Chapter 8: Facial Reconstruction Technique 1

  "Of course, it's very simple, similar to playing computer graphics." As she spoke, she carefully placed the deceased's skull on the triangular bracket under the scanner, adjusted the angle, and then gestured for Deng Ran to start operating. With the humming of the instrument, a red beam slowly scanned the entire head from different angles three times. After that, the instrument beeped, indicating the end of the scan. The remaining work would be completed by specialized computer software.

  At this time, the laboratory staff next door rushed over with the urgent blood test report they needed. Zhang Tong took off his gloves and took a look. The report showed that the carbon monoxide content in 100 milliliters of blood was only 8, which meant that the possibility of death from smoke inhalation could be completely ruled out.

  "It seems that the possibility of homicide is very high. Xiao Deng, do you still remember the scene we saw when we first arrived at the scene?"

  Deng Ran nodded: "The body was facing the sofa and lying prone, with only a slight curvature of the limbs, unlike ordinary fire accident victims whose limbs are basically bent at a 90-degree angle."

  "That proves my hypothesis. Let's take another look at the surface of the body for any other signs."

  Due to the large fire, the deceased's hair and scalp were completely burned off. Therefore, when observing the deceased's head, a clear wound appeared on the back of the head, very deep, even showing white bone. However, it was strange that there were no signs of healing, but instead looked very fresh, with no scabbing. The mouth was extremely large due to muscle contraction around it, about 1 cm wide. The wound was vertical. Based on the deceased's estimated height ratio, the wound must have been caused at a height of between 175 and 180 cm. This completely matches the height ratio of an adult male.

  When examining the deceased's knee, Zhang Tong found a scar. Although the deceased's surface skin was completely burned, this deep wound that reached the internal muscle was not so easy to ignore. The deceased's neck and back also showed obvious bruises. The depth of the bruise marks could be seen as the magnitude of the force used to cause such injuries. Most importantly, the time it took for these wounds to form absolutely did not exceed twenty-four hours.

  "Director Zhang, what should we do next?"

  "Notify the homicide unit. This is clearly a murder case."

  "So, how did these internal injuries form?" Deng Ran asked curiously. "I feel it's very unusual."

  "Remember where the corpses were placed when we first arrived at the scene?"

  "Yes. It's prone."

  "I suspect it's highly likely that someone pressed their knee against her back, then tightly pinched her throat with both hands until she died, and then set fire to destroy the body."

  "This is outrageous. Too cruel." Deng Ran muttered angrily.

  "Stop staring and make the call." Zhang Tong flipped over the body, then picked up the autopsy knife and began to cut from the left shoulder down to the second rib on the chest. Then, he made a similar incision from the right shoulder, meeting at a point to form a V-shape. From there, he extended the cut downwards to just below the navel. Finally, with a swift motion of the thoracic retractor, the entire chest and abdominal cavity were exposed before her eyes. Although the body had been found in a fire scene and was severely disfigured on the outside, the internal organs showed no signs of blackening from smoke inhalation. Instead, they presented severe shrinkage due to dehydration, further supporting her theory that the victim's body had been burned after death to destroy evidence.

  The next task was to write the autopsy report. In the cause of death column, Zhang Tong carefully filled in "mechanical asphyxia caused by external force". This conclusion was completely different from the previously predicted "fire accident".

  "Chief Inspector. With this report, it looks like those guys in the Major Crimes Unit will have to work overtime again tonight."

  The next morning, just after arriving at the unit, he was informed to attend a case analysis meeting. Zhang Tong rushed to the second-floor conference room in a hurry, and the room was already packed with people. Many of them had stayed up all night, their eyes were bloodshot, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of smoke. Although it is repeatedly emphasized in society that smoking is not allowed in public places, this rule has no effect at the Tianchang Public Security Bureau. Because the leaders know that many of these frontline police officers rely on a cigarette to refresh themselves, and those who smoke heavily can finish three packs a day.

  The situation was reported by Deputy Head of the Inspection Team, Old Zheng. In order to allow everyone to more intuitively combine the evidence they obtained with the information provided by the forensic doctor for analysis, he started from the forensic doctor's injury report.

  "The vertical wound on the back of the deceased's head matches perfectly with the injury caused by this ashtray found at the scene. When we first discovered this ashtray, it was empty. Many cigarette butts were placed on the side table, apparently having been emptied out. We successfully lifted fingerprints from it. In the gaps of the ashtray, we also found some minute human blood and tissue."

  He showed everyone three enlarged photos, which were respectively the ashtray, the wound on the deceased, and a comparison of the two wounds. Then he showed another photo, which was taken at the scene, showing the sofa that had been almost completely burned, as well as a large area of damaged floor in front of it.

  "We investigated the damaged shape on the floor in front of the sofa. Apparently, the fire spread gradually towards the center of the room. The floor had been sprayed with a catalyst by someone, forming an unusual combustion pattern. We found an empty white wine bottle in the trash can at the corner of the scene, and there were no saliva stains on the mouth of the bottle. It's very likely that this was the catalyst, because we couldn't find any traces of the catalyst in the burn residue, and alcohol evaporates when exposed to high temperatures. And...". Old Zheng then showed another close-up photo of the wall behind the sofa, a large V-shaped scorch mark from the flames. The pattern was shocking. "This pattern tells us that the sofa was the starting point of the fire."

  "May I ask a question?" Someone raised their hand. "Why didn't the big fire spread out?"

  Old Zheng nodded: "Burning requires oxygen in the air to assist combustion. However, this room is airtight. So, after burning for a while, the flame went out."

  He paused, his eyes serious: "Our forensic conclusion is the same. This case is a murder case. And the murderer has some knowledge of fire prevention. He knows how to cause a fire and how to make it spread. If he hadn't locked the room too tightly, many pieces of evidence might have been destroyed by the big fire when we found out."

  "Director Zhang of the Forensic Department, can you confirm the identity of the deceased?" Director Li, in charge of criminal investigation, turned his head to look at Zhang Tong on the other side.

  "The deceased is a female. Currently, based on the size of the pelvis and the stage of tooth growth and bone age, I can only roughly determine the age to be between 25 and 30 years old. She has not given birth. Additionally, because the deceased's body was burned in a large fire, there were still three relatively intact fingers left. I used the saltwater injection method to extract their corresponding fingerprints. The specific information has been input into the computer for preservation. There is also an attachment note in this report."

  "What about the homeowner's identity?"

  The head of the criminal police team, Wang Yanan, introduced: "The owner of the house where the fire occurred is a 70-year-old old man surnamed Qin. He said that two months ago, he rented the house to a young woman from Henan who came to work in the city, named Lu Xiaoxi, whose ID shows she is 28 years old and works as a cashier at a supermarket in the city. That's all he knows. I have already sent someone to the supermarket and will try to retrieve her personal belongings as soon as possible to see if we can extract fingerprints for comparison."

  Director Li nodded: "Nothing else. So, that's all for today. Report any developments as soon as possible. You must carefully follow up on Lu Xiaoxi's situation."

  "Okay."

  Two days later, Wang Yanan invited Zhang Tong to a cafe.

  "You say, Xiaotong, why do people nowadays throw everything away for emotions?"

  Zhang Tong was stunned: "What do you mean by this?"

  "I'm talking about Lu Xiaoxi, the victim of the arson case that was just solved. It's really incomprehensible. You say, for emotions, something you can't see or touch, they'd rather sacrifice their own lives. Alas... I wouldn't ruin my life for emotions." Wang Yan sighed heavily. "There are too few good men nowadays."

  Zhang Tong couldn't help but secretly sigh in sorrow. That Lu Xiaoxi had fallen in love with a married man from the company and wouldn't let go, forcing him to divorce his wife and marry her instead. In the end, that man's heart turned murderous. She died a terrible death. That night, after a round of intimacy, he took advantage of her unguarded moment and knocked her unconscious with an ashtray. Then, straddling her body, he used both hands to strangle her to death. Afterwards, he grabbed the wine bottle from the corner of the table, poured all the wine over her body, and set it on fire in an attempt to destroy the evidence. Little did he know that heaven's net is vast and wide, leaving no room for escape.

  "Director Zhang, the hospital has sent over a child with suspicious cause of death. The homicide unit has been notified. Please prepare for an external autopsy as soon as possible. The body is already in the morgue."

  "I'll be right there." After hanging up the phone, Zhang Tong immediately put down his pen, rubbed the corners of his tired eyes, and stood up to head towards the dressing room next to the office.

  The body under the white sheet on the autopsy table looked very small and thin, it was a child. Seeing this scene, Zhang Tong couldn't help but let out a long sigh: "Little Deng, hurry up and get ready, we're starting work soon."

  The doctor who accompanied the ambulance to transport the body was the one who reported the case. She was very young, seemingly not long after graduating from medical school. There was a hint of melancholy between her eyebrows. She stood at the door, signing over some documents.

  "Hello. I'm Zhang Faye." Zhang Tong greeted him. "You're from the Second Hospital's emergency room, right?"

  She nodded and didn't say much.

  "When was the child sent to your hospital?" Zhang Tong asked while gesturing for Xiao Deng to help her tie up her apron, inquiring about relevant important clues.

  "An hour ago, around 8:30, when the child was sent over, they already had no obvious breathing or heartbeat. The parents said it was because the child was playing and accidentally fell, but I found that the child's body had many unexplained injuries, all over their body was bruised and purple, and the child's cervical vertebrae were clearly broken due to external force. So, I suspect she died abnormally and had been beaten multiple times before, with severe malnutrition. At the hospital, I have already notified the security department and the hospital leaders, they will try to keep the parents here and inform them of the situation. My colleague from the police station came with me, now it's up to you." She said, handing over a large Manila envelope to Zhang Tong. "This is all her relevant medical records, not many, I've done my best."