Free Cause of Death (Det. Annie Avants Book 1) by Renee Benzaim Page B

with very long dark brown hair with lighter brown streaks that have been chemically added.  The eyes are dark brown with an amber streak in the left eye.  The Deputy Coroner reports that she was found supine in a vineyard at approximately 5:30 AM yesterday morning, 13 August 2012.  She was nude and the Deputy Coroner documented that rigor mortis was evident down to the lower legs, but has since dissipated.  She was pronounced at 5:50 AM.
    "When the body was found, the ambient air temperature was approximately 85 degrees F.  Deputy Coroner Schillings used an external thermometer to take her body temperature and it was within a few degrees of the ambient temperature.
    "There is no noticeable trauma to her nose, scalp, forehead, chin or neck.  There is some residue on her cheeks and above her lips, possibly from tape.  Her external auditory canals are not remarkable.
    "Her ears are each pierced in two places, but only one earring was found, which was in her right earlobe.  It was removed, bagged, and tagged for evidence."
    He stopped for a moment while Joseph removed the bags that encased the victim's hands.  He picked up her left hand and examined it closely.
    "There is dirt under her fingernails.  The fingernails are broken and there are abrasions on her fingertips."
    He scraped samples out from under her nails and gave them to Joseph to bag and tag.  He repeated the procedure with her right hand and made the same comments.
    "Her wrists are unbound; however, there are impressions in her skin that resemble common nylon rope.  No fibers from the rope are to be found on her wrists.  There is not a lot of trauma to her wrists."
    Doc walked down to the mid-torso area.
    "The neck shows no signs of trauma and moves freely.  The upper torso is unremarkable.  Between the lower torso and the front of her thighs are eleven individual insect bites that appear to be in varying stages of progression.
    "Her lower legs, feet, and toe nails show no obvious trauma, with the exception of rope impressions similar to those found around her wrists."
    The x-ray technician returned with the developed film and clipped it to a light board against the wall.  Doc studied the x-ray for several minutes.  "The x-rays show nothing unusual," he said to the group.
    Doc looked towards Joseph who was standing by in readiness.  "Joseph, let's turn her over now and finish our visual."
    He continued,
    "There are fibers consistent with t-shirt material stuck to her skin.  No other indicators of clothing are found on the body.  There is a lot of debris in her hair and stuck to her skin, as well as dried feces and urine.  Samples of these have been bagged.
    "Small pieces of leaves are stuck to her older feces.  These have been bagged for analysis.
    "Fixed lividity is noted in the back, buttocks, and lower legs.
    "There are two spider bites on her right buttock.  I find a horizontal scar, approximately four inches in length, above her left ankle that appears to be several years old."
    He turned off his microphone and Joelle finished videotaping the back of the body.  Then Joseph thoroughly washed off the backside of the body.
    When Joelle finished, Joseph and Doc turned the body back over so it lay face up.  When Joseph had the body positioned, with a wooden block under her head, Doc nodded to Joseph.  Joseph washed off the front side of the body and the table then prepared to open the thoracic and abdominal cavities.
    Joseph used a large scalpel and began the incision.  He started at the front of each shoulder, curved around the breasts, cut to the bottom of the breastbone, and then down to the pubic area.  This was a deep cut that extended to the rib cage on the chest and cut through the abdominal wall below that.
    He then peeled the skin, muscle, and soft tissues off the chest wall with his scalpel.  He pulled the chest flap up, exposing the front of the rib cage and strap muscles of the front of the neck.
    Joseph then opened the rib cage