Intrauterine fetal death was observed in a woman at 35 gestational weeks shortly after she was admitted to hospital due to suspected placental insufficiency expressed by oligohydramnios and fetal growth retardation. The pathologic examination showed umbilical cord torsion and an organized thrombus at the site of the torsion. This findings could imply that both the fetal death and the placental insufficiency were the results of the cord torsion.