“One of the shoes was missing, so we were looking for it.”
Snap- Snap-
As if he was accustomed to corpses, the Team Leader was casually hanging around and taking pictures.
He was taking photos because we needed to leave the evidence as intact as possible until the forensic investigation team came to remove the body.
Mong-Doo passed over a mask for me to wear.
“A report came in about a corpse some time after lunch. Some grade-schoolers were playing with a ball nearby when they found it.”
“Looking at the body’s condition, it seems like it’s been a day or two since he drowned.”
“Aren’t there too many wounds on the exterior for that? These are the marks of a physical assault.”
“Especially this. The depression in the occipital region here.”
Black pointed his finger at the back of the corpse’s head.
Although I couldn’t see it very well from where I was standing.
“There are traces of being struck here, but it’s hard to see while it’s swollen from the water.”
The three of them put their heads together and examined the state of the corpse from head to toe.
My brows were furrowed, but no one seemed to notice.
“Although we’ll need an autopsy to know for sure, there’s a good chance this is a homicide.”
“First we’ll need to see if the background check works out. Since his fingerprints are ruined.”
“Get me a copy of the latest missing persons report.”
“Yes.”
Although the body had become swollen, the features hadn’t collapsed.
Aside from the clothes that had been stained by foreign substances, the hair and facial hair were in a clean and tidy state. That meant he couldn’t have been a wandering homeless person or the victim of an organ harvesting.
If there weren’t any issues, they would probably be able to identify him soon.
“It looks like he was carried here by the river current, right? So the actual crime scene should be somewhere else.”
“Until the autopsy results from the National Forensics Institute comes out, let’s start by focussing on checking his identity.
“Okay. Oi, Newbie. Are you okay?”
“Yes? Ah, yes. I’m fine.”
Since I was standing there silently, it must have created the false impression that I was feeling unwell.
Of course that might have been part of it, but I just couldn’t tear my eyes away from the corpse’s head trauma.
From the skin that has collapsed inwards and the pale, blood-drained flesh surrounding it.
While frowning, I asked.
“Team Leader. About the wound on the back of his head. By any chance, could you tell what kind of weapon caused it?”