A random question related to another case:- Is it possible to beat a child to death with a stick & leave absolutely no forensic traces of injury or death except remnant scent?
I take it they have no body, but they have a stick, or a witness who saw a stick. Yes if the site was cleaned up. and the blow was to the larynx maybe. Heart can stop and death occur.
"Tracheobronchial injury (TBI) is damage to the tracheobronchial tree (the airway structure involving the trachea and bronchi).[2] It can result from blunt or penetrating trauma to the neck or chest,[3] inhalation of harmful fumes or smoke, or aspiration of liquids or objects.[4]
Though rare, TBI is a serious condition; it may cause obstruction of the airway with resulting life-threatening respiratory insufficiency.[2] Other injuries accompany TBI in about half of cases.[5] Of those people with TBI who die, most do so before receiving emergency care, either from airway obstruction, exsanguination, or from injuries to other vital organs. Of those who do reach a hospital, the mortality rate may be as high as 30%.[6]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracheobronchial_injury