National Forensic Doctor

Chapter 1326: Chapter 1252: Worrisome

Jiang Yuan glanced at the documents and sipped his green tea. It was after a cup of tea was brewed and finished that the forensic doctor Wen Youchuan arrived, pushing two suitcases.

Wen Youchuan had collaborated with Jiang Yuan several times and was fairly familiar with him. Upon arriving at the scene, he greeted Jiang Yuan while opening the suitcases and started sampling one batch after another.

Red, brown, brown, yellow, and also green and black samples were repacked and laid out on the table.

As Wen Youchuan worked, he said, "Wu Zhi kept emphasizing that I must cooperate well and serve you well. My junior is still sorting out information in the office; if you need anything, just ask, but don’t tell Wu Zhi that I said it..."

Jiang Yuan smiled and shook his head, standing up as he spoke, "Actually, I should have gone to Jianjiang City; Wu Zhi was too anxious."

Under normal circumstances, Jiang Yuan would be expected to go to inspect the samples, but Wu Zhisu didn’t offer that option.

Wen Youchuan smiled indifferently and said, "It’s rare to encounter a case that interests you; naturally, Wu Zhi hopes to keep Jiang Yuan’s Accumulated Case Team in Jianjiang. If they let you go, no one knows when they will be able to use them again. Wu Zhi also complained to us last time, saying that joining the Taihe Working Group has its costs, yet he’s dissatisfied with our performance and also with the group’s lack of attention to Jianjiang’s work."

Sssss...

Huang Qiangmin slurped his green tea, his lips making a sound against the cup.

Wen Youchuan glanced over, then quickly turned his head, his heart racing as he said, "Where do we start from?"

"Do we have bone marrow samples?" Jiang Yuan was referring to those containing diatoms.

Ordinary people might think samples containing diatoms would naturally be lung samples. Indeed, if the deceased drowned in water, lung tissue is the first organ where diatoms settle. But when it comes to the gold standard for drowning diagnosis, it’s the bone marrow!

Because the bone marrow has high specificity, and only the pre-mortem circulatory system can reach it. Thus, finding diatoms in the bone marrow confirms drowning, ruling out possibilities such as post-mortem disposal.

Of course, it doesn’t mean that drowned bodies will always have diatoms in the bone marrow. But if the forensic doctor has doubts about the cause of death, extracting bone marrow from long bones is a good option, if available.

Similarly, doctors may not extract bone marrow samples if not necessary.

Wen Youchuan nodded and said, "Only one case where bone marrow samples were taken and obtained. The case of the floating corpse from 1011, 8 years ago."

"You handled it?" Jiang Yuan asked as Wen Youchuan skillfully found the samples and case files.

"Yes. I worked on it with another forensic doctor," Wen Youchuan replied. "The body was highly decomposed. At discovery, the muscle tissue had already turned muddy, and the organs self-dissolved. During the autopsy, blunt force trauma was found on the corpse’s head, and the hand bones were fractured, leading to the opening of a case."

Jiang Yuan nodded slowly, estimating that the self-dissolution of the organs was why they performed bone marrow diatom analysis.

Extracting bone marrow is relatively cumbersome. Human leg bones are extremely hard, difficult even with electric bone saws, especially for decomposed bodies. The bones become slippery and greasy, making fixation a challenge. The entire process is very labor-intensive, and in typical cases, forensic doctors avoid taking these samples unless necessary. The most troublesome part is that extracting bone marrow requires sterile procedures; otherwise, outside diatoms contaminate the marrow, rendering the entire operation useless.

"Then let’s do a comparison," Jiang Yuan said, as he took the bone marrow samples and began examining them under a microscope.

Wen Youchuan, meanwhile, began preparing other samples from the same case and samples from other cases.

He was a forensic doctor himself, naturally understanding precisely what Jiang Yuan’s actions meant.

The application of the diatom database is part of legal botany, and the analysis identification method is similar. In summary, diatom maps in rivers and other water systems remain stable over long periods. Different locations will have diverse species and forms of diatoms, giving each location a unique diatom map.

Jiang Yuan now was comparing diatoms in the samples, and once matched, it likely indicates the point of drowning or the spot where the corpse was discarded.

For drowning cases, this marks a significant breakthrough.

In these cases, bone marrow samples are 100% the drowning point. Other organ samples can provide similar value, such as the liver, kidneys, spleen, and heart, which can show diatoms due to systemic circulation. Lung samples, however, are weaker.

Still, pinpointing the drowning site doesn’t immediately lead to case resolution; there’s a long way to go. Wen Youchuan recalled previous drowning cases he worked on, quietly preparing himself mentally.

Certainly, these cases are often time-consuming and exhausting, but for police officers, there’s no choice...

Wen Youchuan was thinking as he slurped his tea again.

Not long after, Jiang Yuan looked up, signaled for the case file, and started reading.

Wen Youchuan’s tea suddenly lost its flavor as he leaned in and softly asked, "Did you get a match?"

"Got a match," Jiang Yuan nodded.

"Oh, did we get a match?" Wen Youchuan, imagining a little cheer or celebration, momentarily found himself unsure of what to say.

"This case fits, let’s start with this one. The 1011 floating corpse case." Jiang Yuan pointed to the final conclusion in the forensic report: The right-side long bone bone marrow detected complete diatom, inconsistent with water sample.

"The conditions are quite suitable, no need to pick further." Jiang Yuan explained, "Diatoms detected in the bone marrow indicate drowning. It being inconsistent with the water sample suggests the discovery location wasn’t where the victim drowned. Of course, now we know the specific drowning site..."

As Jiang Yuan spoke, Qiao Shengli printed out the address from the database and handed it to him.

"The body’s drowning point is located upstream of Ningtai County at Fan Family Village. Check if there’s a murder or any missing persons around here." Jiang Yuan instructed Wang Chuanxing and others, then turned to Wen Youchuan, asking, "Is the body still available?"

"Only the bones were preserved. The body decomposed too severely to retain." Wen Youchuan hurriedly explained.

Unsolved murder cases ideally preserve the involved corpse, even if secondary autopsy results are weak; it’s better than nothing.

However, high decomposition makes preservation difficult. When organs self-dissolve, it’s not just the heart, liver, spleen, and kidneys; the gastrointestinal tract structure blurs too, causing internal matter to leak - not that it matters anymore; at this stage, the corpse’s smell is already extremely complex, with little differences having no impact.

"Release electronic photos for a look." Jiang Yuan called Wang Chuanxing over specifically to obtain cranial and hand bone photos.

"Commissioner Huang, Wu Zhi is here," a subordinate reported.

Huang Qiangmin stood up, his eyes on Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan naturally took out a bicolor Lord Guan he carried and gently touched it.

Huang Qiangmin’s heart felt assured.

According to their agreed signal, this meant Jiang Yuan was confident about this case, akin to worshiping Lord Guan once.

Huang Qiangmin tidied his clothes and went out to meet Wu Zhisu.

Wu Zhisu came rushing in, wearing a smile.

Before he could greet anyone, Huang Qiangmin loudly exclaimed, "Wu Zhi, your case is truly vexing!"noveldrama