American forensics, but the gourmet system

"It looks somewhat familiar..."

Russell also looked at the man in the photo; he had a thick beard and messy hair.

"Most Mexicans probably look pretty much the same," Jesse shrugged. "Should we look at anything else?"

"Let's leave it at that for now." Russell looked away from the photo. "Everything depends on the DNA test results. If Romo isn't the owner of that missing leg, then we don't need to waste our time here."

The two went upstairs one after the other, thanked Mr. Clarkson, who was watching television, and said goodbye.

The door closed behind them, and they could still faintly hear Xiao Ka barking from inside the room.

Russell and Jesse got back into the car, and Jesse started the police car, which didn't have NYPD markings.

In serious crime investigations like this, which could involve murder or assault, it's clearly not a wise move to drive around in a police car with special paint scheme.

Jesse wasn't wearing her uniform today either, but rather casual streetwear.

"Do you know who the witness was when the patrol officers were investigating this missing person case seven months ago?"

Russell suddenly asked Jesse.

“He was Romo’s teammate on the same amateur soccer team,” Jesse replied. “The patrol officer called him, and the guy said Romo was playing with them a week ago… Do you think this witness is suspicious?”

"If the DNA test results prove the severed leg belongs to Romo, then this person is very likely problematic," Russell said, scratching his chin. "Let's go to the forensic center first. I'll call Dr. Beckman and see if we can cut in line at the biology lab..."

……

In the interrogation room on the third floor of the Criminal Investigation Center, a dejected young man was handcuffed, with Marty and Diaz sitting opposite him, their expressions increasingly serious.

Outside the interrogation room, Russell held a cup and poured a glass of water into the pot of the snake plant.

He suddenly opened his eyes wide and squatted down:

"Who poured coffee into the flowerpot?! No wonder this snake plant always looks so sickly!"

"Can't it be poured out?" Jesse asked, passing by him with a puzzled look. "Isn't coffee extracted from plants too?"

  

Russell was speechless for a moment.

On days when there are no murders or accidental deaths, the detectives of the Major Crimes Unit are also assigned to do light jobs such as catching thieves.

The young man in the interrogation room was the thief whom Marty and Diaz had caught.

While waiting for the DNA comparison results, Russell idly wandered around the criminal investigation center, where he discovered someone was actually pouring coffee into the pot of a snake plant...

And the person who did this was Jesse.

"Of course you can't pour it out!" Russell said, both amused and exasperated. "You even added milk to your coffee..."

"Ah, I believe milk must be a naturally good thing." Jesse scratched his chin. "I didn't grow tall when I was little because I didn't get enough milk..."

"That's different, Jesse." Russell laughed in exasperation. "Snake plants can't absorb coffee and milk because the osmotic pressure would cause their root cells to dehydrate and die."

"This is the first time I've heard of this," Jesse chuckled. "You know, I went straight into the Navy after graduating high school, so I haven't had much formal education..."

"That's common sense, Jesse! You can't pour coffee into flowerpots, or milk!"

"Okay, my problem." Jesse raised her hands in surrender. "I know. No wonder I could never keep any plants alive. I always thought it was because I was too busy and forgot to water them..."

"Alright," Captain Hansen said, walking over. "From now on, you're forbidden from pouring coffee into the flowerpots, Jesse. Um... you're forbidden from pouring anything other than water."

"I'll go tell Marty and Diaz," Jesse shrugged. "I don't think they know anything about... infiltration, what?"

Osmotic pressure.

"Okay, osmotic pressure. I got it."

After dealing with the clueless Jesse, Captain Hansen turned to Russell:

"Any progress in your amputation case, Dr. Russell?"

"The evidence has been sent to the biology lab for DNA testing," Russell said. "Dr. Beckman asked them to expedite the process, and we should have preliminary results by the end of the day this evening... but a complete, legally binding final report may take about a week to be issued."

"Preliminary results can also reopen the case, right?"

"certainly."

Russell nodded.

Preliminary results of DNA comparison simply mean that they cannot be presented as evidence in court, but this does not mean that the preliminary results are inaccurate.

Conversely, in cases like murder and rape, the police often make arrests as soon as they receive preliminary DNA comparison results.

Russell said it would take about a week to issue a formal report, but that was only because of Dr. Beckman's influence. Otherwise, given the work habits of the people in the biology lab, it would be fast to get a formal report within two months.

The longest recorded time for the OCME Biology Laboratory to issue a formal DNA alignment report is 108 days.

This is the general efficiency of America.

However, the NYPD is now equipped with a device that can quickly perform DNA matching, providing results in as little as two hours. But that device has a very narrow application range, only usable for DNA samples from a single source.

After seeing Russell nod, Captain Hansen said meaningfully:

"This is a two-year-old cold case..."

Russell certainly understood what Captain Hansen meant.

Although within OCME, forensic doctors' KPI assessments are not closely related to solving cases.

But for the NYPD's major crimes unit, solving a long-dormant cold case almost always brings them an internal collective reward.

There's also a significant chance of earning a personal award medal.

This will benefit the team members' promotions and raises.

Jesse, in particular, has been a junior detective with the NYPD for almost two years since his Navy retirement. But if he could add a collective commendation to his resume, he would undoubtedly be promoted.

They can earn several hundred dollars more each month.

On one hand, there were Dr. Beckman's expectations; on the other, Jesse's path to promotion and a raise. Russell suddenly felt a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.

Oh, right, and there's also the official $30,000 reward...

Whether the case can be officially reopened depends on the results of the DNA comparison.

"I also hope to solve this cold case." Russell smiled. "It's not good for anyone to be idle. I feel like Marty and Diaz are almost scaring that thief to tears..."

Captain Hansen nodded in satisfaction and walked toward his office.

Russell returned to his workstation, took out his phone, and scrolled through TikTok for a while. Suddenly, he remembered that he had acquired the passive skill "Practice Makes Perfect"...

He opened the drawer, took out a book on forensic anthropology, and began to read.

After starting work, Russell didn't have much time to read, but time flew by when he was immersed in the ocean of knowledge.

As it was nearing the end of the workday, Russell's phone rang.

It was a call from the biology lab.

"Dr. Russell..." The voice on the other end sounded hesitant, "We didn't find a usable DNA sample on the toothbrush you provided."

"Ah..." Russell was a little disappointed, but he could understand. "Alright then, thank you."

"However..." the voice on the other end of the phone rang again, "but we re-compared the DNA extracted from the severed leg in the database, and it matched."

"You won?!"

Russell was taken aback.

It's worth noting that the last DNA comparison of the severed leg was conducted about six months ago, and at that time there were no results yet.

I actually won the contest today...

This actually happens frequently because DNA databases are constantly being updated, and new DNA data may be added to the database at each stage.

"What was the result?" Russell pressed.

"The result is..." The voice on the other end of the phone still sounded hesitant. "You might not believe it, but the DNA from this leg matched that of Joey Cruz, the victim in the fall case you handled a few days ago..."

"Depend on!"

Russell couldn't help but swear on the phone.

He understood why Romo Simeone's photo looked familiar...

Twins! Romo and Joey are identical twins!