Chapter 1204: Analyzing Martina

Jiang Yuan stood at one end of the dissection table, with Zeng Lianrong and Jian Kan beside him.

Opposite him was Cui Qishan, with Alesio and his interpreter seated apart from him.

Except that the corpse on the dissection table was Martina's, the composition was identical to that of the pilot's autopsy the day before.

Only everyone's state of mind was completely different.

Needless to say, Alesio's heart was already in turmoil; he couldn't help but speculate about the killer's identity and worry for his own life.

The interpreter, a young man, had long held a beautiful halo of Rome in his mind, and now he too was filled with doubt and uncertainty.

Jiang Yuan had just seen Martina, and immediately after saw her corpse, so naturally he couldn't help but frown. Moreover, because he had just seen Martina and been seduced by her, it was inappropriate for him to personally conduct the autopsy.

However, he would not shy away from the investigation; he had ample alibi proving his innocence, and as long as he did not participate in the dissection itself, he would not become part of the evidence.

Thus, at this moment, Jiang Yuan was in the same position as Alesio—merely an observer.

Meanwhile, Zeng Lianrong and Jian Kan, who were in charge of conducting the autopsy, also had to steady their nerves—not because of Martina, but because of Jiang Yuan.

Performing an autopsy on the corpse in front of Jiang Yuan was, for forensic pathologists, especially renowned ones, somewhat stressful.

Only Martina lay there quietly, her golden, flowing hair spread out, head held high, chest out, poised and confident.

Her lips were slightly bluish-purple, as if she had applied gothic-style lipstick; her neck bore a deep V-shape, as if she wore a tight metal necklace……

"The deceased is 175 centimeters tall, weighs about 55 kilograms, development is normal, nutritional status is good…… Livor mortis is distributed on the back of the body, dark red, does not fade under pressure, consistent with livor mortis characteristics within 12 hours of death. Rigor mortis has set in, with stiffness in all joints……"

Zeng Lianrong put on gloves and began to examine the corpse, conducting an external inspection.

Not using Jiang Yuan as a standard, Zeng Lianrong himself was from the Jing Bureau, not merely an expert from the Zhengguang Bureau. He was occasionally invited to neighboring provinces; in terms of overall forensic pathology level, he was at least at LV3 elementary, and with several specialties, he should reach LV3 perfect.

Of course, there are still stronger forensic pathologists in Jingcheng than Zeng Lianrong, but for this case, it hasn't reached the point of needing to summon experts from around the world.

With Jiang Yuan standing before them, Cui Qishan and the other criminal investigators already felt sufficiently reassured.

Zeng Lianrong was also able to conduct the corpse examination with sufficient care because Jiang Yuan stood before him; he first examined the external surfaces of the limbs and trunk, then returned to the neck, and began to speak in detail:

"There is a clear groove on the neck, shaped like a 'V', its upper margin located above the thyroid cartilage, its lower margin extending to behind the ear. The groove is about 1.2 cm wide, depth uneven, with localized subcutaneous hemorrhage in places."

"Along the edges of the groove, epidermal detachment and contusion are visible, with some areas showing signs of vital reaction."

"The direction of the groove does not match the 'figure-eight not crossed' characteristic typical of hanging, and there is no obvious 'tension gap' phenomenon beneath the groove."

"Deep neck muscles (such as the sternocleidomastoid) show hemorrhage, the thyroid cartilage and hyoid bone are fractured, and the fracture ends are accompanied by hemorrhage."

Zeng Lianrong's speech gradually quickened.

Anyone who has done forensic work knows that these judgments are actually determining whether the deceased died by suicide or was strangled to death by another with a rope.

This is also one of the most common judgments in forensic medicine, because among various modes of death, asphyxiation is relatively common—including drowning, strangulation, choking, and suspension, all belonging to mechanical asphyxia, and since hanging suicide is a relatively common method, some clever individuals, after causing death for various reasons, stage a hanging suicide.

Because such clever individuals are numerous, even in ancient times, coroners already had considerable understanding of this, as summarized in the Washing Away of Injustices: "Hanging, being strangled by another, or feigned hanging are easily distinguished. True hanging victims: bound with rope or silk, the knot placed behind the ears, deep purple, eyes closed, mouth open, fists clenched, teeth exposed; if the ligature is above the throat, the tongue presses against the teeth; if below, the tongue protrudes; there is saliva foam on the chest, and feces expelled from the buttocks……"

Martina had no feces expelled from her buttocks; reversing the conditions one by one, it is easy to determine her cause of death.

At this time, the dissection had not yet begun.

The evidence was so clear that even though it involved a foreigner, Zeng Lianrong did not delay; facing Alesio, he turned to Cui Qishan and said: "Mechanical asphyxia—this is a case."

He did not specify the exact cause of death, although it was nearly apparent, he still played it safe.

Once confirmed as a case, informing the criminal police squad allowed resources to be mobilized with confidence.

Cui Qishan was not surprised either; after long experience in criminal investigation, having seen many scenes, one can often make a preliminary judgment.

Cui Qishan merely let out a breath, said "troubled autumn," then took out his phone and turned to call Tao Lu.

At the level of criminal police detachment commander, one does not usually focus on specific cases, but the standard for homicide cases is different.

"Begin the dissection." Zeng Lianrong glanced again at Jiang Yuan and Alesio, then began to work.

Only see him first cut along the neck, smoothly slicing open the skin, then turning to examine the subcutaneous tissue and muscle layer of the neck.

"Widespread hemorrhage." Zeng Lianrong said while working, with a forensic assistant nearby taking notes; Jian Kan, though a junior forensic officer, was also assisting at this moment.

"No obvious foreign body seen in the trachea, but the mucosa shows congestion and bleeding points……"

"The thyroid cartilage is fractured……"

As Zeng Lianrong continued, he became more relaxed; the corpse was fresh, showed nothing particularly strange, and although the manner of death was somewhat atypical, the state of death was basically typical.

Put more plainly: the death appearance was strange, but not at all strange.

Soon, Cui Qishan turned back and asked: "Any opinions?"

At this moment, Zeng Lianrong had already dissected into the abdominal cavity, holding the corpse's stomach in one hand and saying: "The wrists of the corpse's hands show slight abrasions, indicating resistance; the stomach is already empty of food, so the time of death should be after midnight……"

Cui Qishan lightly nodded, making notes in his notebook.

Jiang Yuan then said: "The time of death is likely around 2 a. m."

Although he had not personally performed the autopsy, having observed throughout, he had gathered sufficient information.

"Good." Cui Qishan immediately added to his notebook, and said: "This is good; I'll check the surveillance before and after death to see if anyone entered or left the deceased's apartment during this period."

Zeng Lianrong's mouth twitched twice, suppressing the urge to question Jiang Yuan; besides, there was a foreign forensic expert present, and any questioning could wait until later.

Alesio was instructed not to speak; after hearing the interpreter's words, he frowned tightly and kept glancing toward Jiang Yuan.

Jian Kan, under no work pressure, noticed Alesio's expression and couldn't help but smile; Jiang Yuan's reputation for determining time of death had long been known in Jingcheng, and the foreigner had clearly never seen such a thing.

"Was the deceased strangled with a rope?" Cui Qishan asked again.

Zeng Lianrong nodded: "Yes, but it should not be the rope you brought; yours is for erotic play, with anti-strangulation marks on the edges, whereas a murder rope would be thicker and sturdier."

"If someone brought a rope specifically and there were defensive wounds, that would rule out accident." Cui Qishan said, frowning: "Erotic play, accidental strangulation is one thing; murder is another……"

Jian Kan wondered: "Erotic play?"

"The scene looks like erotic asphyxiation." Cui Qishan explained, then looked at Alesio and said: "You, come with me; the autopsy is about done, isn't it?"

The interpreter hurriedly conveyed this to Alesio.

Alesio quickly replied: "Not yet; it would be more reasonable to wait until the autopsy is complete before drawing conclusions."

Cui Qishan's face darkened: "Didn't I tell you not to speak during the autopsy? You spoke now, so I can only take you away."

(End of Chapter)