frightfiction Chapter 1425 Sent Back to the Criminal Investigation Division, Criminal Investigation Autopsy
Chapter 1425 Sent Back to the Criminal Investigation Division, Criminal Investigation Autopsy
As evening fell and the sun set, Nanhu Square gradually returned to calm, but the work of the Criminal Investigation Detachment was just entering its most intensive phase. The technical department was conducting its examinations, and team members were still busy with interviews and investigations in and around the square. Li Ming convened a case analysis meeting in the detachment's conference room, reviewing the current investigation results and leads gathered from interviews, and adjusting subsequent investigative strategies. He emphasized that this dismemberment and body disposal case was extremely heinous, seriously endangering public safety, and must be solved as soon as possible to bring the suspect to justice and restore a peaceful living environment for the citizens.
As night deepened, the lights of the Criminal Investigation Division remained bright. Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun were still finalizing the investigation report, meticulously recording the extraction process and detailed characteristics of each piece of trace evidence; technical staff were repeatedly testing samples in the laboratory, attempting to find a breakthrough through DNA, fiber composition, and fingerprint comparison; investigators returned to the division with their interview records, systematically reviewing and filtering clues. Although the road to solving the case was fraught with difficulties, everyone was filled with determination, vowing to bring the suspect to justice and deliver justice to the deceased.
As night completely enveloped the city, the investigation vehicle carrying human remains smoothly drove into the courtyard of the Municipal Criminal Investigation Detachment's Forensic Identification Center. It was already 8:30 PM. Forensic pathologist Zhang Lin and his assistant Xiao Lin, fully equipped with their autopsy protective gear, were waiting outside the autopsy room—dark blue autopsy gowns covered by disposable sterile protective suits, high-top puncture-resistant boots, face shielded helmets, double-layered sterile latex gloves, and protective masks completely covering their mouths and noses, leaving only a pair of focused and sharp eyes visible. Inside the autopsy room, two high-precision biosafety cabinets, a multi-band fluorescence detector, an electronic scale, an autopsy table, a tissue sampling table, and other equipment were already in operation. The low-temperature refrigerator had also been activated in advance to ensure that the preservation environment for the samples met the required standards.
"Xiao Lin, prepare to receive the evidence." Zhang Lin's voice came through his protective mask, carrying a hint of composure. Two investigators carefully carried the sealed evidence box containing human remains into the autopsy room and placed it on the shelf next to the autopsy table. Before opening the box, Zhang Lin first thoroughly disinfected the surface of the box with alcohol spray, then instructed Xiao Lin to record: "Receive time: 20:45 PM, Evidence name: 6 human remains, 4 white plastic bags containing the remains, 3 mud samples collected from the scene, Numbers: NH-20240512-001 to 008, Preservation status: sealed and refrigerated, no damage or leakage."
After the disinfection process was completed, Zhang Lin and Xiao Lin began to remove the human remains one by one from the evidence box and place them on the dissection table covered with a sterile waterproof cloth. "First, we need to piece together the remains and make preliminary identifications. This is the foundation of dismemberment autopsies," Zhang Lin explained to Xiao Lin while operating the dismemberment case. "Piecing together the remains in a dismemberment case can not only determine whether the body parts are intact, but also analyze the dismemberment tools and the order of dismemberment by examining the degree of fit of the wounds." The two put on sterile dissection gloves and gently moved the remains with sterile forceps, making preliminary pieces together according to the human anatomical structure.
“Teacher Zhang, this is a fragment of the head. The mandible is intact, and there are no obvious signs of skull fracture.” Xiao Lin first placed the most easily identifiable fragment of the head on the left side of the dissection table, then picked up a larger fragment. “This should be the upper part of the torso, with part of the clavicle and sternum. The cut surface is flat.” Zhang Lin examined it closely and gently pressed the cut surface of the fragment with his finger: “The cut edge is neat, without serrated tears. The preliminary judgment is that it was formed by a single cut with a sharp instrument, ruling out tissue tearing caused by blunt force. Look closely at the muscle fibers on the cut surface. They are neatly arranged and there is no obvious contraction or curling, suggesting that the dismemberment may have occurred after death, or that the muscles had lost their ability to contract in the dying period.”
After nearly 40 minutes of meticulous piecing together, the six fragments were initially assembled into a complete human outline: one head fragment, retaining the skull, facial soft tissue, and 3 cm of tissue below the neck; two torso fragments, the upper section containing the sternum, clavicle, and some thoracic vertebrae, and the lower section containing the lumbar vertebrae, pelvis, and some abdominal organs; the original record of six fragments was revised to a reasonable segmentation based on anatomical logic to ensure professionalism; two upper limb fragments, approximately the same upper limb, were intact and separated at the shoulder joint; and two lower limb fragments, approximately the same lower limb, were intact and separated at the hip joint. "The fragments are complete and without missing pieces, indicating that the dismemberer put all the dismembered body pieces into a suitcase and left no other fragments outside the disposal site." Zhang Lin used a tape measure to measure the size of each fragment: "The head fragment is 28 centimeters long, the upper part of the torso is 35 centimeters long, the lower part of the torso is 42 centimeters long, the left upper limb is 62 centimeters long, the right upper limb is 61 centimeters long, the left lower limb is 88 centimeters long, and the right lower limb is 87 centimeters long. Based on this, the deceased's height is estimated to be about 175-178 centimeters."
After the initial assembly was completed, Zhang Lin activated the multi-band fluorescence detector, adjusting the wavelength to 450 nanometers, and irradiated the cut surfaces and surfaces of all the fragments: "In dismemberment cases, the key is to check whether there are any ante-mortem injuries on the cut surfaces, which is crucial for determining the cause of death. If the dismemberment occurred ante-mortem, there will be bleeding around the cut surfaces, which will show specific fluorescence under fluorescence irradiation." The detector's beam slowly swept across the cut surfaces of each fragment, and Zhang Lin and Xiao Lin observed intently. "No specific fluorescence reaction was observed on any of the cut surfaces, and there was no congestion or edema in the surrounding tissues, further confirming that the dismemberment occurred post-mortem," Zhang Lin recorded. "Next, we will conduct a systematic autopsy, starting with the head, to check for any craniocerebral injuries."
Xiao Lin immediately handed over a craniocerebral dissection toolkit. Zhang Lin removed the circular saw and marked the location of the skull fragment on the parietal bone: "Start sawing 2 cm to the left of the midline of the parietal bone to avoid damaging the brain tissue." After starting the circular saw, it steadily cut into the skull, quickly opening a circular bone window. Zhang Lin gently pried open the bone fragment with a bone pry bar, exposing the brain tissue: "The brain tissue is intact, with no contusions or hemorrhages, no blood accumulation in the subarachnoid space, and the skull base fracture line is negative, ruling out death due to craniocerebral injury." He used sterile forceps to extract a small amount of brain tissue sample and placed it in a test tube containing formalin fixative: "Labeled as brain-001 sample, to be examined pathologically to rule out the possibility of poisoning or pathological death."
After the head dissection, the two men turned to the upper torso remains. Zhang Lin used a scalpel to cut open the soft tissue along the midline of the sternum, exposing the thoracic organs: "The heart and both lungs were visible in the thoracic cavity, with no obvious damage." He removed the heart and weighed it on an electronic scale: "The heart weighed 320 grams, which is consistent with the weight range of 250-350 grams for an adult male heart." He then cut open the right ventricle: "The heart chamber was empty, with no blood clots, indicating that the blood had coagulated or been lost after death. The myocardial tissue was observed to be dark red in color, with no degeneration or necrosis, ruling out pathological causes of death such as coronary heart disease or cardiomyopathy."