The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Strange Bloodstain Patterns

The two characters on the deceased’s face look a bit blurred.

However, upon closer inspection, they can still be clearly seen.

After Li Jian looked at it, he turned his head, his face full of horror.

”This is the first time I’ve encountered a case where the victim’s head is placed in a refrigerator.”

”The key thing is, there are also two words on her face.”

Jiang An nodded thoughtfully.

”These two words must not have been engraved lightly; they should contain significant criminal motives.”

”What you mean is, the murderer might have been deceived by Qin Xiao?”

Zhang Yean put down her camera, walked over, and after observing, she asked.

”I think it’s very possible.”

Then, Jiang An reached out and took the head.

”Carving words on a person’s face isn’t very harmful, but it’s extremely insulting.”

”Perhaps in the murderer’s view, even if Qin Xiao is dead, she should still bear the label of ’liar’.”

At this moment, Mr. Ma entered with his secretary.

”Mr. Ma!”

”Mr. Ma!”

.....

The detectives in the kitchen greeted him.

”You’ve worked hard!”

However, when he saw Jiang An holding the head, he was suddenly surprised, his pupils contracted slightly.

The secretary accompanying him instinctively took a few steps back.

Li Jian immediately reported: ”Mr. Ma, this is the head Jiang An found in the refrigerator, with the word ’liar’ written on the face in pen.”

”Liar?”

Mr. Ma was shocked, and said in a deep voice: ”I’ve been involved in criminal investigation for over 30 years, and this is the second time I’ve encountered a severed head.”

”The first time I encountered a similar case was 20 years ago.”

”That case occurred in winter, and the murderer built a snowman outside, except the snowman’s head was the victim’s head.”

After a slight pause, Mr. Ma said: ”That case was very complicated; it took the special investigation team half a year to solve it.”

Finally, his gaze settled on Li Jian and Jiang An.

”Therefore, be mentally prepared for the resolution of this case; it may be a long-term battle.”

Li Jian’s face was solemn, and he said firmly: ”Rest assured, Mr. Ma, our detective team will not disappoint you.”

Mr. Ma nodded and said: ”You’ve worked hard! If you need me to coordinate police investigation resources, feel free to ask.”

”I won’t disturb your crime scene investigation here any longer.”

”I look forward to you solving this case soon.”

”Yes!”

All the detectives said in unison.

Subsequently.

Mr. Ma and the secretary left the crime scene.

Jiang An observed the head in his hand, rotating it at different angles.

Zhang Yean held the camera, clicking and taking photos to document.

These original photos are an important basis for later case analysis and judgment.

Jiang An’s gaze lingered on the severed neck of the deceased, observing for a long time.

Li Jian noticed his unusual movements and leaned in to observe.

”Was the tool for severing the deceased’s neck also a power saw?”

Jiang An nodded.

Then, with a face full of horror, he said: ”Judging by the skin characteristics at the deceased’s neck separation, the deceased was likely alive when the head was cut.”

Everyone was stunned at these words.

They all widened their eyes, staring at the cross-section of the neck.

Zhang Yean asked in horror: ”Was she really alive when her head was cut?”

Jiang An held the head with one hand and pointed to the cross-section at the neck with the other.

”The skin edge of this separation is slightly reddened, with localized skin blistering.”

”I believe this is a burn injury from contact with a high-temperature object.”

”A burn injury?”

Zhang Yean looked confused, ”Where did the high-temperature object come from?”

Jiang An continued: ”The saw blade of the power saw, during high-speed rotation, generates heat due to motor operation and blade friction, resulting in high temperatures.”

”Oh! I understand now!”

”But, how is this related to the deceased being alive while her head was cut off?”

Jiang An replied: ”Only when a living human body skin comes into contact with a high-temperature object will such redness and even skin blistering occur.”

”It’s similar to when we sometimes get burned by boiling water, the burned area turns red and forms blisters.”

”This is a normal skin reaction to high temperature exposure in living bodies.”

”Once a person dies, such effects no longer occur.”

At this moment, Wan leaned over and said: ”I understand now!”

”It’s like when I was a child, during the annual pig slaughter in my hometown, after killing the pig, we scalded the skin with boiling water and scraped off the hair. The pig’s skin still remained white, without turning red.”

Jiang An’s lips twitched slightly upward.

”It’s a similar principle.”

After a long while, Li Jian spoke up: ”If she was cut while still breathing, that’s just too cruel.”

Jiang An observed the neck section of the deceased again closely.

”During the process of cutting with the power saw, the murderer severed skin, muscle, and the vertebrae and neck arteries.”

”Under normal circumstances, the pressure in neck arteries is very high and when ruptured, it would cause a fountain-like bleeding.”

Zhang Yean said: ”I remember my university lecturer mentioning that when a neck artery ruptures, it causes spattered bloodstains. I’ve seen such images in teaching materials.”

She thought for a moment, then asked, puzzled: ”However, I didn’t seem to see such fountain-like blood on the living room floor just now.”

Li Jian also had this doubt in his mind.

In the cases he handled regarding neck artery cuts leading to haemorrhagic shock and death, the crime scene typically showcased the very distinct fractal blood spatter pattern, similar to a series of small mountain peaks.

But, indeed in the living room earlier, there was no such evident blood pattern.

Seeing the puzzled expressions on everyone’s faces, Jiang An explained: ”Because the heart’s working rhythm is systolic and diastolic, it causes the arterial blood pressure to be high and low alternately.”

”Therefore, when the neck artery is severed, during the heart’s systolic state, the vascular pressure is high, and the blood is propelled farther from the rupture.”

”During the heart’s diastolic state, the vascular pressure is low, and the blood is propelled at a shorter distance.”

”Ultimately, the typical result of arterial bleeding in the neck is a distribution resembling a series of high and low mountain peaks.”

Then, Jiang An abruptly turned the conversation and said: ”The reason why we didn’t see these typical arterial spray patterns on the living room floor.”

”I suspect it’s mainly because the murderer was squatting next to the victim’s neck during the cutting action, very close to the bleeding point.”

”The neck artery rupture’s sprayed blood landed on the front side of the murderer’s body and the power saw.”

Finally, Jiang An added: ”In the living room earlier, I was puzzled about why there was a cylindrical bloodstain near the power strip.”

”Now, I seem to understand.”

”That should be the bloodstained mark left by placing the power saw on the floor.”

Suddenly, Zhang Yean mused to herself, ”The killer was covered in blood on the face, hands, clothing, even with a twisted expression on the face.”

”Thinking back, that scene must have been truly terrifying.”

Instantly, everyone’s gaze settled on Qin Xiao’s head.

Moments later, Jiang An suddenly said: ”Has anyone else noticed that the murderer’s hatred toward Qin Xiao seems far greater than toward Zhang Rui?”