1
Nikita: Four weeks went by, but then I was in. I got a forensics job with my chemistry background.
My new boss was Sergeant Kostya. He was a lead investigator in numerous cases for over 15 years. Then he was promoted to Sergeant. Almost immediately after I was introduced to the job, there was a new homicide case.
I also told Maya about my new job and the fallout with my old job... but I never told her about Victor.
Jenna: You never told her about Victor? How come?
Nikita: A part of me felt as if it was my failure... I felt slightly responsible for his death. It was a complicated situation. I didn't tell Maya because... well, I guess I wanted to show her things were getting better.
In addition to all of that... I really didn't want to mention Victor's involvement with my parents... She would have started asking more questions. Then I probably would have caved and told her my brother and I wanted revenge... which doesn't sound very good.
Jenna: You also mentioned that you never stopped fighting crime... I don't understand, is that some kind of metaphor?
Nikita: Metaphor...? No... fighting crime is all I've been doing for the past 20 years.
Jenna: What? That doesn't make sense... You've been a massive Triad crime lord for years. To say you are fighting crime is like saying you're fighting yourself... I don't understand.
*Nikita freezes for a moment*
Nikita: You don't understand now... but you will... in time.
My first homicide case put my skills to the test...
2
Kostya: Nikita, there's been a brutal discovery... in an abandoned building.
Nikita: Brutal discovery?
Kostya: You said you learned quickly?
Nikita: Yes, sir. I can learn very quickly.
Kostya: Good. There have been eight bodies found... the team needs your help.
Nikita: Eight... bodies... Oh, my.
Kostya: This job is rough, if you aren't ready for it... I understand.
Nikita: No, no, no. I'm ready, I just...
Kostya: Nikita, hesitation, emotion, fear... all cause mistakes, lives are on the line.
Nikita: I'm ready, sir, let's go.
Kostya: I'm not going, Nikita, they need a forensic analyst... that's you.
Nikita: Right, sounds good, sir. I won't disappoint.
General Victim Overview
- 🔍Describe the victims.
- 🔍What are the times of death for these victims?
- 🔍Where are these victims located?
- 🔍Identify physical trauma.
- 🔍Identify the victims.
Cause of Death
Trace Evidence
- 🔍Check for soil.
- 🔍Check for fibers.
- 🔍Check for tape residue.
- 🔍Check for pollen.
- 🔍Check for hair.
- 🔍Check for gunshot residue.
Location
- 🔍How large is this abandoned building?
- 🔍What is outside of the building?
- 🔍Where were the victims found?
- 🔍Accessibility and location.
Psychological Analysis
3
There are a total of eight victims. They are piled up and not organized in any way. Five out of the eight victims are known drug dealers that the police force was in pursuit of.
4
- Igor: Died 5 days ago (122 hours)
- Alex: Died 5 days ago (120 hours)
- Dima: Died 3 days ago (84 hours)
- Vadim: Died 3 days ago (82 hours)
- Vodya: Died 2 days ago (52 hours)
- Kolya: Died 2 days ago (49 hours)
- Maksim: Died yesterday (24 hours)
- Borya: Died yesterday (20 hours)
5
Each body is located in the pile, and they are on the first floor of the abandoned building. The bodies are very easily visible once you enter the building.
6
No harmful physical trauma was found on the bodies. The only trauma found on the bodies was binding marks on the wrists and ankles. No blunt force trauma was found on any of the bodies.
7
Each victim present is a known criminal gang member... interesting. This could be gang-related violence. However, these victims are part of different gangs. Additionally, one of the victims, Igor, was a criminal informant of ours.
8
Each victim died from a cocaine overdose. The cocaine was taken by injection.
9
There is a needle mark on each body. The needle mark is located on the inside of the elbow. Each victim has only one needle mark.
10
The victims have rope marks around their ankles and wrists. Some samples of blood were found on the wrists, they all match the victims' blood.
11
The cause of death and method of capture did not involve physically damaging the victim. The gruesome sight of the bodies doesn't seem to match the low level of violence used to capture these people.
16
Hair strands were found in the pile of bodies that match with the victims' hair. No foreign hair strands were found.
18
The building has three floors but most of them are broken leaving just a hollow frame of the abandoned building. The building contains all kinds of broken items, including bottles, bricks, furniture, and other unidentified objects.
19
There is a field of grass and trees. The grass type is Bermuda Grass. There is an overgrown parking lot and pathway that has tall weeds growing from the cracks in the pavement.
20
They are in an open room, placed in the center. The room was run down and dirty as you'd imagine an abandoned building to be.
21
The building is in the center of a field of grass. This area isn't highly populated and doesn't have a dense set of buildings. The nearest building to this abandoned one is not visible.
22
The killer picked a well-hidden location to dump the bodies, but the bodies are so easily found once one enters the building. Better options for hiding the body include lakes, rivers, forests, or underground in the soil.
23
There are a total of eight victims and each one of them overdosed. They all had gang connections and one of them, Igor, was our informant. Injection was the method of consumption for the cocaine that they overdosed on.
24
The timing of the deaths indicates that the killer could still be killing. The earliest found death was of Igor, he died about 122 hours ago. It's entirely possible this is a new dump sight and more bodies will be located elsewhere.
25
The victims were not brutally killed, so there could have been no connection from the killer or killers to these victims. The group or individual that committed these crimes wanted to kill as many as possible. Brutality typically suggests a crime of passion, but this could still be a crime of passion if the killer or killers were more logical and meticulous in their ways.
26
There were no foreign fibers other than the nylon and polyester which were from the rope that bound them. The lack of foreign fibers, hair, and physical trauma suggest there was no fighting that took place. The abduction was silent.
27
Kostya: Igor mentioned that he had information for us four days ago.
Detective Andrei: Now he's missing, that's not a coincidence.
Nikita: Kostya... the cocaine, it accelerated the decomposition rates.
Kostya: Nikita, are you saying these men were killed earlier than our autopsy said?
Nikita: Yes, that is correct, Kostya. The autopsy didn't account for the cocaine.
Kostya: But Igor never ever took cocaine, he was adamant about that.
Nikita: The method of murder was injecting a lethal amount of cocaine.
Kostya: Wow... that's pretty good, Nikita.
Nikita: The killer or killers weren't trying to hide the bodies... they wanted them to be found.
Kostya: These bodies were meant to be found?
Nikita: These bodies showed up four days ago... and we already found them, and they were displayed for someone to see...
Kostya: Hmm... that's very interesting, but why show them like this?
Nikita: We are dealing with a vigilante...
Kostya: Vigilantes... I hate them, I've had experiences with them.
Out of all the cases I've been on, this one ranks second in victim count.
Nikita: I did some research; I noticed you worked the 1996 River Murder case.
Kostya: Yeah... there was a total of 12 murders before we solved it.
Nikita: You were right when you said this job wasn't for the faint of heart.
28
Kostya: You've given quite the first impression, Nikita.
Nikita: Thank you, Sergeant, I won't disappoint. I'll come to you with more information soon.
Kostya: Nikita, wait one moment.
Nikita: Yes, boss?
Kostya: You're smart... it's respectable, but also threatening to some people.
*Nod at Kostya*
Kostya: Careful, Nikita.
We will talk soon, Nikita.
Conclude Investigation
1. How many murders took place in the 1996 River Murders?
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
2. What kind of people does Kostya specifically hate?
- Heroes
- Average People
- Stupid People
- Vigilantes
- Drug Users
- Crimelords
3. When did the first victim die?
- 3 days ago
- 4 days ago
- 5 days ago
- 6 days ago
4. Which victim was a CI (criminal informant)?
- Alex
- Vadim
- Kolya
- Igor
- Borya
5. Why was pollen found on the victims?
- The victims were dumped in the tall grass
- The victims were carried through the tall grass
- The wind carried pollen to the pile of corpses
- The pollen was placed intentionally by the killer after the crime was committed
Nikita: Maya, you know I can't discuss the case while we are still solving it.
Maya: I know, I know, but I'm still so curious how your new work is treating you. I bet you're really good at it!
Nikita: I think it's a good fit, but it takes a strong stomach...
Maya: I can't wait to read the papers when they say, "Nikita Volkov puts evil behind bars!" Just kidding, I don't even read the paper, but... you're going to be famous.
Nikita: I'm not a detective, though... I'm the evidence guy. But I think one day I could become a detective.