Medical Examiner Dr. Qin Episode 13 Recap
> Medical Examiner Dr. Qin Recap
Passersby discovered a burning body in a remote, abandoned factory and immediately called the police. Forensic Examiner Qin Ming, his assistant Da Bao, and Sergeant Lin Tao arrived at the scene. Qin Ming observed the body was in a "curled-up position," indicating the victim had been restrained before being burned, as high temperatures alone would not cause such a posture.
He also noted the presence of luggage pull rods, suggesting the body was transported in a suitcase and the factory was not the primary crime scene. An autopsy revealed the cause of death: a single stab wound to the heart ruptured the main aortic arch, leading to massive hemorrhage. The victim's stomach was empty, and the pubic bone symphysis indicated an age of around 30.
During the examination of the charred remains, a partially intact card was found with "Feng shop P" visible. Lin Tao quickly deduced it might be a VIP card for Yinfeng Shopping Mall and made a phone call to request member information. Qin Ming surmised the card belonged to the victim, not the killer, reasoning that a murderer planning a crime would not take the time to apply for a VIP card.
He further explained that the body's curled position meant it was placed in the luggage soon after death, before rigor mortis set in. Da Bao added that the well-preserved skin in the victim's armpit confirmed it was a fresh corpse at the time of burning. A piece of cloth found near the armpit, with a fine inner layer of mulberry silk and a coarse white outer layer, strongly resembled a doctor's white coat.
This suggested the victim was a doctor, likely killed while working in a small clinic. Lin Tao's investigation quickly identified the victim as Li Kehua, a 27-year-old doctor who had opened a private clinic after resigning from a provincial government position and was indeed a VIP member of Yinfeng Shopping Mall. The clinic had been open on the morning of the Mid-Autumn Festival but closed by 2 PM, which, though unusual, had initially been attributed to holiday celebrations.
Upon entering the clinic, Da Bao detected the distinct smells of disinfectant and bone-setting liquid. At the clinic, which was now confirmed as the primary crime scene, bloodstains were concentrated on a chair, a table, and the surrounding floor, indicating Li Kehua was likely sitting when he was suddenly stabbed and struggled fiercely. Lin Tao observed a rectangular dust-free area on the floor, consistent with the size of a luggage bag.
Qin Ming found a gym card in a suit hanging on a rack. Da Bao noticed a floor mat, originally beneath the chair, had been moved, possibly kicked during the struggle, and might contain trace evidence from the killer's shoes. Qin Ming also pointed out an open trash bin containing a small amount of fresh blood on gauze.
He theorized the killer had a minor wound and pretended to seek treatment, seizing the opportunity to attack when Li Kehua was unguarded. The choice of Mid-Autumn Festival was strategic, as fewer people would be around. In a drawer, a love letter written in Li Kehua's hand was discovered. Back at the police station, the team analyzed the love letter, with Da Bao suggesting it was either a one-sided love or a love triangle.
Chemical tests on the ashes confirmed the presence of gasoline as a combustion accelerator, which Qin Ming suspected was taken from a motorcycle. Following the lead from the gym card, Lin Tao visited the gym. A trainer informed him that Li Kehua had stopped coming after a foot injury but had become close with a married woman named Ruan Fang, whose husband was Wu Lixue, the director of a construction company.
Qin Ming immediately connected the name "Ruan Fang" to a hidden word in the love letter, which he now believed to be a "cang tou" poem. Lin Tao and Da Bao then questioned Ruan Fang at the gym. She denied any romantic relationship with Li Kehua, claiming they were just friends who occasionally socialized after exercising. When asked why she chose a gym nine kilometers from her home, she cited the professional trainers.
However, she became visibly hesitant when Lin Tao and Da Bao suggested checking surveillance footage from a hotel where Li Kehua frequently stayed, implying a deeper relationship. Ruan Fang admitted Li Kehua had feelings for her but stated she rejected him because "he wanted too much" and "went over the line." Ruan Fang's husband, Wu Lixue, a 35-year-old chairman of Xingyue Construction Corporation with a clean record, was brought in for questioning.
Wu Lixue had a strong alibi for the time of the murder, having been in a board meeting with numerous witnesses. Da Bao collected his saliva for DNA comparison. However, the investigation soon shifted. The floor mat from the crime scene yielded traces of bird food and coal cinder. It was determined that these substances were not present in Wu Lixue's living environment, and more crucially, his DNA did not match the blood found on the gauze.
Consequently, Wu Lixue was released. With the initial suspect eliminated, Lin Tao and Da Bao returned to the clinic. Da Bao noticed that while most of the clinic was orderly, one cabinet containing medications was in disarray. As she meticulously reorganized the drugs, she discovered that Methadone Hydrochloride was missing. She explained that this drug, an opioid receptor agonist, is often sought by drug addicts as a substitute for illegal drugs.
This new discovery led Lin Tao to broaden their search, focusing on drug addicts in the vicinity who also owned birds, used coal, and had recent minor injuries, potentially from the struggle with Li Kehua. Applying "crime mapping theory," which involves drawing circles around multiple clinics where Methadone had been stolen, the police narrowed down the suspect's potential living area. This led them to Chen Biao.
His residence perfectly matched the criteria: he owned birds, used honeycomb briquets, had a motorcycle parked outside, and a search of his home uncovered blood-stained gauze and a knife. Lin Tao pieced together a theory: Chen Biao, a drug addict without money, feigned a wound dressing consultation to gain access to Li Kehua, then stabbed him, stole Methadone, and used a luggage bag found in the clinic to transport the body on his motorcycle to the abandoned factory.
There, he siphoned gasoline from his bike to burn the corpse. Despite the strong circumstantial evidence, Chen Biao had vanished without a trace, and a city-wide search and arrest warrant yielded no results.
