Forensics

Penang City Council, Autopsy Room No. [-].

A huge iron bucket had been placed in the dissecting room, and they poured some water on the outside of the bucket to speed up the thawing.The female corpse melted bit by bit, and was finally able to separate from the barrel wall.

Shen Junci and Qi Yi'an worked together to get the corpse out. The female corpse was sitting on the dissecting table in a distorted posture.The whole body was like a pale statue, very cold to the touch.

Shen Junci put on double gloves, but the chill still came through.

The first thing they did was to check the corpse form. Qi Yi'an took out a "Registration Form for Unknown Corpse Investigation Information", and wrote the unit and serial number on it.

The female corpse is complete and has no clothes, which saves some trouble.

As the ice melted, they could see that the female corpse was very young, with long hair in the middle, and her appearance was deformed due to the ice, her cheeks were sunken and distorted, but the bone image was still very good.

The body of the female corpse is a bit bloated, her arms are thin, but her belly is a bit big.

The complexion of the corpse was pale, and the skin was shriveled like white tree bark due to years of freezing and shrinking.

Because the body was thawing, the body hadn't completely softened, and when the body melted a little more, it took them a lot of effort to let the body lie down.

As time went by, the temperature in the entire dissecting room dropped by several degrees.The smell in the room is not too strong, but it looks a little creepy.

After measuring the length of the corpse, the length of the foot, and the length of the hair, it is time to record the physical characteristics and check the dental characteristics.

Since the corpse has been frozen for many years, the state of the skin has changed. Fortunately, the freezing has preserved many traces on the corpse. Even after decades, many details can still be seen.

Shen Junci first found a mark on the shoulder of the female corpse, the mark was red, it looked like a birthmark, or some kind of scar.

The trace is shaped like a cup, or a bottle, or an hourglass.

Qi Yi'an took a photo to record that Shen Junci's fingers touched the woman's cold shoulder through the double-layer gloves, and the marks were uneven.

He judged by the feel: "It looks like a burn mark, like a mark left by a high-temperature thing."

There were some similar punishments in ancient times, but in modern times, such traces are less common.

Then they found some scars on the hands and feet of the corpse, the nails were cracked, the fingers and fingers were not clean, and there were less obvious strangle marks on the wrists and ankles.

Shen Jun said: "Hands and feet have been bound for a long time, and there are calluses on her feet. She may have walked barefoot, and she may have been imprisoned."

He was holding the hand of the female corpse and inspecting it attentively, when Qi Yi'an suddenly let out an ah, jumped a step aside, hid behind Shen Junci, and grabbed his clothes.

Working together for so long, this is the first time for Shen Junci to see Qi Yian lose his composure.

Shen Junci was not frightened by the corpse, but was caught off guard by Qi Yi'an.

Qi Yi'an pointed to the face of the female corpse and said, "She... she cried."

It is naturally bizarre enough to scare a forensic doctor.

Shen Junci looked up, water appeared from the female corpse's eyes, the water was red, like tears.

Under the shadowless lamp, two lines of blood slowly slid down from both sides of the corpse's cheeks and printed on the pale skin, as if the corpse was crying.

Accompanied by the slight crackling sound from the thawing corpse, it was indescribably weird.

Seeing this scene suddenly in the dissecting room is indeed shocking.

Qi Yi'an didn't believe in Feng Jian's superstition, but he suddenly found a dead body that had been frozen for decades, with blood and tears left behind. This matter was beyond his cognition.

The female corpse lay there, as if she was silently telling her that she had grievances.

"The hemorrhage of the eyelid bulbar conjunctiva caused by the low temperature will flow out as soon as it thaws." Forensic doctor Shen explained briefly, and he patted Qi Yi'an's hand, "It's nothing to make a fuss about. If you are afraid, go to some Tibetan incense."

Frozen corpses often have some weird phenomena, and those who don't understand will regard these as supernatural events.

Such corpses are uncommon, and even skilled forensic doctors are prone to misjudgment.

Shen Jun said: "Corpses that have been frozen for a long time will not only cause the bloody fluid in the eyes to leak out, but also may cause orbital plate fractures, cyanosis of the lips and fingers, hernia of the foramen magnum, and skull fractures."

These need to be analyzed in detail according to the specific situation, and even forensic medical books will not describe them in such detail.

After listening to Master's explanation, Qi Yi'an stabilized his mind, hurriedly recorded these in notes, and continued to help Shen Junci complete the autopsy.

It is difficult to extract fingerprints from frozen corpses. Shen Junci cut off the right index finger of the female corpse, soaked it in clean water, and changed it to sodium hydroxide solution after twelve hours. After soaking for another day, the frozen fingertips may become full and swell again, maybe able to obtain fingerprints.

While taking pictures, Qi Yi'an touched the belly of the female corpse: "Is she pregnant?" He felt that the abdominal cavity of the corpse was distended abnormally.

Shen Junci did not reply directly, he separated the legs of the corpse with his hands, and observed the shape of the pelvis and lower body: "She had given birth before, and the child was born, and maybe more than one child was born. Not long after the last child was born, she died died, so the body has not recovered very well."

He checked the chest of the female corpse again, and the breasts were full: "She was killed and frozen in a bucket during breastfeeding. The corpse may have been placed for a few days, and the smell was emitted. The murderer was afraid, so he transferred it to the cold storage. in."

This female body is full of secrets.

The victim was a mother who had just given birth and was still breastfeeding. What was the murderer's purpose in kidnapping and imprisoning the victim?

Only after the corpse is thawed can the skin and flesh be cut open for further anatomical examination.

After the frozen skin melts, it is still difficult to cut.

Fortunately, Shen Junci's technique is excellent, and every knife is just right.

The frozen ice preserved the body well, opening up the chest and abdomen, and the color of the pectoralis major was cherry red.

Qi Yi'an found that this corpse was somewhat different from ordinary corpses.

The corpse's internal organs remained an eerie bright red that seemed fake, like the color of the plastic models in the forensic storage room.

Especially the heart, which looks like a red Fuji with frozen and wrinkled skin.

Shen Junci took out the organs one by one, the stomach was empty, and there was no chyme in the intestines, the victim was starved for a long time before death.

Finally he held up the heart.

This organ hasn't fully melted yet, so it feels hard to the touch.

Shen Junci observed carefully: "The cause of death can basically be determined, it is carbon monoxide poisoning. Let's wait for the internal organs to melt and extract some blood to confirm."

Criminals don't know that after carbon monoxide poisoning, the blood and internal organs of the deceased decay slowly. Carboxyhemoglobin can be preserved in the deceased's body for several months, and in this frozen state, it can persist for decades.

At noon, Gu Yanchen came over with a bag and knocked on the transparent observation window of the forensic anatomy room.

The autopsy was completed, and Qi Yian went to store the body. Shen Junci remembered that today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and he knew that Qi Yian would have to take an hour's car to go back to his parents' house, so he let him go for a while and let him go back to write the autopsy report.

Qi Yi'an thanked her so much, she was so moved that tears filled her eyes, and she went downstairs with a big pain bag on her back.

Shen Junci stayed alone to finish the work. He cleaned the console, and the corpse that had just been dissected left a lot of water stains.

Hearing the sound of knocking on the glass, he looked up and saw Gu Yanchen.

Shen Junci made a gesture with one hand, asking him to wait a while.

Gu Yanchen obediently waited at the door of the anatomy room.

Shen Junci was afraid that he would wait too long, so he obviously speeded up.

Gu Yanchen looked at Shen Junci through the glass.Under the shadowless lamp in the forensic room, you can see all the details clearly.

At this time, forensic doctor Shen had already changed out of his blue protective clothing, and was wearing a white forensic coat, which made his skin slightly pale.

He bowed his head, and the light seemed to fring his eyelashes with gold.

Shen Junci skillfully counted all the dissection equipment and put them in the drawer, then took off the gloves and the mask.

When he came out after washing his hands, seeing that there was no one else in the corridor, Shen Junci stretched out his hand and touched Gu Yanchen's head, the movement was the same as when he was stroking Wuliang.

Gu Yanchen: "..."

He suddenly became stupid.

The gesture Shen Junci made to him in the glass window just now, isn't that the way to stand by when training a dog?

Forensic doctor Shen didn't mind these details, he looked at Gu Yanchen's hand: "What is this?"

Dui Gu opened the bag he was holding, and there were some mooncakes in it: "Secretary Cui sent them out, and he bought them with his own pocket. The police officers working overtime today have them. I helped bring them over to the forensic doctor. What do you want?" Taste?"

Shen Jun resigned stupidly: "Let me have egg yolk and lotus paste."

Gu Yanchen handed it to him, picked out the one with five kernels, and sent the rest to the other forensic doctors who worked overtime.

The two of them ordered takeaway for lunch. Before the delivery person came, they ate mooncakes first.

Shen Junci briefly explained the results of the autopsy just now, and then asked: "Is there any progress in your investigation?"

"There is no obvious progress. Some workers have returned to their hometowns during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Today, we can only investigate here. I will let the police go back to collect information." Gu Yanchen continued, eating mooncakes.

"In the past, there were not so many cameras, and there were obvious loopholes in the supervision of cold storage. The person who hid the corpse must be very familiar with the cold storage situation. He put the iron bucket in it in the middle of the night and piled it under the frozen food. Judging from the weight, the person who dumped the corpse may be It was a man, or multiple people. Those workers recalled that this thing had been there for more than 20 years.”

People who are not familiar with cold storage are not stupid at all, and will hide the corpse here.

Then he explained: "We are going to check the staff or transport personnel who have worked in the cold storage over the years one by one, and let Bai Meng look for the missing persons report many years ago."

Relatives or peers of the victim may have difficulty finding them if the body has been frozen for decades.This is a process of slow work and careful work, and this case cannot be rushed.

Shen Junci ate a few mouthfuls of mooncakes, and bit into the egg yolk, which was still double yellow inside.

His eyes fell on the mooncake that Gu Yanchen was holding. The five-nut mooncake also looked very delicate. It wasn't the kind filled with sugar, but some nuts.

"This is the mooncake from Ganoderma lucidum. The gift box I bought for my parents is also from this house. It is affordable and delicious." Gu Yanchen said as he broke off a piece and fed it to him, "Try this from me."

Shen Junci ate a few mouthfuls: "Not bad."

Gu Yanchen said, "I'll try yours too." He took Shen Junci's hand and took a bite of his mooncake.

The two of them were eating when Gu Yanchen suddenly saw the photo that Qi Yi'an had printed out and put aside.

Qi Yi'an left in a hurry just now, and took away a copy of the photos, and the extra ones were piled up on the desktop without sorting them out.

Shen Junci's eyes froze when he saw him: "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Gu Yanchen took out one of those photos, which was a close-up of the wound on the shoulder of the female corpse.

He frowned and asked, "What is this?"

Shen Junci said: "It was found on the shoulder of the corpse. I also think the shape is a bit special."

He noticed that Gu Yanchen's expression was a little strange.

"I seem to have seen this mark." Gu Yanchen's expression became serious, as if he was trying to remember.

Shen Junci asked, "Where is it?"

Gu Yanchen put down the photo and said, "It's on my mother's shoulder."

If his memory is not wrong, he once saw Mo Xueqing wearing short-sleeved clothes when he was a child.

There was such a scar on her shoulder once.

He asked how his mother stayed, and Mo Xueqing would change the topic every time.

Shen Junci's hand holding the mooncake stopped, his brows slightly frowned.

Gu Yanchen felt that today, no matter what, he needed to take Shen Junci back home.

After discussing with Shen Junci, Gu Yanchen called his family.

When Mo Xueqing heard that he was bringing friends over, she was very happy, and hurriedly asked Shen Junci what taboos he had.

The two went back home first.

Shen Junci took a hot bath to warm up.

Gu Yanchen went to get the gifts and mooncakes that had been prepared in advance, and in the afternoon they went to the mall to buy two more bottles of red wine, and then went to Gu Yanchen's house together.

Gu Yanchen's adoptive father is Gu Wenbin, who is now the director of the Municipal People's First Hospital, and his mother, Mo Xueqing, opened a flower arrangement shop near the city center.It supplies high-end flower arrangements to some hotels and conferences all the year round, and the business is good.

Their family lives in a quiet neighborhood in the southeast of Penang.There is an elevator building in front of the community, and several superimposed villas in the back.

The Gu family is on the first and second floors of a superimposed small villa.The villa has a yard, and it can be seen that the flowers in the yard are carefully taken care of by Mo Xueqing herself.Now in autumn, all kinds of flowers are blooming, and you can smell a fragrance from a long distance.

Gu Yanchen had the key here, opened the door and called his mother.

Mo Xueqing raised her head with a smile and greeted them.She is arranging flowers on the flower table at home, using chrysanthemums as the base, supplemented by green leaves, and ordered some golden osmanthus, which smells good and looks good.

It was the first time Shen Junci met Mo Xueqing. The woman in front of her was in her early 50s, she was well maintained, there were no wrinkles on her skin, and she had long straight black hair. Even if she was in her 30s, people would believe her.

She is a gentle and kind woman, Pisces, with a romantic temperament, giving people a very comfortable feeling.

Mo Xueqing put the flowers away, sat them down on the sofa, and explained the situation at home to them.

Gu Yanchen's younger sister went to play with friends. Gu Wenbin had an operation today, so he won't be back until later.

Then Mo Xueqing took out a few hibiscus flowers, which she had put into a small bouquet, handed them to Shen Jun and said: "I have heard that Yan Chen has made friends, and I have been asking him to bring them back to see each other, but today I did not If you have time to prepare a special gift, this is for you."

Shen Junci took the flower and held it in his hand. The flower should be carefully selected and very beautiful. He lowered his head and smelled the fragrance of the flower and said, "Thank you, auntie, I like it very much."

There was a smile in Mo Xueqing's eyes.As if she was afraid that the children would be worried, she began to pour tea for them, took out some fruit, and said with a smile, "Your name is Shen Junci, right? What do you do in the Municipal Bureau?"

Shen Junci said that he was a forensic doctor.

Mo Xueqing smiled again and said: "The forensic doctor is very good, and I have a common language with the criminal police, so I knew that the friend Yan Chen liked must be very good. We are both enlightened parents, and we have seen a lot of things now, so you don't have to worry about it." What, treat this place as your own home."

Shen Jun resigned: "Auntie, you must be a very good mother if you can raise such a good son."

After hearing this, Mo Xueqing seemed to be happier.

Seeing that they got along well, Gu Yanchen also heaved a sigh of relief.

Several people sat on the sofa and chatted for a while. Mo Xueqing was familiar with her son, and found that he was preoccupied, so she took the initiative to ask him: "Yan Chen, are you here today, is there something wrong?"

Only then did Gu Yanchen talk about the discovery of the body this morning. He took out the photo and put it on the table.

Gu Yanchen tentatively asked, "Mom, do you know this shape?"

Mo Xueqing's eyes fell on the scar, and the smile on her face froze.Her eyes drooped down, and her whole body seemed to be drawn out of anger suddenly, turning into a puppet, silently looking at the photo.

The memory of that long time ago is like the sea surging up.

She was quiet for a moment, then said: "I know this thing, and the woman with this printed on it is called a container."