The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective-Chapter 358 - 219: Pressure on the Criminal Investigation Captain (Part 2)
After scrutinizing for a moment, his brows slightly relaxed, and he said, "There are maggot shells under the corpse. Based on the process of maggots hatching and transforming after a person’s death, a generation of maggots has already undergone metamorphosis."
"In my opinion, the time of death should be about two weeks ago."
"Two weeks?" Li Jian raised his eyebrows suspiciously, a look of doubt in his eyes, "Are you sure?
"The skull of this corpse is entirely skeletonized, the level of decay is severe, could the time be longer?"
Jiang An shook his head resolutely, a look of professional confidence in his eyes.
He explained, "Although the weather hasn’t been hot recently, the body is outdoors and has been attacked by maggots and animals, significantly accelerating the decay of the flesh."
"However, the growth pattern of maggots doesn’t change. I deduce that the time of death is two weeks."
Li Jian nodded after hearing this, a trace of relief appeared on his face, acknowledging, "You’re the professional, I trust you."
"With you here, we have a better grasp of this case."
After determining the time of death, Li Jian further inquired, "With the corpse decayed to this extent, can the cause of death still be determined?"
Jiang An’s expression became serious.
He squatted down again, his actions more deliberate.
He carefully examined the deceased’s coat and pants, only to find a few remains of bones inside, with the internal organs completely decayed into a puddle of foul-smelling mush.
He sighed, a sound carrying countless helplessness and regret, saying, "Determining the cause of death will be difficult, the internal organs are practically gone."
"Even if there were incisions made by sharp objects during life, it’s impossible to identify which organ was damaged."
Li Jian nodded reluctantly after hearing this.
He was already mentally prepared for such a situation.
After all, the deduction of any corpse’s cause of death depends on the completeness of the body.
If the deceased is reduced to just a skeleton, subsequent analysis of the cause of death will undoubtedly face numerous obstacles.
Jiang An continued, "Although the body is decayed, the soil beneath it can definitely be used for toxicology tests, which is crucial for determining if he was poisoned prior to death."
"This might be one of the few breakthroughs we currently have."
Having said that, Jiang An stood up and continued, "Earlier, I observed that the pubic symphysis of this corpse forms an angle less than 90 degrees, which completely aligns with male skeletal characteristics, "
"Moreover, the deceased’s skull appears robust, very much fitting a male’s facial features."
"Therefore, I conclude that this corpse should be male."
"As for the specific age at death, it needs to be determined through laboratory analysis."
Mr. Li nodded slightly, murmuring to himself, "Male corpse..."
He then scanned the deceased’s clothing and asked, "The corpse is clothed, is there anything on him?"
Jiang An replied, "I checked the pockets of the deceased’s clothes, and didn’t find any IDs or personal items."
"That’s rather strange!"
"Why would a living person go out without carrying identification and a phone?"
His tone carried a hint of puzzlement, as though the corpse before him was an unresolved mystery.
Mr. Li’s face grew darker upon hearing this.
He looked around, finding the place deserted, like a corner forgotten by the world.
Why does a man who doesn’t look like a beggar have no identification or phone on him?
Even if someone goes hiking, they should at least carry some items.
What secret is hidden behind this unreasonable phenomenon?
Suddenly, a foreboding premonition surged in his heart, pondering: Could this be another dump body case?
However, he didn’t express his thoughts until the final conclusion was reached.
At that moment, Mr. Qin, standing behind, although sobered up quite a bit, still felt a little dizzy.
He speculated, "Captain, could it be possible that someone nearby having a barbecue accidentally fell and died?"
"Our barbecue place isn’t far from here, and it’s not entirely impossible."
Mr. Fu on the side also chimed in, "Yeah, could this be the case?"
Li Jian did not immediately respond to their question, instead, he turned to Jiang An, his eyes showing inquiry and expectancy, seemingly waiting for him to give a more professional judgment.
Jiang An frowned slightly, his gaze deepening as he said in a solemn voice, "Falling from a height, with a time of death around two weeks, I think it’s unlikely."
As he spoke, he raised his hand to point at the slope directly above the corpse, "If one fell from a height, it’s impossible not to find any traces of broken grass or fallen trees along the way."
"Moreover, even if one fell from a height, at most they’d sustain multiple abrasions and scratches on the body, which is unlikely to result in such severe death consequences."
Finished speaking, everyone’s gaze turned towards the slope.
At that moment, the slope was crowded with onlookers.
They appeared like curious spectators, all craning their necks to look towards the busy detectives in the valley below.
Some were taking photos frantically with their phones, seemingly wanting to capture this mysterious and thrilling scene.
Others were busy posting on social media, their words full of curiosity and speculation.
"In Phoenix Mountain’s barbecue area, a group of police is quickly surveying the scene."
"Inside the police tape, there seems to be something, but it’s unclear."
"I suspect there might be a dead body?"
"Could there be another murder case in Jiangcheng?"
"Or are they looking for a protected wild animal?"
...
Meanwhile, in the director’s office, Mr. Ma was leisurely sipping tea, a satisfied smile on his face.
With the successful cracking of two death cases and the apprehension of the culprit, he was particularly pleased, as if a great weight had been lifted off his heart.
Thinking back, he still feels a lingering fear.
This case almost tarnished his professional career with a disgraceful stroke.
