Diary of a Criminal Investigator-Chapter 288: Forensic Doctor’s Conclusion

The autopsy isn’t something that can be completed in a short time.

Fortunately, the condition of the body is relatively fresh, so there won’t be any discomfort from odors as they work.

It’s estimated that Wang Changjiang and Shen Yan will get results in three to four hours at the earliest.

Crime Scene Investigation Office.

"There have been many cases like this before. The family has no other means; if someone dies, the most they can do is try to get some money."

Old Bai is experienced. He has conducted site investigations in cases of accidental traffic deaths before.

One could say he’s seen the full spectrum of life.

In traffic accident cases, it’s usually better if the victim dies. The most problematic cases are injuries, especially when the victim becomes a vegetable.

Particularly when the driver is also at fault, those cases are extremely difficult to resolve.

"About seven years ago, there was a traffic accident where the victim didn’t die but became a vegetable."

"The pedestrian was partly at fault, and the driver was also responsible. The traffic police concluded they were equally responsible."

"The civil compensation dispute dragged on endlessly, especially since the driver’s vehicle wasn’t fully insured."

"The insurance company wouldn’t handle it, and the lawsuit ended up as a civil dispute with no resolution even after years."

Yang Sen sighed: "That’s why one must always carry full insurance when driving. This way, even if problems arise, and even if the driver is fully responsible, it’s clear-cut in terms of criminal liability."

"But for civil matters, the insurance company can handle communications completely."

Although Lu Chuan hadn’t experienced this personally, he had seen such educational videos while watching short clips.

According to experienced drivers, when involved in a traffic accident, always let the insurance company deal with communications with the other party’s family.

If not, whether you pay directly or go to the hospital, you’re lucky if they don’t hit you.

After lunch at the Criminal Investigation Team, the autopsy was complete.

Ren Qiang frowned deeply as he looked over the autopsy report, feeling as if a thousand profanities were racing through his mind.

As expected, there’s a problem!

Crime Scene Investigation Office.

Lu Chuan received the autopsy report personally delivered by Forensic Doctor Shen.

"We found components of sedatives in the residual matter within the deceased’s stomach."

"We also detected small amounts of indole derivatives in the blood."

"Indole derivatives... hallucinogenic drugs?"

This is a very common hallucinogenic substance that can be extracted from wild mushrooms.

"Indeed, it’s a hallucinogenic substance. However, we didn’t find this substance in the stomach fluid. Upon inspection, we discovered short-term injection marks on the deceased’s right elbow vein, suggesting drug injection."

"Any signs of drug use?"

Indole derivatives can cause hallucinations and are addictive, capable of inducing behavioral disorders.

In some southern provinces, people often accidentally eat wild mushrooms, most cases involving indole derivative poisoning.

"We conducted a hair test on the body and found no evidence of drug use by the deceased during their lifetime."

A hair test can very accurately determine whether a person has a history of using illegal drugs.

It usually can trace back up to half a year.

The principle is simple: when the body absorbs illegal drugs, they metabolize within the body, and the final metabolites grow out with the hair, moving gradually towards the tips.

Moreover, these trace elements are fixed within the hair and won’t dissipate automatically.

Theoretically, if the hair is long enough, a hair test could reveal drug use history over ten years or even longer.

As for the more commonly used urine tests, they’re more suited for detecting short-term illegal substance use.

Since the deceased’s hair test showed no problems, the indole derivatives in their body were not self-administered.

"Report it. I have a hunch this case isn’t that simple."

Lu Chuan had been to the scene and found no trace of human interference.

The deceased ran the red light and got hit by a vehicle, a plain accident.

From the Crime Scene Investigation perspective, there were no suspicious elements at the scene.

Moreover, nothing unusual was found in the incident vehicle’s driving records.

If Lu Chuan hadn’t thought the way the deceased hit the car from the side was odd, the body might have already been cremated.

Meeting room.

Qin Yong had just finished reading the forensic report.

"Changjiang, what’s your opinion?"

Wang Changjiang straightened his posture: "Lu Chuan has been to the scene, and we discussed our thoughts before the meeting."

"The deceased’s hair test was normal, ruling out self-administered illegal drugs."

"Therefore, we believe someone else injected the deceased with indole derivatives, causing behavioral disruption and the red light violation accident."

"From the scene, it appears to be a pedestrian-running-the-red-light traffic accident, but it might actually be a meticulously planned murder."

"Ren Qiang, you and Lu Chuan were at the scene; what’s your opinion?"

"There was no issue with the scene; the traffic police conducted a scene reconstruction analysis, and with the incident vehicle’s driving recorder, they were certain the driver was not at fault."

"The main reason the body was brought back for an autopsy was that Lu Chuan found the impact point on the deceased suspicious."

"From the current autopsy findings, I agree with Forensic Doctor Wang’s view, that murder is more likely, and this isn’t a traffic accident."

The classification of the case directly influences how the investigation will proceed.

If it’s a traffic accident, there’s no need for criminal investigation involvement.

Just issue a certificate, and it’s done.

However, if it’s murder, then it’s a homicide.

This would trigger the homicide investigation mechanism.

To be honest, Ren Qiang was a bit scared.

If Lu Chuan hadn’t had a bit of doubt and they issued an accidental death certificate, it would have been disastrous.

Although nothing may be discovered now, no one can guarantee the perpetrator won’t commit crimes again in the future.

If this case is revealed later on, Ren Qiang and Lu Chuan, as the ones who issued the certificate, would definitely face serious consequences.

Homicide...

Everyone present let out a sigh.

The homicide mechanism activation means that the entire team will have to endure a hard grind.

Moreover, this case gave Qin Yong a very uneasy feeling.

In the homicides he’s encountered, they typically fall into two categories.

One is crimes of passion where in a moment of emotional turmoil, the offender strikes and kills on impulse.

These types of cases usually result in the offender either immediately surrendering or fleeing, or trying to create a smokescreen to hide their identity.

Relatively speaking, these cases are easier to solve.

Here, "easier to solve" means identifying the perpetrator, not necessarily catching them.

The second type is premeditated murder where the offender doesn’t kill in a fit of passion, but with intent, having planned how to conceal their identity and evade police detection before the act.

These cases are typically challenging to identify the suspect immediately after the crime.

But once identified, the suspect is often easy to catch because they are banking on their murder plan going undetected by the police.

Therefore, they usually don’t flee. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

And manipulating a traffic accident to commit murder isn’t novel; just months ago, Qin Yong and his team handled a similar case.

Yet, this case seems too thorough.

There are no significant glitches in the entire process.

If it wasn’t for Lu Chuan’s limited familiarity with traffic accidents, they might have missed it.