A 28-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department after being found unconscious at home. Witnesses report that her husband held a cloth tightly around her neck for approximately 2 minutes during a domestic dispute. On examination, she has a horizontal ligature mark encircling the entire neck at the level of the thyroid cartilage, with the mark being continuous and deeply indented. She is now conscious but complaining of neck pain and difficulty swallowing. Her voice is hoarse. There are no petechial hemorrhages visible on the conjunctivae or face. What is the most likely mechanism of death in strangulation that would occur if this patient had not been rescued?