The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

”If the murderer disposed of the body in such an already hidden place but still took other body parts away, does it indicate that the missing parts might not be the main focus of the murderer?”

”Of course, as my colleagues have mentioned, it’s very possible the murderer kept them as trophies; this possibility exists.”

”But is there another possibility? The one I mentioned in the meeting, the ’狸猫换太子’.”

When this term was mentioned again, the officers didn’t feel unfamiliar, just exceedingly surprised.

Because when this idea was first raised in the meeting, they merely thought it was a conjecture.

But now, being brought up again, they had to take it seriously.

Suddenly, one officer asked, ”Mr. Jiang, if it’s a case of ’狸猫换太子’, what’s the reason behind it?”

”Is there any solid evidence?”

Upon hearing this, Jiang An wasn’t angry.

Because in handling criminal cases, the focus is never on emotions and possibilities, but rather on whether there’s solid evidence.

”Certainly, when I first suggested this idea, it was merely an emotional analysis.”

”But now, I seem to understand better and feel that it can be rationally argued to some extent.”

Hearing this, all the officers’ faces displayed curiosity, as if they were listening to a criminal investigation expert discussing the case, each showing a curious facial expression.

Jiang An said, ”From the perspective of forensic anthropology, I think everyone has some understanding of the human body’s structure.”

”In the human body, certain structures can represent specific human information.”

”For instance, our skull can represent our appearance—provided there’s flesh on the skull.”

”Without flesh, it’s just a skull, and to ordinary people, Zhang San and Li Si would look quite similar unless you’re a forensic anthropology expert.”

”So, for a living person, their face is the most significant feature.”

”Secondly, height is another characteristic as each person’s height is somewhat unique.”

”Although there could be similarities, seeing someone who’s 1.9 meters tall in a crowd is an immediately noticeable feature.”

”Related to height are limbs. For example, the femur of a person has a specific ratio compared to their height, which is about one-fourth.”

”Also, from the perspective of forensic anthropology, another distinctive body structure is the pubic bone.”

”The pubic symphysis can determine whether it’s male or female. Through its degree of ossification, we can deduce the age of the deceased.”

”There are many grooves and ridges on the pubic bone, including the face of the pubic symphysis, showing its ossification degree.”

At this point, one officer raised his hand and asked, ”Mr. Jiang, how is this related to our case?”

Seeing this, Jiang An smiled and said, ”As young colleagues, we’re not in school, so feel free to share your thoughts, and we can discuss them later.”

Upon these words, the officer previously speaking scratched his head in embarrassment: ”Oh, sorry, I got too absorbed in listening like I was back in school.”

”Since I’ve been working, I haven’t heard such meticulous and organized analysis.”

Hearing this, Jiang An chuckled: ”You’re too kind.”

”Your question is very good, how exactly does this relate to our case?”

”Here, I’d like to suggest that if the murderer took the deceased’s skull and pubic area, we could identify her as female and roughly estimate her age based on these structures.”

”However, if they were to use long bones, height becomes apparent.”

He continued, ”Remember, this case happened fifteen years ago, when criminal science and forensic anthropology were relatively underdeveloped.”

”Fifteen years ago, DNA testing technology hadn’t evolved, nor had forensic anthropology or osteology.”

”At that time, forensics could only ascertain the height, age, and gender of unidentified bodies, without precise methods for identifying identity.”

Hearing this, Qin Feng nodded, feeling deeply: ”You’re right, when this case happened, I had just started working in the criminal investigation team.”

”Back then, DNA testing technology wasn’t common in our Yun Province or even Dragon Country.”

”When encountering skeletonized bodies, burned bodies, or those disfigured by fish in water, we often identified by determining the gender, age, height, and unique skeletal structures to find out the identity.”

”Unlike now, where encountering a body, we immediately extract DNA, conduct skeletal DNA identification, and trace the body’s source.”

After finishing, his eyes brightened, and he suddenly realized: ”Mr. Jiang, placing this case back then, it’s really plausible ’狸猫换太子’ could occur.”

”Back then, if two deceased persons had similar ages and the same gender, without DNA, the identification would be broadly consistent, not ruling out the possibility.”

”With additional factors, we could even prove Zhang San is Li Si, or cases where a deceased person adopts another’s identity.”

With this thought, Qin Feng’s perspective widened.

He then asked: ”Mr. Jiang, are you suggesting the murderer had ulterior motives, allowing someone to impersonate the deceased, while the supposed deceased didn’t die?”

Jiang An nodded: ”It’s a possibility, and now I’m also worried about another possible occurrence.”

”Oh? Please tell us.”

”I fear the murderer fabricated someone’s death.”

”Oh? Faked someone’s death?”

”We don’t currently know the reason behind it, but I believe the cause and motive must be significant.”

”Insurance fraud!”

Suddenly, one officer sitting below immediately spoke, ”I’ve handled an insurance fraud case before.”

”The perpetrator sought bones from a burial site to disguise the bones as the deceased’s and was eventually exposed, leading to penalties.”

Hearing this, Jiang An nodded and said: ”This is exactly what I was talking about.”

”From a criminal psychology perspective, if someone risks committing murder, the motive must be strong.”

”I firmly believe in the criminological perspective that ’people die for wealth, like birds for food’ holds true.”

”So I think we should search within these 1006 cases for those with incomplete bodies, especially ones with only the skull and pubic bone, or even lacking both completely.”

With these words, all officers turned their gaze back to the thick case files in front of them.

Previously disheartened, they were now full of confidence.

Particularly the young officer who suggested the insurance fraud possibility.

He raised his arm and rolled up his sleeves, appearing ready for action.

Having past case-handling experience, if this is a similar case, it should be manageable.

At this moment, the most emotionally moved was Qin Feng, who raised his head to look at Jiang An, then at the files.

He wondered why, even as both being team leaders, Jiang was so remarkable while he lagged behind.

After a while, he sighed to himself: does being a criminal investigation leader require talent too?