eurekapd Chapter 1377 Analysis of Gastric Emptying Patterns
Chapter 1377 Analysis of Gastric Emptying Patterns
"Based on the gastric emptying pattern, mixed food stays in the stomach for about 4-6 hours to be completely emptied. Currently, there is about 100g of semi-digested food remaining in the stomach. It is estimated that the last time the food was eaten was 3-4 hours before death. Kobayashi, write this down. This is one of the important bases for estimating the time of death."
To more accurately estimate the time of death, Zhang Lin also measured the body temperature. "The rectal temperature of the body is 31.5°C, and the ambient temperature is 25°C," Zhang Lin said after checking the thermometer. "According to the formula for estimating the time of death based on rectal temperature, it takes about 1.5 hours for the rectal temperature of a body to drop by 1°C in spring and autumn. The normal rectal temperature of a human body is 37°C. Based on this calculation, the time of death would be about 3.7 hours? No, this needs to be corrected by considering the development of rigor mortis and livor mortis."
Kobayashi immediately added, "The rigor mortis has spread throughout the body, reaching intensity level 4. Rigor mortis usually reaches full-body rigidity 12-16 hours after death; the livor mortis is dark purplish-red, does not fade when pressed, and no new livor mortis forms after changing the body position, which is consistent with the characteristics of livor mortis 12-24 hours after death. In addition, the severe opacity of the body's cornea is also consistent with the condition of more than 12 hours after death."
Zhang Lin nodded: "That's right. Relying solely on body temperature to make an inference will be inaccurate, especially since the body was in an open cornfield environment, where factors such as morning dew and air temperature can accelerate the rate of temperature drop. We need to combine multiple methods for comprehensive inference. In addition to rigor mortis, livor mortis, and stomach contents, we can also use the degree of decomposition and histological changes to assist in the judgment." He extracted a small piece of liver and myocardial tissue, "Send these tissue samples to the pathology department for histological examination to observe the degree of cell autolysis and further confirm the time of death."
"Based on current indicators, rigor mortis and livor mortis suggest a time of death between 12 and 24 hours. The degree of digestion of the stomach contents suggests a time of death 3 to 4 hours after the last meal. Combining this with the analysis of corn stalk crushing marks and footprint moisture during the on-site investigation, as well as the light rain in the area on the evening of September 11, we can comprehensively infer that the time of death was more than 24 hours ago, specifically between 8:9 AM and 12:9 PM on September 11," Zhang Lin summarized. "Further analysis of pathological and histological examination results can further narrow down the time of death."
During the autopsy, Zhang Lin and Xiao Lin also conducted a detailed examination of the body's clothing. The blue overalls and black trousers were made of ordinary cotton, and no identification tags, such as name tags, business cards, or cell phones, were found on the clothing. In the pocket of the overalls, only a small amount of dirt and a one-yuan coin were found; no other valuables were present. "The deceased's clothing was of rough texture and old style. Combined with the corn cob with bite marks found at the scene, we speculate that the deceased may have been a migrant worker or someone engaged in manual labor," Xiao Lin speculated.
“It’s possible, but there’s no direct evidence at the moment,” Zhang Lin said. “We also extracted the deceased’s fingerprints and DNA samples and entered them into the national fingerprint and DNA database for comparison to see if they can match his identity information. In addition, the deceased’s teeth and hair samples have also been extracted and sent to relevant institutions for further examination, attempting to infer his place of origin and lifestyle through dental characteristics or hair trace element analysis.”
The autopsy lasted a full three hours, ending at 3 p.m. All extracted samples were sealed and labeled, then sent to the technical and pathology departments for further testing. Zhang Lin and Xiao Lin removed their autopsy gear, their faces etched with fatigue, but their eyes remained focused. The two went to the rest room outside the autopsy room, where they organized the autopsy records and discussed the case.
“Teacher Zhang, according to the autopsy results, the deceased died from a stab wound to the heart caused by a single-edged sharp weapon. The victim resisted before death, suggesting there may have been a direct confrontation between the perpetrator and the deceased,” Xiao Lin spoke first. “The crime scene investigation revealed the suspect’s footprints; his shoes were size 41, and he had a slight pigeon-toed posture. We estimate the suspect to be between 30 and 40 years old, weighing 65-70 kilograms. Given that the murder weapon was a single-edged sharp weapon, could it be an inside job?”
Zhang Lin picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "We can't rule out the possibility that it was an inside job, but it could also be a conflict between strangers, such as robbery or revenge. No valuables were found on the deceased, so we can't rule out the possibility of robbery, but it's also possible that the perpetrator took his belongings after committing the crime, or that the deceased wasn't carrying anything valuable to begin with." He added, "Judging from the direction and depth of the wounds, the perpetrator used considerable force and had some understanding of human anatomy, at least knowing that the chest is a vital area. We can't rule out the possibility of a prior criminal record."
"Black fibers and brass metal buttons were also found at the scene. Could these have been left by the murderer?" Kobayashi asked. "If the buttons or the black fibers were from the murderer's clothes, we might be able to identify the suspect through these clues."
“It’s possible, but we can’t yet confirm a direct link between these pieces of evidence and the murderer,” Zhang Lin said. “The black fibers could be from the victim’s clothing or from the surrounding environment of the cornfield; the metal buttons were confirmed by the on-site investigation not to be from the victim’s clothing, but they could also have been dropped by passersby and not left by the murderer. The technical department needs to conduct a detailed examination of these pieces of evidence to determine their composition and origin before we can judge whether they are related to the case.”
“Identifying the deceased is the biggest challenge right now.” Xiao Lin frowned. “There was no identification on him, and it will take time to compare his fingerprints and DNA with the database. The door-to-door investigation in the surrounding villages has also yielded no results. If we can’t find the deceased’s identity, the case will be much more difficult to solve.”
“That’s true,” Zhang Lin agreed. “However, we haven’t come away empty-handed. At least we’ve determined the cause of death and the approximate time of death, which has defined the scope of the investigation. The murderer used a single-edged sharp weapon, which is an important characteristic of the murder weapon; the victim resisted before death, indicating that the murderer may have had scratches, bite marks, or torn clothing; the suspect’s footprints at the scene have also been collected, all of which are important clues for subsequent investigations.”
He stood up and organized the autopsy report: "We'll organize the autopsy report and submit it to Captain Li as soon as possible. Although this autopsy didn't uncover any major clues that could directly identify the deceased or the suspect, the determination of the cause and time of death, as well as the DNA samples, clothing fibers, and other physical evidence collected, can provide direction for subsequent investigations. I believe that as long as the investigators focus on these clues and combine them with the on-site investigation, they will definitely find a breakthrough."