Chapter 43: Sleeping Bones

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Tianzhou City is the second-largest city in the province, trailing only slightly behind the provincial capital.

However, its economic development is significantly stronger than Haizhou's, and its population is larger as well.

Wang Changjiang was no stranger to the Tianzhou Criminal Investigation Detachment.

Over the past twenty years, the Haizhou Criminal Investigation Detachment had requested technical support from the Tianzhou detachment many times.

Wang Changjiang and the forensic pathologist here, Li Kai, were former classmates, and they had also engaged in professional exchanges and learning.

But in the past, when Wang Changjiang came to Tianzhou, while he wouldn't say he was groveling, he certainly had to maintain a humble posture when asking for favors.

Not like now, with Li Kai by his side wearing an extremely unnatural smile, while Wang Changjiang held his head so high it was almost touching the sky.

"Old Li, I remember your forensic lab's equipment is much more comprehensive than ours, and it's all imported, right?"

Wang Changjiang clicked his tongue audibly. "We came to visit last time and wanted to buy some, but unfortunately, we couldn't afford it."

Li Kai looked at his old classmate speechlessly. "You were the one who turned down the chance to come to the Tianzhou Criminal Investigation Detachment back then."

Wang Changjiang gave Li Kai an annoyed glare. "Yuelan's family is in Haizhou. How could I have come to Tianzhou?"

Lu Chuan simply followed along, saying very little during the journey.

He could tell that Li Kai and Wang Changjiang were on very good terms.

"You were just blinded by love."

*Tch!*

Wang Changjiang gave a middle finger. "Come on, let me introduce you to our Haizhou Criminal Investigation Detachment's crime scene investigator, Lu Chuan."

"He's our technical heavyweight, an expert in skeletal identification."

Li Kai naturally knew of Lu Chuan; the person Zhang Yuanchao had recommended to help them with the skeletal identification and analysis was Lu Chuan.

However, he hadn't expected Lu Chuan to be so young.

He looked like a recent college graduate.

"Officer Lu is truly young and promising. To receive praise from Elder Zhang, the number one forensic pathologist in the province—you are the first in our province to achieve that."

Lu Chuan's smile was very gentle. "Forensic Pathologist Li, you flatter me. You can just call me Xiao Lu."

"I only have a bit of research in skeletal identification; Forensic Pathologist Zhang Yuanchao overpraises me."

Li Kai waved his hand. "Forensic Pathologist Zhang Yuanchao used to work at the Tianzhou Criminal Investigation Detachment. To gain his recognition and have him recommend you to help us with skeletal identification and analysis, Officer Lu, you have more than just 'a bit of research'."

Li Kai had obtained the skeletal identification and analysis report Lu Chuan had produced through Li Changeng of the Provincial Technical Identification Center.

To be honest, at the time, he hadn't believed for a moment that the identification was done by anyone other than Zhang Yuanchao.

Moreover, the person wasn't even a forensic pathologist.

"Old Li, let's stop the pleasantries and talk about the case."

Wang Changjiang's expression turned serious. "We have come here on a mission this time, and we will do our utmost to assist you."

"For so many years, the Tianzhou Criminal Investigation Detachment has provided us with support. This time, consider it our small way of returning the favor."

Criminal investigators are one family; technical exchanges aside, cross-regional arrests were a common occurrence.

Any criminal investigator from any detachment had experienced sitting in a car for days and nights on stakeout.

Therefore, regarding matters of support, as long as they could manage the workload, no one would say no.

Speaking of the case, Li Kai's expression also became solemn. "The skeletal remains were discovered yesterday afternoon by an excavator during a highway expansion project."

"The remains are in the autopsy room. We have already completed the skeletal reconstruction, but no obvious issues were found."

As Li Kai introduced the situation, he led Lu Chuan and Wang Changjiang to the autopsy room.

A skeleton lay flat on a steel autopsy table.

Lu Chuan put on three layers of gloves and leaned in to carefully observe the condition of the skeleton.

"Was it crushed?"

Although the skeleton had been reconstructed, both ends of the sternum were fractured and collapsed, making it impossible for the entire thoracic cavity to support itself.

Li Kai nodded. "We have performed carbon dating analysis on the remains and determined that the time of burial should be at least fifteen years ago, which coincides with the time the highway was constructed."

"We suspect the deceased was buried first, and then crushed during the process of the road roller compacting the road surface."

Lu Chuan circled the body, observing carefully. "Has the identity been confirmed?"

Li Kai shook his head. "We extracted DNA information from the bone tissue and compared it with the missing persons database, but without success."

"So, we want to use skeletal identification and analysis to determine some physical characteristics of the owner to see if we can confirm the identity."

After a brief inspection, Lu Chuan toured the Tianzhou Criminal Investigation Detachment's forensic laboratory.

To be honest, Lu Chuan was somewhat shocked.

Just as Wang Changjiang had said, the Tianzhou Criminal Investigation Detachment... had money!

Looking at this room full of equipment—spectrometers, automatic bone density testers, carbon dating analyzers for bone age, variable frequency laser scanners...

With these tools, Lu Chuan could cut his skeletal identification and analysis time in half.

Li Kai introduced the functions and prices of various instruments with a hint of pride.

His expression, however, was a mix of pride and shame. "We have plenty of equipment and know how to use it all, but our ability to perform comprehensive analysis is lacking."

"When we encounter a case like this, we can only ask for support from above."

Having understood the equipment situation, Lu Chuan began to continue his meticulous analysis of the remains.

First was the cleaning of the bones.

Because they had been buried, some soil was clinging to the bones.

Before performing skeletal identification, Lu Chuan had to clean all the bones thoroughly.

At the same time, the soil removed had to undergo soil composition testing.

Taking a small brush out of his crime scene kit, Lu Chuan carefully cleaned the bones.

Of course, this small brush was not an LV brand brush.

It was a brush made of hog bristles; the bristles were stiff and suitable for cleaning away soil.

Although this task was tedious, Lu Chuan did not let anyone help him.

Every detail had to pass through Lu Chuan's observation.

"Pubic symphysis... angle... less than seventy degrees. The skeletal sex is determined to be male."

A male sacrum is long and narrow, with a pubic symphysis angle between sixty and seventy degrees.

A female sacrum is short and wide, with a pubic symphysis angle between ninety and one hundred degrees.

Of course, these basic determinations had long been completed by Li Kai and the others.

"Carbon dating analysis of bone age determines the bone age to be fifty-six years."

"Bone remodeling observation analysis shows the age of the deceased at the time of death was... forty years old."

In determining the age, Lu Chuan also integrated other factors.

For example, osteophytes on the hip bone.

In adult skeletons, osteophytes generally begin to form after the age of thirty, and they tend to grow more frequently at the hip bone.

If the age at death was forty and the bones had existed for fifty-six years, it meant the deceased had died sixteen years ago.

"Fossilized encrustations on the ankle indicate the deceased suffered from gout during life..."

"Bone length... 1.76 meters. Height before death including flesh thickness... approximately 1.78 meters."

The height of human bone is slightly shorter than the person's height during life; in addition to the flesh of the feet and the thickness of the scalp, there is also the thickness of the fascia in the joints.

Once the remains have skeletonized, these elements disappear.

"Analysis of bone density combined with height: The deceased's weight was eighty kilograms, with bone density two percentage points lower than the average. Combined with age analysis... the deceased enjoyed superior living conditions... and suffered from a long-term lack of exercise."

"The wear on the tip of the coccyx is more severe than the average person... the deceased sat for long periods during life..."

In this skeletal identification and analysis, Lu Chuan fully demonstrated the strength of intermediate-level skeletal identification skills.

Because the integrity of the skeleton was high, the information regarding the deceased's life was far more comprehensive than the skeletal analysis Lu Chuan had done for the hotpot restaurant.

"As for the cause of death..."

Lu Chuan picked up two pieces of the sternum and compared them carefully.