frightfiction Chapter 1074 Detailed Account of Autopsy
Chapter 1074 Detailed Account of Autopsy
"Teacher Zhang, do you think this bruise on the back of the head is a fatal injury?" Xiaolin couldn't help but ask.
“It’s too early to say,” Zhang Lin shook his head. “Corruption has already damaged too much of the organizational structure, so we need to combine the examination of other parts of the body to make a judgment. Let’s continue the examination, starting with the neck.”
The examination of the neck was equally difficult; the putrefaction had caused the neck tissue to swell and deform, making it impossible to distinguish between skin and muscle. Zhang Lin patiently separated the tissue layer by layer, when suddenly he stopped. "Xiao Lin, look here!" he said, picking up a section of tissue with tweezers. "There's a fracture in the greater horn of the hyoid bone!"
Kobayashi moved closer and, under the magnifying glass, could clearly see an irregular fracture mark at the greater horn of the hyoid bone. "It really is a fracture!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Does this mean the deceased was strangled to death?"
“That’s possible, but we can’t draw conclusions based on that alone,” Zhang Lin said meticulously. “Spontaneous fractures can also occur during decomposition, but the shape of this fracture looks more like it was caused by external force. Look, there’s a slight misalignment at the fracture edge and a small amount of bleeding. Although it’s been soaked in putrefactive fluid, you can tell it was an injury sustained before death.” He measured the length and width of the fracture with a ruler. “Make a note of this: fracture of the greater horn of the hyoid bone, with misalignment at the edge and signs of bleeding before death.”
Next came the examination of the chest and abdominal cavities. When Zhang Lin opened the chest cavity with a scalpel, the odor mixed with the smell of decaying organs became even stronger. The lungs had turned dark brown and were extremely fragile, crumbling at the slightest touch. "The lungs are not significantly swollen," Zhang Lin examined the lungs, "The cut surface is dark red, and a small amount of foamy liquid flows out when squeezed. No obvious foreign objects were found obstructing the airway."
He then picked up the heart. Its surface was covered with a thick layer of putrefied material, obscuring its original color. "The heart is of normal size, no blood clots were found in the atria and ventricles, and there are no obvious signs of hardening in the coronary arteries," Zhang Lin said, cutting open the heart. "There are a few bleeding points under the epicardium, which could be a sign of asphyxiation or putrefaction; further investigation is needed to determine the cause."
The situation inside the abdominal cavity was equally alarming. Solid organs such as the liver and spleen had softened and deformed, turning a dark green color. "The liver has shrunk significantly in size, is soft in texture, and has a pasty cut surface," Zhang Lin examined the liver. "The spleen is also highly decomposed, with its structure indistinct. There is a large amount of putrefactive gas in the gastrointestinal tract, causing significant intestinal dilation."
"Teacher Zhang, there's something in my stomach!" Xiaolin suddenly exclaimed. When she checked the contents of her stomach, she found some undigested food residue.
Zhang Lin immediately leaned over and used tweezers to pick up a small amount of food residue: "It looks like a mixture of rice and meat, along with some vegetable fiber. We'll take a sample and send it for testing to see if we can determine the type of food and when it was eaten." He estimated the amount of stomach contents: "About 300 milliliters, moderately digested, which will be helpful in determining the time of death."
When examining the body's limbs, Zhang Lin noticed some abnormalities. "There was a clear ligature mark around the left wrist," he said, tracing the mark with his finger. "It was about 0.8 centimeters wide, with irregular edges, and signs of bruising and peeling skin." He measured the depth of the mark with a ruler. "The deepest part was 0.6 centimeters, which must have been caused by being bound with a rope or similar object."
"There are a few strands of fiber between the fingers of the right hand, which were already extracted during the previous on-site investigation," Kobayashi reminded, "The test results are not yet available."
“Okay,” Zhang Lin nodded. “Make a note of it. There are ligature marks on the left wrist with irregular edges, accompanied by bruising and peeling skin. There are fibrous remnants between the fingers of the right hand, which have been sent for testing.” He examined the bones of the limbs. “No fractures were found in the long bones of the limbs, but there is a callus from an old fracture that has healed in the middle of the left femur, indicating that the deceased had been injured in the left leg before his death.”
The most crucial step, determining the cause of death, has arrived. Zhang Lin reviewed the examination again and found: "The deceased had a fracture of the greater horn of the hyoid bone, subepicardial hemorrhages, and ligature marks on the left wrist. These all point to the possibility of death by asphyxiation. Although decomposition has altered some characteristics, considering all factors, asphyxiation is the most likely cause of death."
"What about the bruises on the back of the head?" Kobayashi asked.
“Although the contusion on the occipital region was an injury sustained before death, the extent of the injury was not enough to be fatal,” Zhang Lin analyzed. “It is more likely that the head hit a hard object while the deceased was struggling during the asphyxiation process. Therefore, I believe that the direct cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation, specifically strangulation. The ligature mark on the left wrist may have been left by being tied up during the asphyxiation process.”
Regarding the determination of the time of death, Zhang Lin was even more cautious. “Based on the degree of decomposition of the body, the skin was dark green all over, the epidermis had peeled off, the cornea was completely cloudy, rigor mortis had subsided, and the livor mortis had become less obvious due to the pressure of the putrefactive gases,” he listed one by one. “Combined with the ambient temperature and humidity, as well as the degree of digestion of the stomach contents, the preliminary judgment is that the time of death was about 14 days ago, with an error margin of no more than 2 days.”
"About 14 days?" Kobayashi asked, somewhat surprised. "Is that precise?"
“This is only a preliminary assessment,” Zhang Lin explained. “The decomposition process is affected by many factors, such as ambient temperature, humidity, and whether the body is wrapped. The deceased was found at a garbage dump, where the surrounding environment is complex and the temperature and humidity fluctuate greatly, which may affect the rate of decomposition. We also need to combine other methods, such as entomological examination, to see if there are maggots on the body. The growth stage of maggots can also help us to determine the time of death more accurately.”
He pointed to the back of the corpse's ears and nasal cavity, "There are a small number of maggot larvae here. They have been collected and sent for testing. Once the results are out, we will make a comprehensive judgment, which should be able to reduce the error in the time of death to within one day."
The autopsy lasted a full four hours. When Zhang Lin removed his gas mask, his face was covered in sweat. Looking at the corpse on the autopsy table, he knew that these autopsy details would be key to solving the case. "Xiao Lin, organize all the specimens and slides and send them for testing as soon as possible," he instructed. "Especially the hyoid bone, stomach contents, and maggot samples; these are crucial for determining the cause and time of death."
Xiao Lin nodded and began to work. The lights in the autopsy room remained bright, illuminating the cold instruments and the stench-filled corpses, and also illuminating the path forensic doctors in their pursuit of the truth. Zhang Lin gazed at the dark night sky outside the window, silently hoping that these autopsy results would quickly provide strong clues for solving the case and allow the deceased to rest in peace.