Chapter 180 - 180 172 Cause of Death

Words : 2024 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

180: Chapter 172: Cause of Death 180: Chapter 172: Cause of Death The cause of death in a deceased person is a very serious topic for a forensic doctor. Forensic pathology, the entire book talks just about this matter. Courts also place extreme importance on the cause of death. Like in today’s case, if the death is caused by arson, which means the victim died from the arson but was not the target, it could result in a life sentence. But if the death is due to murder followed by arson to burn the body, this constitutes an aggravating circumstance, and it’s usually the death penalty. On the other hand, if someone is accidentally killed in a fire or if after the murder, someone else sets the fire leading to the body being burned, then it might again be possible to receive a life sentence. Niu Tang, who usually conducted the autopsies, looked somber as well. Murder followed by burning is quite a common scenario. To escape punishment, perpetrators often employ various methods to destroy and eliminate evidence. But the abdomen being stabbed so many times and the lungs having a sensation of twisting... These are two distinctly different causes of death. The sensation of twisting in the lungs, or in other words, the grasp of snow, generally indicates something related to suffocation. Niu Tang hesitated not a bit and sliced off a piece of lung tissue. A pink frothy liquid flowed out. This further proved that death was very likely related to suffocation. So, did the victim get stabbed in the abdomen, become unconscious from the injuries, and then die from smoke inhalation? Niu Tang’s gaze involuntarily moved to the throat area of the body. It’s well-known that a body that dies from smoke inhalation has three characteristics. First, the airway and oral cavity might be burned by the high-temperature smoke. Second, the eyes are usually closed. Third, the level of carboxyhemoglobin saturation is high. The first characteristic is easy to understand. The second one is also easy to understand: the irritants in the smoke are so severe that at a lethal level, in the middle of the smoke, one would inevitably close their eyes. The third characteristic, high carboxyhemoglobin saturation, is actually an indicator of carbon monoxide poisoning. In normal people, this indicator is usually negative; smokers may have an index between 0.02 and 0.04. But if one is poisoned by carbon monoxide in smoke, then the carboxyhemoglobin saturation index would soar above 20%. However, whether the eyes are open or closed is not easy to verify. Because a person’s eyelids can be closed after death, like in cases where a man cries hard at a fire scene and closes his brother’s eyes, such acts invite suspicion that the brother was strangled to death and the cause of death covered up. Carboxyhemoglobin saturation needs to be confirmed by toxicological testing. Normally, the most direct method for a forensic doctor is to cut open the airway and take a look. But the tissue on the chest of the deceased, including the throat that was carbonized, was already burned away. Niu Tang made an incision and could not distinguish anything, so he did not continue cutting. “Should we take heart blood for testing?” Jiang Yuan asked politely. “Hmm... yes.” Niu Tang’s reaction was even slower than Jiang Yuan’s. Taking heart blood is for toxicological testing. Jiang Yuan again volunteered: “Shall I do it?” He was here to gain experience, after all, and couldn’t just linger on the sidelines the whole time. Niu Tang paused for a moment then stepped aside to give Jiang Yuan space. Jiang Yuan took heart blood and also collected stomach contents. Toxicological testing mainly involves these two areas. One represents what’s in your blood; the other shows what’s in your stomach. After the sampling was done, Jiang Yuan made a feint with the knife towards the abdominal cavity and asked, “Shall we search?” Wang Lan and Niu Tang, still in a daze, muttered softly, “Let’s search then.” Without needing to clarify what to search for, the three forensic doctors began looking together. “No blood clots.” “The stomach was punctured, but there are no blood clots and no carbonization.” “Same here in the lower abdomen, no carbonization.” Everyone naturally pointed out the key findings. If blood vessels were punctured before death, there would be bleeding because the heart was pumping blood out. If blood vessels were punctured after death, there would be no bleeding since the heart had already stopped beating. One reason you can’t get exsanguinated pork in Europe and America, aside from economic factors and habits, is that exsanguinated pork requires the pig to bleed while it’s still alive, which is greatly frowned upon in Western etiquette. And if there are no blood clots in the abdomen, it indicates the blood vessels were punctured after death, or... Theoretically, blood clots can also be burned away by flames. Saying there is no carbonization in the stomach and lower abdomen reduces the likelihood of subsequent possibilities. “Looking at it this way, the likelihood of death by toxic suffocation or mechanical asphyxiation is quite high, and then the corpse was stabbed so many times afterward...” Niu Tang couldn’t help shaking his head. Jiang Yuan gestured to the positions of the stab wounds and said, “It could have been someone familiar who committed the act, afraid of being recognized, so they stabbed the body further.” “Very likely.” Niu Tang got excited and said, “Then I’ll make a phone call first.” The cause of death had basically been discovered. The detailed situation still depended on the toxicology report, but the stabs in the abdomen were inflicted postmortem, a fact that greatly impacted the investigation of the case. It was necessary to inform those on the front line first. After Niu Tang cleaned his hands, made the phone call, and put his gloves back on, he saw Jiang Yuan and Wang Lan meticulously examining the extracted heart. “Any findings?” Niu Tang hurriedly stepped onto his footstool to join them. “There’s some petechial hemorrhaging,” Jiang Yuan said. “Evidence of asphyxiation,” Niu Tang nodded. Asphyxiation can lead to hypoxemic symptoms, which can result in such dotted hemorrhages on the surfaces of multiple internal organs. This was the case with the victim’s heart. Nevertheless, to still notice petechial hemorrhaging, given the state of the body today, was no easy feat. The thoracic cavity was almost completely burned through. If the fire had been extinguished a bit slower, and the house had been entirely consumed, the heart would probably also have been burned through. “Jiang Yuan has quite a sharp eye,” Niu Tang said with admiration. Wang Lan looked up, shaking her head to ease the discomfort in her neck, and added, “Jiang Yuan doesn’t just have a sharp eye; he spotted the hemorrhaging on the surfaces of the internal organs. He even checked the liver and kidneys carefully. The hemorrhaging on the heart can also be detected, it’s almost baked dry.” “Doctor Jiang is capable indeed,” Niu Tang nodded his head in approval. Knowledge is written in books, but being able to apply it suitably and appropriately at the right time is no simple feat—Niu Tang’s evaluation of Jiang Yuan had risen from that of a young newcomer to a notch higher. “Let’s finish up here; Captain Lei Xin will come over to take a look in a bit,” Niu Tang said, then continued to energetically dissect. Trace evidence investigator Cao Keyang was helping to the point of feeling nauseated, sighed, and asked, “Your Captain Lei is coming over now? In the middle of the night?” “He doesn’t sleep at night anyway, so it’s no big deal,” Niu Tang lacked any concern for his superior’s well-being. Jiang Yuan, Wang Lan, Cao Keyang, and the forensic assistant all nodded in agreement. The atmosphere in the autopsy room warmed up because of this. An hour later, Lei Xin, the captain of the criminal police squad in Qinghe City’s Qianjin District, ran over. “Doctor Jiang, you’ve worked hard,” he said. Qinghe City is divided into three districts, with Qianjin District being part of the old city. The district’s criminal police squad is on the same level as that of Ningtai County. This was a slightly skinny detective, with yellowing hands and teeth, the kind who clearly only works with his mind and not with his hands. Upon entering, Lei Xin first courteously greeted Jiang Yuan and then offered cigarettes to the others. Jiang Yuan replied with a “no problem” and accepted the cigarette to light it up. Attentiveness in times of need is definitely aimed at getting something done. Taking advantage of the case to get acquainted, Lei Xin continued, “Doctor Jiang, Doctor Wang, Niu Tang, may I introduce the details of the case?” “Sure.” Lei Xin carefully chose his words and said, “To put it briefly, what happened is... this afternoon, or rather yesterday afternoon, a private residence in our district caught fire. After extinguishing the fire, we found this female corpse... We’ve done a DNA comparison on the body, and I’ve just received the results.” “The victim’s name is Zhang Ying, 22 years old, unmarried. She was renting a place here. The situation at the scene shows the victim lying on the bed inside the house, undressed, so there’s a possibility of burglary and rape.” “It’s a self-built house in a village within the city, with complex human traffic and few security cameras.” “We are currently investigating Zhang Ying’s social relations. She worked in a shopping mall, at a L’Oréal counter, and it seems she didn’t have any particularly good relations with her colleagues. Her parents also don’t know much about their daughter’s social circle...” After summarizing, Lei Xin then asked, “Doctor Jiang, would you have time to examine the scene?” Jiang Yuan was not opposed but said, scratching his head, “The site of an arson case wouldn’t have much evidence left, right?” He had previously worked on arson cases involving fingerprints, which was quite challenging. Lei Xin didn’t shy away from the issue, replying, “The scene investigation didn’t turn up much evidence. And now, if we don’t find evidence like seminal fluid on the body, even if we find someone, it’s likely we’ll lack physical evidence.” “The weapon?” “The weapon was found lying in front of the ignition point, a chef’s knife, the kind used in Western kitchens, part of a kitchen set with five pieces in a wooden box. Its exterior was also burned to ruin.” Lei Xin was attempting to cozy up, but the issues he faced were genuinely difficult. Speaking partly in earnest, partly in jest, Lei Xin complained, “Our current inquiry hasn’t yielded any results yet, and even if it does, I’ll still need to worry about the issue of physical evidence. The requirements for solving murder cases are getting higher and higher; without DNA evidence, without strong physical proof, prosecutors will complain.” Wang Lan, empathizing deeply, nodded and said, “The CSI effect.” The CSI effect refers to how the general public’s expectations of forensic science have been quietly raised by watching too many TV shows, movies, and reality programs about forensic science. In countries like Europe and America, the CSI effect is manifested in jurors’ demands for physical evidence and their raised expectations, such as the call for more DNA testing and the use of the most advanced technology possible. In domestic settings, the CSI effect is more often seen among leadership figures. This is especially true for leaders who do not come from a professional background, or higher-ranking leaders. When they ask about “physical evidence” in a case, it’s impossible for criminal investigators not to feel pressurized. In some respects, this is actually progress. After all, leaders who demand “physical evidence” rather than “confessions” seem to be more scientifically minded. For grass-roots leaders like Lei Xin, however, various aspects have to be considered.

Chapter 180 - 180 172 Cause of Death

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