Crime Seen by Kate Lines

Author:Kate Lines [Lines, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780307363152
Publisher: Random House of Canada
Published: 2015-04-06T21:00:00+00:00

Two days later Ron and I sat down with Ron Gentle, who’d been assigned to assist Hutch with the case. He had the photographs from the Blackburns’ two residences and their autopsies. He also had a copy of the forensic pathologist’s report, including the findings and comments. As was our custom, I reviewed the reports as Ron MacKay went through the photos. Then we exchanged them. Over the next few hours our unknown-offender profile emerged.

Nancy’s nude body was located farthest inside the trunk of her car. The autopsy report noted she had a small cut in her scalp over her left ear which could be expected to have produced at least some blood. There appeared to be blunt-force injuries and significant bruising all over her body. Ligature marks were found on her ankles, wrists, neck and mouth. The latter was consistent with a gag. The ligature on her neck likely caused petechial hemorrhages in her eyelids and eyes resulting from ruptured capillaries.

When Nancy’s body was examined internally the pathologist found deep bruising in her shoulder joints. In his opinion, her hands and feet had been bound together behind her back and then tied together. With Nancy’s fragile health, such tight bindings, obviously applied while she was alive, would have been very painful. There was no forensic indication that Nancy had been sexually assaulted, however, this didn’t necessarily mean that an assault hadn’t occurred, as women who are attacked and vaginally penetrated do not always present with a detectable injury. The pathologist’s opinion as to the cause of Nancy’s death was asphyxia by ligature strangulation.

Ian was fully clothed and during his autopsy his wallet was found in the back pocket of his pants. Similar to his wife’s wallet found in their Toronto home, it contained his personal identification and credit cards but no cash. Ian had a blunt-force injury on his neck and ligature marks on his right wrist, over his thighs and above the knees. He too had petechial hemorrhages in his eyelids and eyes resulting from ruptured capillaries and indicative of asphyxia. There was dried blood around his nose and bruising on his lower lip consistent with a blow or contact with a hard surface. There was a cluster of round symmetrical bruises on the right side of Ian’s face. It looked like his face had been repeatedly “stamped” with considerable force. The pathologist’s opinion was that the shape and size of these bruises was consistent with the muzzle of a gun. The pathologist’s opinion as to the cause of Ian’s death was asphyxia, but the possibility of ligature or manual strangulation or even a bag being placed over his head was a possibility.

Given the post-mortem lividity (settling of the blood in the tissues of the body after death) in their bodies, it was the doctor’s opinion that both had been placed in the trunk of the car after they died. Neither their ligatures nor Nancy’s clothing were found in the trunk of the vehicle or anywhere at the farmhouse or their Toronto home.

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