National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 658 - 602: Crime Scene Reenactment

Chapter 658: Chapter 602: Crime Scene Reenactment

The body had been taken away, and Professor Chen was inclined to follow it.

He specialized in autopsy, which, by nature, involved working with corpses. A crime scene actually wasn’t really within the scope of his work.

Jiang Yuan was reluctant to let go of the temporary skill he had just started using, saying, "I want to look around some more. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a frontline crime scene. Once we’re back, I’ll have to look at pictures again."

With over 500 minutes’s time, improving the skill by one point would enhance his understanding of the case and crime scene reconstruction.

"Uh... okay," Professor Chen said, a bit embarrassed, and decided to stay as well.

The scent at the scene was intense, not just the smell of blood, but also the lingering odors of an uncleaned kitchen and dining area, which continually drifted in.

The weak lighting of the dining area was replaced by several bright lamps. The lamps were pure white and as intense as a middle-aged man’s crotch soaked with oysters, trying to serve their purpose in the limited time available.

Jiang Yuan calculated while observing the scene.

Compared to photos, the scents at the scene were also one of the bases for judgement. Apart from that, things like the coagulation level of half-dried blood or the softness of pooled blood were hard to observe in photos.

Estimating the time of death through blood is actually a very mature technique; there are multiple dimensions and indicators that can be used to make the estimate.

Similar to bloodstain analysis, many veteran detectives are skilled in this area, often outperforming academicians like Professor Chen.

In past years, when dealing with immediate murder cases, or robbery cases involving bloodstains, veteran detectives often needed to estimate the time of death right down to the hour.

In times with a high volume of cases, special practice was hardly necessary. After arresting the suspect and interrogating them to confirm the time of death, they would check it against the bloodstains at the scene. With this method, it didn’t take long to become familiar with the relationship between bloodstains and the time of death. This could even be called a part where practice makes perfect.

With more methods of investigation now, bloodstains have become less valuable; their most distinctive purpose in crime scene reconstruction has partly been transferred to cameras and has been slowly forgotten.

Jiang Yuan looked over the scene, simulating it in his mind.

Once the wiped bloodstain under the corpse had been determined, the scene in Jiang Yuan’s mind neared completion.

Based on recent experience with cases, Jiang Yuan didn’t downplay his abilities. Once certain, he said directly, "Shall I do a scene reconstruction analysis so everyone can have a basic understanding, which will facilitate the subsequent investigation of the case?"

"Sure," said Huang Qiangmin. Having seen Jiang Yuan perform a similar ’act’ while promoting him in other counties and cities, Huang had particularly hoped that Ningtai County would have such an opportunity.

Previously, there hadn’t been a suitable case in the jurisdiction, but now that Jiang Yuan had taken the initiative, Huang was somewhat pleased.

The other police officers, whether they’d witnessed such things before or not, all gathered around.

Someone even asked, "Can we record this?"

"Of course, and we must record it. Get two more people to label and take photos, so we have clearer information later," Jiang Yuan replied. He then stood a few meters away from where the body had been and said, "I’m starting now. This is where the conflict erupted. Mark this spot."

A police officer placed a label with the number 101 in yellow with white letters where Jiang Yuan indicated, and a forensic technician came to take a photo for the record, while the camera continued to record without pausing.

The scene had already been sampled entirely. Jiang Yuan then stepped back and said:

"The victim and the first assailant must have had a sudden conflict. In the initial stage, there might have been some restraint, with some furniture being damaged, but the extent of bodily harm is uncertain."

"As the first assailant lost control, he escalated the force in the conflict, causing the victim to hit the wall."

"The victim collapsed on the spot. At that point, the first assailant came up to check, resulting in the first dragging movement. Because the victim’s bleeding wasn’t that severe yet, the swipe bloodstain left behind wasn’t very obvious."

Professor Chen, hearing this, couldn’t help but come forward to observe, saying directly, "I didn’t even notice there was a swipe bloodstain here before."

Jiang Yuan nodded, bent down to point it out, had another photo taken, and continued, "Later, the swipe bloodstain was covered by the pool of blood, but because the pool of blood formed later, some inferences can still be made."

Professor Chen looked closely and nodded slowly. Even though it had been a long time since he had been at the front line, he knew even at his peak, it wouldn’t have been easy to detect this.

The blood pool was formed more than an hour after the wiping marks, resulting in varied shades on the bloodstains. This alone can already explain a lot of issues.

At this time Jiang Yuan said, "Actually, if you look closely, the blood pools were formed twice."

Professor Chen was surprised. He had been teaching for too long and habitually refuted, "You can’t infer evidence from the result. There’s no need to make this judgment. Even if the blood pool was formed from two pools of blood, it’s very difficult to say they were formed at two different times."

Jiang Yuan just smiled and said, "I’m judging from the insects."

"Hmm?"

"When the first small blood pool was formed, insects like ants came over to muddy the waters," Jiang Yuan briefly described, then squatted in front of the blood pool, took another look with a magnifying glass, and said, "These fine scratch-like marks are actually left by ants and other insects that waded over. And then they were covered up by the blood that came later."

Professor Chen tried hard to see for a while but eventually said, "I’m getting old, my eyes aren’t good anymore, I can’t see clearly."

He didn’t fully admit it, but he couldn’t deny Jiang Yuan’s view either.

Jiang Yuan was no longer a student in school, and he didn’t need Professor Chen’s recognition. He then walked a few steps and said, "This side is very likely the escape route of Assailant Number One."

Because Assailant Number One is currently a mental patient, this route map is not so easy to verify.

Jiang Yuan didn’t say much more about it. Strictly speaking, Han Shengyan, who had already surrendered himself, was no longer a problem. Unless he really hadn’t done it, was spouting nonsense due to mental illness, otherwise, the part Han Shengyan needed to be responsible for didn’t require much evidence to support it.

Furthermore, considering that most of the area outside the restaurant was paved, and some shops also had external security cameras, etc., it should be possible to find footage of Han Shengyan upon a careful review—after all, a mentally ill person definitely wouldn’t engage in extensive counter-surveillance tactics.

"What about Assailant Number Two?" Liu Wenkai of the second squad was all aquiver with excitement and eager to know the follow-up.

Jiang Yuan walked back to the original position opposite where the body was found and said, "As for Assailant Number Two, he would have arrived here about an hour and a half after Number One."

Jiang Yuan carefully took two steps forward, simulated a bending motion, extended his hand forward, and said, "This is where the second dragging occurred. At this time, the victim wasn’t bleeding a lot yet, as can be seen from the wiping marks."

"Assailant Number Two checked the victim’s condition at this point. He likely had a conversation with the victim, as the victim was still alive then; otherwise, there would have been no need for another attack."

"The victim then suffered a fatal head injury that caused his death."

...

Jiang Yuan then detailed several meticulous points and instructed the technicians to take samples again, and only then was the crime scene investigation truly concluded.

The team returned, the forensic personnel processed the evidence, and the detectives fanned out to explore the victim’s interpersonal relationships.

Under the cover of night, Professor Chen and Jiang Yuan rushed to the mortuary to perform an autopsy on the body.

The main focus of examination was the injury to the back of the victim’s head.

The two of them, with the cheer of incense lit by Wu Jun, quickly peeled the scalp off the body.

First looking at the scalp, one could see a rectangular, controlled abraded contusion and some epidermal peeling.

The lifted scalp was thin, with a thickness and feel similar to a leather wallet, slightly slippery; after being moistened with a bit of saline, it also gained some toughness. This was helpful for later sewing the body back together.

Besides, some debris near the scalp was also collected for examination.

"There were indeed multiple blows," Jiang Yuan confirmed as he scratched the skull.

This time, Professor Chen was more confident and said, "And they were all flat blows. Looking at the location, the second assailant likely lifted the victim’s head and then smashed it down heavily."

"Yeah, Assailant Number Two likely had a strong relationship with the victim," Jiang Yuan sighed, and turned to Mu Zhiyang, who was waiting on the side, "Follow the relationship network to investigate, and you may find something."