Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 760 A Series of Twists and Turns (Part 2)
Forensic office.

Chen Chuan and Jiang Hai's playful fight was undoubtedly an untimely disturbance, but it was this interruption that sparked a flash of inspiration in Chen Shu.

He stood up and paced around the small room. Everyone held their breath, not daring to disturb him, for fear that their every move would interrupt his thoughts.

Jiang Hai originally wanted to offer some more ideas, but Chen Chuan glared at him with eyes that could kill, and he immediately shrank back and waited quietly.

After a moment, Chen Shu stopped and first posed a conventional hypothesis: "If the deceased was unconscious due to intoxication before death and could only allow the murderer to hang him, would the deceased have struggled during the hanging process? Would the marks on his neck be clear?"

Ma Rongcheng was taken aback at first, then nodded involuntarily and said, "That would be acceptable."

"So the murderer deliberately got the victim drunk and then hanged him. In that case, all we need to do is trace back who was drinking with the victim last night!" Jiang Hai, who had been through a dark period, suddenly felt like Popeye after eating spinach, his whole body suddenly filled with strength again.

Chen Chuan, itching to join in, wanted to dampen Jiang Hai's enthusiasm with a bucket of cold water, but before he could even raise his hand, Chen Shu glared at him, and he withdrew it, muttering, "We're all from the same batch, what's the point of arguing?"

Chen Shu turned to look at Jiang Hai and smiled encouragingly, "Good idea. Although we usually have to trace back the deceased's social activities before death, your idea is quite targeted and worth a try."

The group then engaged in another discussion about the details.

Zhu Yiba, who was completely confused, nudged Chen Chuan, who was sulking, with his elbow and whispered, "What are they saying? I can understand each word individually, but I can't understand them when they're put together."

Chen Chuan, with a stern face, snorted, "You're asking me? Who should I ask? Those of us who do manual labor should just stand aside and be the decorations. Why think so much?"

"Tch, you're the decoration, your whole family are decorations!"

"Hey, if we're really going to talk about this, I'd definitely be considered a work of art!"

"."

To an outsider, without listening closely to the details, it would appear as if the two were arguing fiercely about the case.

"The hyoid bone is alright, the choroid grooves don't intersect, and the bleeding corresponds to the location of the choroid grooves. Hmm, it seems like it was formed all at once. The fingernails are also quite clean." Old Tang, wearing large glasses, practically lay on the corpse, examining it from all angles for a long time. Amid everyone's anticipation, he finally said with experience, "Old Ma's words make sense, but I think there's still room for discussion. To get a definitive answer, we'll have to dissect it."

Forensic doctor Lao Tang's words attracted everyone's attention. He was still the same as always, insisting on performing autopsies.

"Wait a minute." With that, Old Tang used all his strength to turn the corpse over, then lay down and looked at it for a long time. No one around dared to disturb him.

In the dimly lit autopsy room, the air conditioner was still humming. Even though the smell of disinfectant in the air was quite pungent, no one dared to show the slightest impatience.

The forensic pathologist, who was in charge of the autopsy room, was wearing a white coat and working intently with his head down. Although he looked a little tired, there was a glimmer of light in his eyes behind his large glasses.

Time ticked by, and amidst everyone's anticipation, Old Tang slowly stood up, scratched his head awkwardly, and said, "Excuse me, I'll go check the book to make sure."

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he quickly ran to the next office. First, there was a sound of rummaging through drawers and cabinets. After a moment of silence, the sound of a computer starting up could be heard. After a brief pause, the sound of typing on the keyboard began.

After about the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, Old Tang returned confidently, clutching several newly printed A4 sheets of paper. He declared emphatically, "The deceased's neck did not show any purple bruising, so the possibility of being strangled is not high."

Seeing everyone's blank expressions, Old Tang began to explain. The causes of death from strangulation and hanging are different. The former is mainly caused by asphyxiation due to the trachea being blocked by a rope-like object, while the latter is mostly caused by brain hypoxia due to the blood supply to the brain being cut off.

Humans have two arteries that supply blood to the brain: the carotid artery and the vertebral artery, which is protected by bones next to the spine.

If someone strangles you, even if the carotid artery is blocked, the vertebral artery, which is protected by bones, cannot be blocked. Therefore, blood can still be successfully transported to the brain, and the cause of death is the lack of oxygen.

But hanging is different. First, the rope doesn't completely seal the trachea, so breathing is still possible. However, the neck is suspended at an angle, blocking both the internal and external arteries simultaneously, causing blood supply to the brain to stop instantly, and the cause of death is blood loss.

Therefore, while the blood supply from the vertebral artery to the brain continues uninterrupted in a strangled corpse, the carotid artery, which supplies blood to the brain, is blocked, resulting in a purple, bruised appearance.

In contrast, those who die from oxygen deprivation by hanging will not show signs of purple discoloration or bruising because there is still an artery supplying blood to the brain.

The studious Jiang Hai made no attempt to hide anything, and following Old Tang's example, he pressed his entire face against the corpse's neck.

"No bruising, no purple discoloration."

He died by hanging.

"Suicide."

Jiang Hai slumped into a chair, eyes vacant, leaned back, and let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

This time, Chen Chuan didn't make the same mistake again. He quickly stepped forward and slapped Jiang Hai on the back of the head again, feeling a sense of satisfaction and enjoying the pleasure of this kind of education. However, he spoke sternly and righteously: "What kind of attitude is this?"

Jiang Hai, his hopes dashed, retorted defiantly, "That's called a serious and meticulous work ethic that doesn't let a single bad person get away with it!"

"Do you know that by investigating cases with such a rigid mindset that you're fixated on the murderer's intentions, you're bound to create a bunch of wrongful convictions sooner or later!"

"Ha, so the prerequisite for a wrongful conviction is that you've actually handled a case, right? Brother Chuan, have you ever handled a case?"

"Oh my, this little kid who's still in school has already learned to talk back quite well."

"Come on, at least act like a senior brother."

Just as Zhu Yiba and Chen Chuan were arguing fiercely and Jiang Hai was sighing dejectedly, Chen Shu slammed his knuckles on the table, as if he had discovered something extraordinary.

Everyone's attention returned to him.

"Expert Ma, I have an idea, but I don't know if it's right." Chen Shu pondered for a moment and slowly said, "If it was a suicide by hanging, the marks around the neck where it touched the rope should have a process of going from deep to shallow. Think about it, when the neck is hanging on the rope, the weight of the whole body is concentrated on the small area under the chin where it touches the rope, so the mark must be deepest in the very center, and then gradually become shallower along both sides, and this length must not be long, about one-third of the circumference of the neck."

“But look at the ligature marks on the corpse’s neck. They’re almost half a circle, and the length of the marks far exceeds what a normal hanging would look like. The degree of the marks is also similar, as if the entire neck was tightly strangled with a rope.”

As he spoke, Chen Shu became faster and more certain, gesturing with his hands as if he were strangling someone, then quickly bringing them together like a guillotine, and decisively saying, "These consistent marks are more like someone who was strangled."

(End of this chapter)