National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 336 - 336 303 Not Easy

336: Chapter 303 Not Easy 336: Chapter 303 Not Easy “Doctor Jiang, could you take a look at the body?” the forensic doctor Ye Tianhe from the Criminal Police Detachment greeted Jiang Yuan with a smile.

Ye Tianhe had worked with Jiang Yuan on the Mount Wulong savage case and they had examined the bodies of hikers together.

Back then, Jiang Yuan was chosen by Liu Jinghui for his fingerprint and crime scene analysis skills; his forensic expertise was not particularly outstanding.

However, Ye Tianhe did not dare to underestimate Jiang Yuan.

Not to mention in the detective team, being able to solve cases was the greatest talent, but in terms of forensic skills alone, Jiang Yuan’s recent burnt bone case demonstrated his strong foundation in forensic anthropology.

Forensic anthropology is pretty much the pinnacle of forensic science.

Just the expertise in forensic anthropology alone was enough to command respect from other forensic doctors.

Ye Tianhe definitely didn’t want to be the first person in Changyang City Criminal Police Detachment to make a foolish error—Yu Wenshu had been working in the detachment for nearly 10 years, and everyone had heard the story of his remarkable memory and the incident where he was tripped up.

Especially after Yu Wenshu’s repeated demonstrations, the atmosphere within the detachment had become much more harmonious.

Ye Tianhe had almost finished examining the body and now stepped aside to make room.

Since Jiang Yuan had arrived at the scene, it was certain that he would take over examining the body, Ye Tianhe thought as clear as a mirror.

Jiang Yuan then stepped forward to examine the body and asked, “What’s your conclusion, Doctor Ye?”

“Strangled, I guess,” Ye Tianhe took off his gloves and stretched his waist and back while explaining, “The eyes and sclera have tiny hemorrhages.

It’s quite obvious.”

Determining whether a deceased person found hanging was a murder or suicide is like a primary school graduation exam for a forensic doctor.

Is it difficult?

Just a little bit.

The difficulty mainly lies in comprehensiveness, that is, how many scenarios you can propose to differentiate between suicide and homicide.

If one could enumerate all or about eighty percent of them, then it would be considered passing at a primary school level.

Of course, like all similar topics, this one, too, can become infinitely complex, evolving into a subject suitable for masters or even doctorate research.

But in real cases, it’s rarer to find a criminal with such a high level of academic knowledge.

More importantly, when a criminal becomes so in-depth in one area, they tend to perform poorly in other aspects.

The pinpoint hemorrhages in the eyes and sclera are one of the plans to tell suicide from homicide.

Some people who are strangled may not exhibit these pinpoint hemorrhages in their eyes and sclera, which is the only point to be mindful of.

If this is the case, the forensic doctor can also make further judgments during the autopsy by examining the bruising of the neck muscles and the angles of the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage—as is usually the case, those who strangle others tend to use excessive force, applying more violence than necessary.

Striking the right balance to exactly strangle or choke someone to death involves quite a bit of skill.

Even so, it’s still possible for the sclera to show hemorrhaging—the charm of possibilities is just that alluring.

For Ye Tianhe, seeing the bleeding in the sclera and eyes was basically enough to decide to handle the unnatural death as a homicide case.

Next, the body definitely couldn’t be released to the family and would have to be on the autopsy table to check the condition of the hyoid bone and neck muscles…

However, even if the hyoid bone and neck muscles were intact, the conclusion wouldn’t change.

Because the victim could have been strangled with a cord-like object, which might not break the hyoid bone, but there’s a high chance it would leave strangulation marks since the tissues at the location of the marks collapse along with the blood vessels, delaying the arrival of the bacteria that cause decomposition, thus forming a trace.

It’s like cutting off a highway or a railway that transports goods; concurrently, the enemy’s troop movement is also halted, and the rate of invasion slows down.

All things considered, strangling someone to death and disguising it as suicide has become rather difficult in this day and age—it’s hardly worth it, right?

Jiang Yuan had no objections regarding the cause of death either.

He nodded, put on his gloves, and began examining the body meticulously from top to bottom, front and back.

He had waited so many days and was eager to try out his newly acquired Level 6 skill.

His first impression when he began was…

stiffness.

A body becomes stiff after death.

Rigor mortis could start to set in as soon as an hour after death, usually reaching its full extent over 12 hours, then begins to subside after around 18 hours, with the body gradually softening.

This is why some meat companies promote acid-released pork—it’s to ensure the pork is preserved well.

Pigs begin to experience rigor mortis 8 hours after death, which lasts for 15 to 24 hours.

So, after 32 hours, which also happens to be the right time to finish transportation, the stiffness ends, and by the time the meat reaches the consumers, it’s just the right softness, not feeling hard.

Additionally, enzymes in the meat start to work, breaking down the myofibrils to make the meat softer and juicier, which is also referred to as being less “wooden.” Theoretically, this could also add more flavor.

The preference for fresh, hot beef in the Chaoshan region makes perfect sense as well.

Cows start experiencing rigor mortis 10 hours after death, but it can last for 72 hours.

Therefore, the best beef should be consumed within 10 hours.

72 hours is simply too long; it’s better to let the meat mature.

Incidentally, fish begin to stiffen very quickly after death, starting from around 0.1 to 0.2 hours and lasting for about 2 hours.

The proper way to eat fish, therefore, is to cook it fresh right after killing or to marinate it for at least 2 hours before consumption.

From the examples of pigs, cows, and fish, one can also come to a conclusion.

The time when rigor mortis sets in and its duration can vary from one corpse to another.

The onset and duration of rigor mortis, as well as its stiffness, should also be different for different individuals.

This not only relates to a person’s body fat and muscle composition but can even depend on the location where the person died.

This isn’t about regional discrimination; it’s due to differences in temperature, humidity, and the types and states of bacteria in different regions.

It’s precisely these uncertain factors that make determining the time of death so difficult.

Some forensic doctors who work in a particular region for many years tend to accumulate their own experiential knowledge about estimating time, which is precisely for this reason.

For an understandable example, assume that at the same time, a person from the Northeast dies in the Northeast, and a person from Hainan dies in Hainan, the individual from Hainan should enter rigor mortis earlier and also exit it earlier.

If a person from the Northeast were to die in Hainan, the speed with which rigor mortis sets in would also depend on how long he had been in Hainan.

Of course, aside from rigor mortis and livor mortis, there are many other techniques for determining the time of death.

In fact, there’s such a high demand for precision in this area.

For example, there’s the cloudiness of the cornea, body temperature, and more advanced methods like Vitreous Humor Chemistry, measuring the concentration of potassium in the cells of the eyeball, and so on.

Jiang Yuan didn’t blurt out an answer just because he possessed Level 6 skills.

He still inspected the body carefully, trying to gather as much information as possible.

Such an advanced skill set in death determination is no longer just about the good application of a certain technical method but the excellent application of every technical method, with each corroborating the others.

So, after Jiang Yuan finished his inspection, he confidently concluded, “The time of death was around ten o’clock this morning.”

Ye Tianhe frowned slightly.

Being a forensic doctor like Jiang Yuan, he didn’t like estimations tied to a specific time such as ‘around a certain time.’ Someone like Ye Tianhe preferred to give a time range, from this hour to that hour, clear for everyone to see.

Some forensic doctors always like to give a precise time and then add ‘around’ to it.

While this approach might seem more confident and accurate, the meaning is almost the same; it could even be misleading.

Yet, after a case has been solved, people tend to think the former estimation is more accurate.

Ye Tianhe shook his head inwardly, attributing Jiang Yuan’s statement to youthful arrogance, wanting to show off a bit.

But in terms of the matter at hand, Ye Tianhe felt it should be more rigorous.

“The time of death was between 10:15 AM and 12 PM,” Ye Tianhe, who had arrived earlier and measured the body temperature, felt confident his margin of error wasn’t large.

And since Jiang Yuan arrived later, his degree of accuracy was certainly less than his.

Ye Tianhe was also considerate enough to leave some dignity for Jiang Yuan; his original estimation was from 11 AM to 12 PM.

He had now forcefully moved it back 45 minutes.

It was quite clear.

Later, he would have to mention this to the police officers working the case.

At this moment, Jiang Yuan said, “When I mentioned around ten o’clock, I meant I’m leaning towards the earlier side.

I believe the more likely time of death was just after 10 AM, meaning the earliest would be 10 o’clock and the latest by 10:30 AM.”

Ye Tianhe was startled; this was completely different from his own true estimation.

His correct time was never earlier than 11 AM.

Although it’s just a difference of 30 minutes, one limit is the upper bound for one person and the lower bound for the other, essentially making two different conclusions.

“Let me take another look,” Ye Tianhe said, unable to be absolutely sure now, especially since it was an estimation made by Jiang Yuan; flat out disagreeing with him was a bit difficult.

Wan Baoming, sensing some tension in the air, stepped forward with a smile, “Actually, everyone’s estimated times are virtually consistent.

It’s normal for there to be a slight discrepancy in the time of death.

I often see variations of an hour or two.

The deceased didn’t die according to any set schedule…”

Ye Tianhe heaved a sigh, casting a glance at the outsider in the room, Tang Jia, hesitating for a few seconds before saying, “The victim’s husband entered the room at 11:40 AM.

Considering the time of death determined by Jiang Yuan, the husband had no time to commit the crime.”

Wan Baoming was taken aback; the victim’s husband was a highly suspicious person, almost like a tailor-made suspect.

If the determination of the time of death provided an alibi for the victim’s husband, that would be a joke.

It could potentially lead to problems during the review of a death penalty case.

Wan Baoming became serious, looked at Jiang Yuan, and said, “Doctor Jiang, could you please revisit your examination?”

“Of course,” Jiang Yuan agreed, checking over the body once again.

After just a few minutes, Jiang Yuan looked up and said, “Considering all factors, I believe the most likely time the victim stopped breathing was at 10:10 AM.”

After a pause, Jiang Yuan spoke with a solemn tone, “I understand the situation you’re describing, but the conclusion I’ve provided is not seeking sensationalism.”

Jiang Yuan turned to Ye Tianhe and continued, “Doctor Ye, my judgment is purely based on technical assessment and not aimed at any individual.”

“I understand,” Ye Tianhe said, his expression still not pleased, but slightly softened.

The expressions of the people in the room all turned grave.

Handling this case was clearly not as straightforward as they had imagined.