Medical Examiner Dr. Qin Episode 2 Recap
> Medical Examiner Dr. Qin Recap
Police officers presented a foul-smelling assortment of items to Qin Ming for examination. He noticed Da Bao, who was late, and suggested she rest if she couldn't handle the scene. Da Bao replied, "Thank you, no." Lin Tao echoed that forensic work might not suit women, a sentiment Qin Ming seemed to agree with. Qin Ming continued his examination, noting that all the body fragments were concentrated in specific buckets, numbers one and thirteen.
Lin Tao expressed concern, mentioning that with body parts found in a busy snack street, public panic would ensue if the case wasn't solved within 48 hours. Qin Ming explained that only two hours remained until dawn, and their immediate task as forensic scientists was to generate a DNA profile and a preliminary body reconstruction. Lin Tao agreed to the usual division of labor: Qin Ming would investigate the dead, and he would interrogate the living.
In the forensic department, Qin Ming sought out Director Zheng for the DNA profiling. When asked about Da Bao, Qin Ming simply referred to her as "the late one." Da Bao quickly introduced herself as Li Dabao, the newly transferred forensic technician. Director Zheng praised Da Bao's appearance but warned her that working with Qin Ming would be challenging. Noticing the lingering stench on Da Bao, he advised her to go home, shower, and change clothes.
Qin Ming then emerged, impatiently asking Da Bao if she was ready to work. Da Bao rushed into the office and began placing body fragments on the examination table. Seeing Qin Ming in a protective suit, she asked about her own. Qin Ming pointed to a suit, which Da Bao then donned before asking for instructions. Qin Ming tasked her with carefully separating the deep-fried tissue to extract any undamaged epidermal or dermal layers.
Da Bao set to work, but when she tried to use a microscope, Qin Ming sent her to analyze muscle fiber thickness and direction to determine which body part each fragment belonged to. Despite her dissatisfaction, Da Bao complied. Working tirelessly, Da Bao grew tired but, seeing Qin Ming's unwavering focus, mustered her resolve and continued. Eventually, she managed to piece together the fragments. Qin Ming instructed her to send the samples for DNA profiling.
Da Bao observed that only the buttocks and limbs were present, with the torso missing. She theorized that the killer had either used small tools or was restricted by the disposal location, which wouldn't allow for larger cuts. Qin Ming then confirmed her suspicion about the sewer, as all the body parts were contaminated with fecal matter. Da Bao elaborated that there are two primary sources for illegal gutter oil: restaurant waste and floating grease collected from sewers.
This meant the street vendor had lied, and the gutter oil wasn't from merchant swill. Lin Tao interrogated the vendor, who initially denied everything but eventually confessed to collecting the oil from a sewer near Lihua Neighborhood, behind the snack street. Lin Tao immediately led his team to Lihua Neighborhood. After opening a manhole cover and donning protective gear, he descended into the sewer. Qin Ming went in first, followed by Lin Tao, and then Da Bao.
The three searched the intensely foul-smelling sewer for the remaining body parts. Qin Ming emphasized the importance of finding the pelvis, explaining that it's nearly impossible to cut a human pelvis into very small pieces and that it's crucial for forensic identification. Lin Tao, having taken out a rat, screamed, but Da Bao calmly brushed it aside. Lin Tao, impressed by her courage, jokingly offered to call her "Brother Bao" or "Grandpa Bao."
Qin Ming prepared to move forward, but Da Bao insisted the putrid smell was coming from another direction. Qin Ming ignored her, so Da Bao ventured off on her own, shouting that the source of the smell was indeed there. With the sewage water reaching their ankles and more rats appearing, they eventually found a pelvis near a pipe. Its shape and weight indicated it belonged to a female.
Da Bao continued searching and discovered a femur and a tibia bone, noting they were unusually long for a female, suggesting the person had long legs. On the drive back, Qin Ming remarked on Da Bao's excellent sense of smell. Da Bao claimed it was a natural gift. Qin Ming, however, replied that her highly developed sense of smell made her like a "human police dog."
Lin Tao, amused, playfully suggested Da Bao use her sense of smell to deduce what Qin Ming had done last night. Da Bao declined, humorously stating she "wouldn't dare" and that he "didn't smell human." Back in the forensic lab, the recovered body fragments were assembled. Da Bao explained that based on the length of the right femur, she calculated the victim's height to be around 175 cm. However, she found it strange because the victim's legs were unusually long.
Qin Ming instructed Da Bao to relay this information to Lin Tao and told her to return in an hour, as her breathing was bothering him. Da Bao was visibly annoyed. With less than 28 hours remaining until the 48-hour deadline, Lin Tao was frustrated by the lack of clues. A subordinate reported that no women over 175 cm were missing in Lihua Neighborhood.
However, a woman named Lian Qianqian, aged around 25 to 27, who was typically seen chatting with older women in the community every afternoon, had not been seen for two weeks. Her husband, Xia Hong, a former F&B manager at an international hotel, had also been missing for two weeks after resigning. Da Bao inquired about Lian Qianqian's height, and the officer replied, "around 160 cm," a significant discrepancy, Da Bao noted.
At this point, Qin Ming entered, declaring that they had been on the "wrong direction" all along. Qin Ming led everyone to the forensic lab and presented a bone. He explained that it was the female pubic bone symphysis he had just prepared. Its clearly visible dorsal margin indicated the victim was over 25 years old, and the remaining ridge marks on the pubic bone symphysis showed she was under 27.
The pelvis weighed 198 grams, considered very light for a female, suggesting a small stature. However, the tibia bone weighed 203 grams, which is the weight of an adult male’s tibia. Qin Ming then displayed microscopic images, explaining that the pelvis surface was smooth, typical of a female, while male bones are typically rougher due to muscle development. He concluded that the body parts actually belonged to two individuals: one male and one female.
The team quickly deduced the victims were Lian Qianqian and Xia Hong. The team then went to Lian Qianqian's apartment. The door lock showed no signs of forced entry. Lin Tao had the property management open it. Upon entry, a swarm of flies flew out, and a strong stench of blood filled the air. Lin Tao initially speculated that the blood splatters indicated a stabbing by an acquaintance after entry.
However, Qin Ming corrected him, explaining that the red-brown spots on the walls were not blood splatters but rather "stained by the flies" after they fed on the corpses and then excreted. He pointed out the absence of stains on the hot lightbulb as evidence, as flies would avoid it. Da Bao noted additional diluted blood stains, suggesting attempts to clean up.
Qin Ming walked into the bathroom, identifying it as the likely dismemberment site due to bead string-like blood patterns on the wall and flushed blood on the floor. Da Bao, gagging, entered the kitchen, where she found two pots of thick "meat soup," which Qin Ming identified as human back muscles. In the refrigerator, they found two skulls. Qin Ming declared the kitchen the primary scene for deep-frying the bodies; the scene was gruesome, with flies swarming everywhere.
Da Bao also discovered distinct "gauze glove" prints, indicating the killer wore gloves throughout the process of killing, dismembering, and deep-frying. The varying shades of bloodstains throughout the apartment, some darker and some lighter (visible under UV light), suggested the killer had returned to the scene multiple times, implying he possessed a key to the apartment. In the bedroom, Da Bao gasped at the sight of two human skins in the wardrobe.
Qin Ming analyzed the skins, noting they were peeled from the superficial fascia, with some muscle tissue still clinging in places, suggesting a very sharp knife, likely the one from the kitchen. He highlighted that the killer had meticulously preserved the female victim’s breast tissue, which held a strong sexual connotation. Da Bao then noticed fingerprints on the preserved breast tissue.
When asked why the killer would leave fingerprints if wearing gloves, she suggested that the strong sexual meaning might have prompted him to remove his gloves to touch the breast. Qin Ming acknowledged this as one of her strengths. With less than 18 hours remaining, the team still hadn't identified the killer. DNA results confirmed the tibia belonged to Xia Hong. Fingerprints found on the female victim's breast did not match either victim.
It was also confirmed that both victims had their own keys in their pockets, indicating the killer already possessed a key to their apartment. Given that the remains were dumped in nearby sewers, the killer likely didn't have a car. The team considered a "having an affair" motive, but Lin Tao dismissed it, explaining that Lian Qianqian and Xia Hong were "much in love" after she married him, a hotel manager, ruling out a crime of passion.
Da Bao then suggested "revenge killing" given the brutality. Lin Tao also ruled this out, describing Xia Hong as a "nice guy" and Lian Qianqian as a reclusive housewife with few social contacts. Fingerprint comparisons with their friends yielded no matches. Lian Qianqian's account book and diary were found, and all remaining body parts were brought back. Qin Ming called Da Bao to assist with the autopsy.
In the dissection room, Qin Ming revealed that both victims had sustained fatal head injuries from the same "blunt weapon." The female victim had a large perforating fracture on her skull, while the male had a depressed skull fracture, less severe due to a thicker skull. He concluded the weapon was likely a large, round hammer.
Da Bao suggested it might be an 18-pound hammer with a 10 cm diameter, typically used by construction workers for breaking walls or sewage work, not for household use. Lin Tao then remembered an entry in Lian Qianqian’s account book about hiring someone to "fix their sewer pipe." The challenge was narrowing down the many construction workers. Da Bao suggested looking at small advertisements posted in the building's stairwells, a common way to find workers.
Qin Ming noted that the sewer repair was two weeks prior, while the murder occurred a week ago. He proposed that the killer, a worker, might have duplicated the key during the repair, allowing him to enter a week later without forced entry. As they discussed this, a man was seen, under the cover of darkness, carrying a large hammer and stopping to steal a woman's underwear. Based on the small advertisements, Lin Tao's team located a suspect, Li Dagou.
Upon arriving at his apartment and forcing entry, they found his disheveled apartment adorned with many stolen women's undergarments, indicating a perverted psyche, and a key-making machine. A bloody undergarment was found and sent for identification, along with a palm print. Li Dagou returned home to find Lin Tao waiting. He attempted to flee but was quickly apprehended. During interrogation, Li Dagou was remarkably candid. He provocatively asked Lin Tao why he didn't shoot, claiming his "simple life is cheap."
He also expressed surprise that the police managed to catch him despite his elaborate efforts to dispose of the bodies. When asked how Lian Qianqian offended him, Li Dagou replied that she was "just not careful enough." He confessed that during a sewer repair two weeks prior, he had stolen her underwear and made a copy of her key. After a week of observation, he entered the apartment, intending only to steal more underwear, but found Lian Qianqian at home.
He struck her with the hammer. When her husband, Xia Hong, emerged, he killed him too. When questioned about deep-frying the bodies, Li Dagou chillingly stated that seeing the "white flesh deep fried in a pan and turning into golden color" was "sensual." Later, while cleaning forensic tools, a diary belonging to Lian Qianqian was found. An entry revealed she had just discovered she was pregnant.
She had planned to tell Xia Hong, who was sick, and make his favorite deep-fried meatballs that day. It was then that Li Dagou had entered, tragically destroying their family. The major murder case was successfully solved within 48 hours. News reports announced the arrest of suspect Li Dagou, who confessed to the crime, and that the case was ongoing. At the Public Security Bureau, exhausted officers, including Lin Tao, were asleep at their desks.
Lin Tao missed a call from "Baby." Qin Ming, at home, meticulously arranged his clothes and sat down with a cup of coffee to write his case summary: "The devil that resides in our minds turned this city into hell." Outside, the bustling city continued its rhythm. The next day, Da Bao retrieved her car, which had been towed due to illegal parking, apologized, and paid the fine.
In the lab, Qin Ming was testing Da Bao's sense of smell using various solutions, including Butanol, Phenethyl alcohol, and diluted Phenethyl alcohol, which Da Bao accurately identified even with her eyes covered. When Lin Tao jokingly presented his nose-picking finger, Da Bao contemptuously identified it as a "toe with poop on it." Qin Ming decided to keep Da Bao on the team, much to Lin Tao's surprise.
Qin Ming explained that some people have an exceptionally dense distribution of olfactory nerves in their nasal membrane, a rare trait found in only "one out of ten thousand" individuals. Just then, a new case was reported: a headless male body had been discovered in a lake.
