# What could account for this guy's \[I guess\] skin graft? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 10, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-account-for-this-guys-i-guess-skin-graft/813894 "2018-05-10T02:09:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-account-for-this-guys-i-guess-skin-graft/813894/1 "2018-05-10T02:09:09Z")
This guy was in the news for trying to hire a hit man to kill his neighbor. The “hit man” was a federal agent. Anyway, here’s a mugshot of the guy: [https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/bdtonline.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/52/852b5508-dc68-5b3e-88ee-d20403e03479/5af236f54bb1e.image.jpg](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/bdtonline.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/52/852b5508-dc68-5b3e-88ee-d20403e03479/5af236f54bb1e.image.jpg) He appears to have a skin graft around his neck and part of one shoulder. Anyone want to guess what kind of injury or illness would require a skin graft like that? My first thought was a burn, but what kind of burn would do such damage to a ring around your neck but not your face? My wife suggested some kind of electrical burn, which I could see maybe. I thought maybe the guy had tried to hang himself, and the rope caused damage, but that wouldn’t explain the apparent damage to his shoulder, and I would imagine (based only on old Westerns) that a hanging scar would be closer to the head. The guy was apparently connected to some white supremacist groups. Is there some practice among those groups to punish people by burning around their neck or something? Yeah, it’s none of my business. But I’m really curious. Anyone here seen anything like this before? ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-account-for-this-guys-i-guess-skin-graft/813894/2 "2018-05-10T02:37:30Z")
Chemical burn? Some kind of industrial accident? That’s where you’d be injured if you were wearing a face shield, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-account-for-this-guys-i-guess-skin-graft/813894/3 "2018-05-10T02:37:35Z")
Yea, it looks like a burn to me. Mr.Wrekker has a burn scar with grafts under one arm. He was hit with a furnace blow back at his job, in his 20s. It looks alot like that. He threw is arm up to protect his face and that’s how it got under his arm and arm pit, no burn on his face or rib cage. Fire does weird shit. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-account-for-this-guys-i-guess-skin-graft/813894/4 "2018-05-10T02:43:52Z")
Yep, I’d guess it’s a burn scar. If his shirt was set on fire it could burn his chest, shoulder, and neck but maybe not get all the way to his face. Likewise a chemical burn from a splash could do it, and as mentioned a face guard might save his face but not the visibly damaged skin. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-account-for-this-guys-i-guess-skin-graft/813894/5 "2018-05-10T14:08:35Z")
Coulda been a burn that caught his shirt on fire like \*\*Broomstick \*\*said, and he was wearing a mask that preserved his face. Like say oh an explosion at his meth lab… ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-account-for-this-guys-i-guess-skin-graft/813894/6 "2018-05-10T14:32:38Z")
Good points, everyone. The facemask explanation is probably the simplest and most likely. Something like an older style welding helmet would probably cover down a little past his chin but leave his chest vulnerable if he wasn’t wearing a protective suit of some kind. It could also be something like what **Beckdawrek** suggests, since we can’t see his arms. In retrospect, those are all obvious explanations that I probably should have thought of myself. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delicious)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-account-for-this-guys-i-guess-skin-graft/813894/7 "2018-05-10T15:05:26Z")
Looks to me like he’s wearing the skin of his enemy but he’s put it through the wash a few too many times. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-account-for-this-guys-i-guess-skin-graft/813894/8 "2018-05-10T19:39:35Z")
Here’s a link to the [whole story](https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/09/us/south-carolina-alleged-murder-for-hire-plot/index.html). I’m quite horrified that he thought someone would be willing to do this for a mere 500 dollars. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-account-for-this-guys-i-guess-skin-graft/813894/9 "2018-05-11T01:42:54Z")
It looks like what used to happen when double knit polyester caught on fire. This guy is probably too young to own any, but the stuff would just melt to the skin and then burn like sugar does. Truly horrific. It could also be an acid splash. If he maybe tripped while carrying some, and his chin was up when it happened then it might have stopped at the jawline this way. It almost makes you want to feel sorry for him. But not quite.