Medical Examiner Dr. Qin Episode 8 Recap
> Medical Examiner Dr. Qin Recap
The crime scene was located near a pond at the border of two cities, so a forensic team from the neighboring city was the first to arrive. Qin Ming and Lin Tao noted that the cordon was set unusually far from the actual scene. Dr. Tao, the forensic expert from the neighboring city, explained that the body was no longer at the scene.
A couple camping by the pond had reported hearing rustling sounds in the reeds and seeing a huge, two-meter-tall ghostly shadow. Police arrived to find a male body floating face up in the pond, his head on shore, face stained with blood, and the rest of his body submerged. The man still had a weak pulse, so he was rushed to the hospital, where he died before a scheduled craniotomy.
Dr. Tao detailed the preliminary findings, stating the victim suffered a blunt force trauma to the head, causing a depressed skull fracture and intracranial hemorrhaging. The initial assessment considered an accident or suicide, but an asterisk-shaped wound on the victim's head was puzzling. Bruising beneath the wound suggested impact and displacement, which would typically leave dirt residue, but none was found.
Qin Ming observed that the victim was only 168 cm tall, contradicting the couple's report of a two-meter shadow, especially considering the reeds were between 175 cm and over 200 cm tall. He considered that if the victim had hit a cobblestone, it could cause displacement without mud. However, Lin Tao reported that no blood-stained cobblestones were found after inspecting the area, leading him to suspect the scene was not the primary one.
Qin Ming countered that a bloody cobblestone might have been accidentally kicked into the water during the rescue. During a preliminary examination of the body, Da Bao questioned the discrepancy between the victim's height and the reported "ghostly shadow." It was noted that the asterisk-shaped wound, with visible tissue bridgings and an intact periosteum, likely resulted from a flat, blunt weapon, like a large cobblestone, rather than a protruding one.
A CT scan indicated a skull fracture caused by a head impact while the victim was in motion, making it appear as an accidental fall. Da Bao, however, pointed out that contrecoup injuries do not typically form asterisk-shaped wounds, which are usually deceleration injuries and, if treated promptly, should not be fatal. Qin Ming concluded that the victim passed out by the pond, and intracranial hemorrhage led to his death.
They also noted fresh nail marks on the victim's arm, which were difficult to self-inflict, suggesting they were caused by someone else grabbing him. The victim also had a distinctive crab tattoo on his waist. Qin Ming decided an immediate autopsy was necessary. However, Dr. Tao stated they couldn't proceed without confirming the victim's identity and getting family consent. Qin Ming argued that public security organs have the right to perform autopsies on bodies with uncertain causes of death.
Just then, the victim's son arrived and vehemently refused the autopsy, demanding immediate cremation. Dr. Tao sided with the family, explaining that the public security's right only applied to confirmed criminal cases, and they hadn't yet proven this was one. The victim's son, Xie Hao, claimed his father, Xie Qingong, suffered from a mental illness, had a manic attack, ran off, and accidentally fell to his death.
He insisted on cremation to preserve his father's dignity, accusing the police of disrespect. Qin Ming quietly remarked to Lin Tao that this was typical behavior of a murderer trying to destroy evidence. During a police meeting, the victim was identified as Xie Qingong, a 53-year-old local resident who owned a small brick kiln. Neighbors reported he suffered from mania, and records confirmed his purchase of related medication.
Surveillance video showed Xie Qingong buying medication and then going to his adopted son, Xie Hao's, house for dinner the day before his death. Xie Hao, who now managed the brick kiln, claimed his father had a manic relapse after dinner and insisted on going home. Xie Hao's house was near the crime scene, but the remote area lacked surveillance cameras, leaving Xie Qingong's path to the reeds unknown.
Lin Tao found Xie Hao highly suspicious due to his aggressive reaction and insistence on cremation. Meanwhile, the Trace Evidence Section conducted a thorough search of the reed pond. They found numerous shoe prints, but all belonged to the same pair of shoes, showing the individual had walked at least four circles around the inner and outer rings of the pond. All other prints were identified as those of the responding police officers.
Da Bao suggested the perpetrator might have walked through the water to avoid leaving prints, but Lin Tao dismissed this, arguing they would still need to come ashore, leaving prints. Lin Tao also noted that the victim was found barefoot, yet there were no matching barefoot prints at the scene. Eventually, the shoes matching the numerous prints were discovered in the pond. Initially, this suggested Xie Qingong had come to the pond alone.
Despite this, Lin Tao, Da Bao, and Qin Ming remained suspicious. Qin Ming presented further evidence. He pointed out that Xie Qingong had bought medication, making a severe manic relapse illogical, especially since he rarely relapsed and typically recovered within half an hour. The extensive walking in the reeds (over an hour) should have been enough time for him to regain lucidity. The fresh nail marks on the victim's arm were confirmed not to be self-inflicted.
Moreover, police body camera footage showed no mud on the front of the victim's shirt, disproving a face-down fall at the scene. Da Bao demonstrated, using a model, that the specific upward flow of blood from the wound to the top of the victim's head could only occur if he had been carried over someone's shoulder. This also explained the couple's sighting of a "tall, headless shadow," as the victim's head would have been at the carrier's hip height.
With these compelling points, Qin Ming successfully convinced Director General Tan to authorize an autopsy, instructing that Xie Hao be notified to be present. During the autopsy, it was confirmed that the freezing process had made hidden bruises corresponding to the nail marks visible, indicating subcutaneous hemorrhaging and suggesting the victim had been restrained. After examining the abdominal cavity, which showed no abnormalities, they proceeded with a craniotomy.
They discovered subgaleal hemorrhage, likely caused by hair-pulling, and a complex radial skull fracture with multiple central points. This confirmed the victim suffered several impacts to the head, ruling out an accidental fall. Qin Ming concluded that it was a homicide; the victim was grabbed by his hair and repeatedly slammed against a surface, causing a deceleration injury that led to his death.
Lin Tao still wondered why the murderer abandoned a live victim and why only one set of shoe prints was found at the scene. Qin Ming explained that the murderer likely thought Xie Qingong was dead due to the severe craniocerebral injury, indicating the killer was very flustered. Regarding the footprints, Qin Ming theorized that because the reed pond was watery, the murderer, in a panic, abandoned his own shoes at the scene and fled wearing only socks.
He demonstrated that sock prints are very shallow and can disappear completely within three hours. Qin Ming speculated that the murderer carried the victim on his shoulders, searching for a remote dumping spot, but was disturbed by the camping couple. In his haste, he abandoned the body and fled through a small path. When the police arrived, their shoe prints covered the murderer's sock prints, leaving no other identifiable traces.
With all the questions answered, Qin Ming profiled the suspect as Xie Hao. He reasoned that the killer's panicked state indicated a close relationship with the victim. Furthermore, the fact that the victim was found barefoot suggested the primary crime scene was indoors, in a comfortable environment, like Xie Hao's home. Xie Hao's unusual behavior and eagerness to cremate the body further implicated him. Director General Tan approved an immediate search of Xie Hao's house.
Despite Xie Hao's meticulous cleaning, Qin Ming's team found traces of blood, confirming it as the primary crime scene. Witnesses also identified the shoes found at the pond as belonging to Xie Hao. In the interrogation room, Xie Hao initially denied the murder, expressing gratitude towards his father. He claimed his father often skipped medication to save money, leading to violent manic episodes.
Xie Hao explained that he had suggested taking out a loan to expand the brick kiln, hoping to earn more money for his father's treatment. However, Xie Qingong, the legal owner, refused and flew into a rage, hitting and scolding Xie Hao. Xie Hao asserted that he only pushed his father in self-defense during the struggle, and it was an accident. Lin Tao, holding up the autopsy report, confronted Xie Hao, asking if he would still lie.
