The Richard Cory Phenomenon: Suicide and Wealth in Kansas City, Missouri
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Journal of Forensic Sciences
Abstract
This case-control study investigates the relationship between suicide and wealth in Kansas City, Missouri. House and personal property appraisal data on all victims of suicide from 1998 and 2002 and victims from a control population of deaths reported to the Jackson County Medical Examiner during the same time interval were obtained from the Jackson County Government website. The controls were matched to suicide cases by race, gender, year of death, and age at death (+/- 1 year). Data from the 426 members of each group of suicides and controls indicate that suicide victims were: 1) 77% more likely than controls to have lived in houses rather than in apartments or trailers, 2) more likely than controls to have lived in more expensive houses (mean values dollar 70,143 versus dolllar 61,513 respectively, p = 0.04) and 3) more likely to have killed themselves because of factors other than financial strain (8.0% of suicides showed financial strain).
DOI
10.1520/JFS2004347
Publication Date
3-2005
Keywords
forensic science, death investigation, suicide, wealth, case-control study
ISSN
1556-4029
Recommended Citation
Young TW, Wooden SE, Dew PC, Hoff GL, Cai J. The Richard Cory Phenomenon: Suicide and Wealth in Kansas City, Missouri. Journal of Forensic Sciences. 2005; 50(2). doi: 10.1520/JFS2004347.
