understanding what's going on.

Yup, seems she put the chain end of a choke-lead round her neck to hold it and was strangled.

I can see why someone might be tempted to do this with a lead as the chain would make one end too heavy for it stay put, but then surely they'd think nah, that's dangerous!
She didn't though.

 

[brownmane]

The article does state that she had Huntington's disease. It does affect your cognitive abilities, so she may have not recognized the danger or not noticed that she'd put the choke end of lead on her neck.

 

[EnolaGaia]

... she may have not recognized the danger or not noticed that she'd put the choke end of lead on her neck.

IMHO that's the most likely explanation.

 

[WeeScottishLassie]

The article does state that she had Huntington's disease. It does affect your cognitive abilities, so she may have not recognized the danger or not noticed that she'd put the choke end of lead on her neck.

That sounds very plausible.

 

[Schrodinger's Zebra]

Truly bizarre.

A woman was strangled to death after two dogs pulled on their leads which were around her neck as she walked them, an inquest has heard.

Deborah Roberts was fatally injured in Garden Village, Wrexham on 8 July. She had been walking two Staffordshire bull terriers when it is thought she may have stumbled, possibly due to her Huntington's disease. The coroner told the inquest at Ruthin that it was a "tragic case" and concluded the death was an accident.

Ms Roberts, 47, had the two rope leads around her neck as she walked the animals. The inquest was told she usually placed the leads around her neck, but not normally in the way it would be attached to a dog. She had been suffering from Huntington's disease, an inherited, degenerative condition, which had led to her mobility deteriorating. ...

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55170356

Very sad. As a dog owner the only time I ever put a lead around my neck (same for Mr Zebra) is when the dog is off-lead and I loop it over my neck so I don't have to carry it in my hand, but that is just draping it around my neck; pulling on either end would just result in it falling to the ground.

As the article mentions "rope leads" it sounds like these are the sort that don't have any actual metal chain on them, but are instead the type made of a rope which loops inside itself; acting in the same manner as a choke-chain lead but made just of rope material.

If she'd put her head inside the loop part, though, (i.e. so it would tighten around her neck when pulled) I'm not sure how the other end would have been attached to the dog, because that end would just be the handle end. Unless the dogs pulled on the handle ends with their mouths when they were trying to help her?

Anyway yes, bizarrely tragic and sad, and I agree that she possibly didn't think too clearly about what she was doing (don't we all do things without thinking at times).

 

[ramonmercado]

Used to be hairdryers, I wonder how common death by phone-charger is.

A woman was electrocuted after suffering a massive electric shock when her charging iPhone fell in her bath.

Olesya Semenova, 24, was found by her flatmate at their home in Russian city Arkhangelsk.

'I screamed, shook her, but she was pale, did not breathe and showed no signs of life,' distraught friend named Daria, an estate agent, told the emergency operator.

'I was really scared. When I touched her, I got an electric shock.There was a smartphone in the water, it was charging.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ectrocuted-dropping-iPhone-bath-charging.html

 

[catseye]

Perhaps someone else can remember this but I am sure I remember reading about a man who was strangled by a dog lead a few years back? It was the lead that belonged to his deceased dog and he wore it almost as jewellery, looped around his neck. I've got the feeling one end caught in something and strangled him - I don't think it was attached to a dog at the time.

I find it hard to picture how long those leads must have been to have been around the lady's neck and still attached to dogs at the same time. Long enough to make it VERY hard to have any control over the dogs, anyway.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Used to be hairdryers, I wonder how common death by phone-charger is.

A woman was electrocuted after suffering a massive electric shock when her charging iPhone fell in her bath.

Olesya Semenova, 24, was found by her flatmate at their home in Russian city Arkhangelsk.

'I screamed, shook her, but she was pale, did not breathe and showed no signs of life,' distraught friend named Daria, an estate agent, told the emergency operator.

'I was really scared. When I touched her, I got an electric shock.There was a smartphone in the water, it was charging.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ectrocuted-dropping-iPhone-bath-charging.html

Very odd. The phone charger is a step-down transformer, which outputs a much lower DC voltage (5 volts).
It should not have killed her.

 

[Xanatic*]

Yep, sounds unlikely. Perhaps the falling out of windows thing was getting too obvious.

 

[escargot]

Used to be hairdryers, I wonder how common death by phone-charger is.

A woman was electrocuted after suffering a massive electric shock when her charging iPhone fell in her bath.

Olesya Semenova, 24, was found by her flatmate at their home in Russian city Arkhangelsk.

'I screamed, shook her, but she was pale, did not breathe and showed no signs of life,' distraught friend named Daria, an estate agent, told the emergency operator.

'I was really scared. When I touched her, I got an electric shock.There was a smartphone in the water, it was charging.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ectrocuted-dropping-iPhone-bath-charging.html

This has precedent in London -

(BBC News link)

Man dies charging iPhone while in the bath

A man was electrocuted as he charged his mobile phone while in the bath, an inquest has heard.

Richard Bull, 32, died when his iPhone charger made contact with the water at his home in Ealing, west London.

A coroner ruled his death was accidental and plans to send a report to Apple about taking action to prevent future deaths.

Safety campaigners have warned about the dangers of charging mobiles near water following the inquest.

Mr Bull is believed to have plugged his charger into an extension cord from the hallway and rested it on his chest while using the phone

 

[Mungoman]

Who on Earth uses their phone while they're having a bath?

 

[Xanatic*]

I dare say most people do. More difficult in the shower.

 

[WeeScottishLassie]

Who on Earth uses their phone while they're having a bath?

I have a friend who frequently uses it whilst having a bath!

I would be far too anxious to attempt it!

Then again, I get scared of dropping it down the toilet when I'm using it on there.

 

[brownmane]

Very odd. The phone charger is a step-down transformer, which outputs a much lower DC voltage (5 volts).
It should not have killed her.

And what? No GFI in the bathroom outlet?

 

[escargot]

Who on Earth uses their phone while they're having a bath?

Yup, not clever. Some people can hardly stand to put their phone down.

As a teenager I used to read in the bath and the odd book suffered a dunking. Can remember one getting soaked and ending up about 5'' thick. I still read it. Taught me a lesson, which was that you can drop things in the bath.

 

[Mythopoeika]

And what? No GFI in the bathroom outlet?

Probably used an extension lead from a non-circuit-breaker outlet.

 

[brownmane]

Probably used an extension lead from a non-circuit-breaker outlet.

Yup

 

[Krepostnoi]

And what? No GFI in the bathroom outlet?

I'm going to go out on a limb, here, and posit that the electrical circuits in standard accommodation - all the apartment blocks would be to the same design - in a provincial Russian town were not installed with a great deal of health and safety considerations in mind. I've lived in some... iPhones are expensive in Russia, but life, sadly, is cheap.