Yale Student Death: Annie Le Killed by Traumatic Asphyxiation, Says Coroner
NEW HAVEN, Conn.(CBS/AP) Authorities have finally released the autopsy report on slain Yale graduate student Annie Le, who went missing on Sept. 8, 2009. The state medical examiner says that the promising medical researcher died of traumatic asphyxiation by neck compression.
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Traumatic asphyxiation is characterized as a severe compression of the thorax, or the chest, and is sometimes called "crush asphyxiation". The method of choking requires intense pressure on the victim, comparable to the way a python kills its prey.
A short statement about the autopsy was released Wednesday by Dr. Wayne Carver's office. The report comes three days after 24-year-old Annie Le was found hidden inside the basement wall of a Yale medical school research building.
Police have called Yale lab technician Raymond Clark III a "person of interest" in the case and have collected DNA and other physical evidence. No charges have been filed.
Photos: Yale Murder "Person of Interest"
Photos: Raymond Clark & Fiancée in Love
Photos: Yale Holds Vigil for Slain Student
Photos: Student Found Dead on Wedding Day
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