Attending ex-girlfriend's wedding, arresting the groom's officer on the spot

Examinations of solid organs such as the spleen and kidneys were also conducted one by one. "The spleen measures approximately 12 cm × 7 cm × 4 cm and weighs 180 grams. Its surface is smooth, without any rupture or bleeding. The cut surface is dark red, and the splenic nodules are clearly visible," Zhang Kai explained to Xiao Lin while examining the organ. "The kidneys are symmetrical in size. The left kidney measures approximately 11 cm × 6 cm × 3 cm, and the right kidney measures approximately 10.5 cm × 5.5 cm × 2.8 cm. There are no nodules on the surface, and the boundary between the cortex and medulla is clear. There are no signs of bleeding, infarction, or stones."

"Teacher Zhang, is examining the stomach contents crucial? We can determine the time of death by assessing the degree of digestion in the stomach contents," Xiao Lin asked. Zhang Kai nodded and carefully cut open the deceased's stomach wall with tissue scissors: "There was a small amount of undigested food residue in the stomach, mainly rice, vegetables, and meat, totaling about 150 grams. Observing the digestive state, the rice was partially gelatinized, the vegetable fibers were still relatively intact, and the meat was not completely digested. Considering the normal digestive rate of the human body, we estimate that the last meal was 4 to 6 hours before death." He used tweezers to extract a sample of the stomach contents, placed it in a specimen bottle, and labeled it "Stomach Contents Sample." "The stomach contents will be sent for further examination to check for any toxic residues."

During the intestinal examination, the two examiners found no obvious perforation, bleeding, or inflammatory lesions in the deceased's small and large intestines. A small amount of feces was present in the intestines, and no abnormal foreign objects were found. "The intestinal mucosa is smooth, without ulcers or tumors, ruling out death due to digestive tract diseases," Zhang Kai stated. Subsequently, the two examiners inspected the deceased's pancreas, gallbladder, and other organs, finding no abnormalities. A total of 12 samples were collected from the abdominal organs, including the liver, kidneys, spleen, lungs, and stomach contents, and 238 anatomical photographs of the organs were taken.

"Next, we will perform a craniocerebral autopsy to rule out death caused by traumatic brain injury." Zhang Kai took out a skull saw and made a horseshoe-shaped incision on the top of the deceased's head, starting above the left ear, passing over the top of the head, and ending above the right ear. As he sawed through the skull, the sound of the skull saw rubbing against the bone could be clearly heard. Xiao Lin then used tweezers to gently separate the scalp from the skull, avoiding damage to the scalp tissue: "Teacher Zhang, the skull is intact, with no fractures, depressions, or cracks."

After sawing open the skull, Zhang Kai carefully removed the skull flap, exposing the dura mater: "The dura mater is intact, without rupture or bleeding; there is no blood accumulation in the subdural space, and no hemorrhage or fluid accumulation in the subarachnoid space." He used a scalpel to cut open the dura mater, exposing the brain tissue: "The brain tissue is pale red, with a smooth surface, without signs of swelling, contusion, or necrosis; the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem structures are intact, without any abnormal lesions. A sample of brain tissue was extracted and sent for testing to check for poisoning or pathological changes."

After the craniocerebral autopsy, Zhang Kai conducted a brief examination of the deceased's skeletal system, focusing on the spine, pelvis, and limbs. No fractures or bone destruction were found. "The autopsies of the major organs have been completed. Based on the current situation, the deceased had no obvious fatal external injuries, and no fatal lesions in the internal organs. The next step is to focus on ruling out the possibility of poisoning and mechanical asphyxiation," Zhang Kai said to Xiao Lin, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Organize and classify all the collected organ and body fluid samples and immediately send them to the technical department for toxicology and pathological examination. Focus on testing for common toxic substances such as organophosphorus pesticides, sleeping pills, rodenticides, and heavy metals. At the same time, conduct a drowning composition analysis on the lung tissue."

Xiao Lin immediately began organizing the samples, labeling each one with detailed information such as sample name, extraction site, and extraction time, before sending them to the technical department. Zhang Kai continued to conduct supplementary examinations of the body, discovering small amounts of soil and fiber residue in the deceased's fingernails: "Extracting the residue from the fingernails and comparing it with the soil and fiber samples collected at the scene may yield important findings." He carefully scraped the residue from the nail folds of each finger and toe using a specialized nail scraper, sealing each sample separately for testing.

At 4:30 PM, the technical department delivered the preliminary test results. Xiao Lin rushed back to the autopsy room with the report: "Teacher Zhang, no drowning components were detected in the lung tissue sample, ruling out drowning as the cause of death; no common toxic substances were detected in the stomach contents, liver, and kidney samples, temporarily ruling out the possibility of common poisoning. The soil sample from under the fingernails is consistent with the silt from the drainage ditch at the scene, and the fiber sample is identical in composition to the green fiber sample extracted from the scene."

“Having ruled out drowning and common poisoning, the most likely cause of death is mechanical asphyxiation?” Zhang Kai pondered for a moment, then said to Xiao Lin, “Re-examine the neck and airway to see if we’ve missed any details.” The two of them carefully examined the deceased’s neck again. Zhang Kai used tissue scissors to cut open the neck muscles and separated the thyroid cartilage, hyoid bone, and carotid artery: “There was no obvious bleeding or contusion in the neck muscles, and no fractures in the thyroid cartilage and hyoid bone, but there was a slight tear in the intima of the left carotid artery, about 0.5 x 0.3 cm in area. This is an important discovery!”

"Could the carotid intima be a tear caused by pressure on the neck?" Xiao Lin asked. Zhang Kai nodded: "Very likely. Although there are no obvious strangulation marks or ligature marks on the neck skin and muscles, if the neck is strangled with a soft object, such as a towel or clothing, or if the pressure is moderate but lasts for a long time, it may not leave obvious marks on the skin surface, but it can lead to a tear in the carotid intima, which in turn affects blood supply to the brain and causes mechanical asphyxiation." He further explained, "Combined with the previously observed symptoms such as conjunctival congestion of the eyelids and dilation and congestion of the alveolar walls of the lungs, it can be basically inferred that the cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation."

Regarding the estimation of the time of death, Zhang Kai conducted a comprehensive analysis based on multiple pieces of evidence: "Based on the state of rigor mortis and livor mortis, the preliminary estimation is that the time of death was between 24 and 36 hours ago; considering the degree of digestion of the stomach contents, the last time the deceased ate was 4 to 6 hours before death. Assuming that the deceased ate her last meal between 7 and 8 pm the previous night, then the time of death was approximately between 11 pm the previous night and 2 am the next morning; furthermore, considering the testimony of the person who reported the case, Li Yajuan, that she did not find the body when she cleaned the drainage ditch at 9 am yesterday, it indicates that the body was thrown into the ditch between 9 am yesterday and 9 am this morning, and the time of death should have been before the body was thrown into the ditch. Therefore, the time of death was estimated to be between 11 pm the night before last and 2 am yesterday, and the time of the body being thrown into the ditch was between last night and this morning."

"Teacher Zhang, is the identity of the deceased still uncertain?" Xiao Lin asked. (End of Chapter)