Chapter 376 - Full-body Autopsy
Chapter 376: Full-body Autopsy
Mo Li sat up immediately when she heard that. How did this happen? Isn’t Li Min in police custody? Why would she be dead?
“I’m already downstairs.” Xiao Rui was familiar with the Mo Family’s old residence so he drove there. Mo Li notified her family and left in a hurry.
Mo Xiao glanced out the window at the people downstairs. How did Mo Li get involved with him?
“You better be prepared.” Xiao Rui told Mo Li. After all, Mo Li knew Li Min and the latter’s death was tragic. It was not a good sight to behold.
Mo Li nodded. A body bag was placed on the autopsy table. Her former colleague was lying right in front of her. One of her arms was half-raised. Her eyes were slightly open like she was looking at something.
Most deaths looked like the person had fallen asleep but that was not the case with Li Min. Her clothes were dyed red by blood and her lower body was covered in blood too. As Mo Li turned the victim’s body around, more blood oozed out from the wounds.
Mo Li had a discussion with Qin Xuan as they examined Li Min’s clothes. Qin Xuan’s hands didn’t stop. He took down notes seriously. Looking at Li Min’s body, Mo Li felt her mind go blank.
Soon, Li Min was stripped. Under the clothes were many tattoos that Mo Li had not seen before. The tattoos were unrecognizable thanks to the blood and wounds. Mo Li took a deep breath. She was still affected seeing the wounds on Li Min’s chest and abdomen. She had no idea who could be cruel!
Lu Xuan was helping with the surgery with Mo Zheng so Mo Li was the chief coroner. She stood on the right side of the body. Then she grabbed a ruler and measured the wounds one by one. Qin Xuan listened to the measurements given off by Mo Li.
“The victim Li Min was stabbed seven times on the front of her body. 2 times in the chest and five times in the abdomen. The wounds are 3 to 4 centimeters long. The cause of death is blood loss. She was stabbed by single-edged blades with a width about four centimeters.”
“Mo Li, do we need to continue? The cause of death is already very clear.” Qin Xuan felt pity for the dead woman.
“Of course, we do. How else are we going to know which of the organs is injured and which wound is the fatal one?”
“But… is that going to serve any purpose?” The woman was dead. If not for her tragic way of death, his boss probably wouldn’t summon Mo Li.
“You’ll know soon enough.” Mo Li picked up the scalpel. The scalpel sliced cleanly from the neck all the way to the top of the pubic symphysis. Li Min’s subcutaneous tissue layer was exposed.
“That was the I-shaped incision, you’ve seen me do it 3 times already. Next time, you’ll have to do it yourself. This is the most common incision used by the coroners in our country so you have to master it.
“The cut starts at the chest to help the blood leak out. This will prevent the blood from flowing into the muscle tissues when you work on the neck. If not, it will be hard for you to determine if there was muscular bleeding and you wouldn’t be able to tell if the muscles had been traumatized by an external force. Be mindful when you perform an autopsy, the neck is a key part.”
Mo Li separated Li Min’s muscles and continued to lecture. “When you separate the muscles from the chest wall and ribs, do not use a small knife like a surgeon, it’ll take too much time. One clean cut is all you need. You need to be firm and decisive, that way you can avoid harming the ribs and the chest cavity.”
Looking at Li Min’s open chest, Qin Xuan was tense but he forced himself to calm down.
Mo Li pulled back the peritoneum and the air from the bloated intestines spewed out. Mo Li looked around and frowned. “5 wounds on the abdomen but none injured the organs or blood vessels. She should be able to survive this!”
Qin Xuan was surprised by Mo Li’s capability. When will I reach her level?
However, Mo Li was feeling tired already. She focused on cutting through the junction between the rib cartilage and the ribs. Mo Li touched Li Min’s sternum and examined the ribs one by one. By then, most of the officers at the Pearl River Station had left work. The corridor outside the morgue was quiet. There was only the sound of tissues being peeled off bones.
“Hmm… There are only 2 stabs to Li Min’s chest. One stab cut into the aortic arch while the other stab merely landed on her ribs. If the first cut missed a few degrees, she would still be alive