Chapter 766 Gene Chimera
Although private prisons in the United States are indeed terrible, the management of state prisons is obviously not so bad that serious criminals are being impersonated. When Jack and Jubal arrived at the state prison In prison, the Kerry McMay he met was indeed himself.
"So what's going on?" Jubal, who was scolded by the other party, was not angry because of it, but was more confused and uneasy.
"Let's go to the CSI laboratory and ask. The DNA identification they made may be able to give some reasonable explanation." Jack probably had some ideas, but he still needed help from professionals to solve the problem.
At noon, the two found Mike Taylor sucking instant noodles in the supervisor's office.
After eating the sandwich he bought on the road with the aroma of instant noodles, Jack explained the purpose of his visit, "Hannah is on her way to contact McMee's sister, and is going to ask her whether McMee has done bone marrow donation before.
I know bone marrow Transplantation will lead to the emergence of genetic mosaics, but doesn’t this usually only occur in blood? ”
Chimerism is used in genetics to represent individuals with different genetic traits or mixed expressions. The English word seems more intuitive, chimera - Chimera, a monster in ancient Greek mythology with a lion's head and a goat's body and a snake's tail.
The phenomenon that a normal person carries at least two sets of DNA is called the "Chimera phenomenon." When fraternal twins develop normally in the mother's body, they will form two independent embryos.
However, if the maternal supply is insufficient or other reasons may cause one of the embryos to die, then the other surviving embryo will absorb it, and this embryo will become a chimera when it grows up.
In addition, there is another way to cause chimerism, which is bone marrow transplantation. The cause of leukemia is ultimately a problem with the patient's own hematopoietic function, so bone marrow transplantation is a very effective treatment method.
The transplanted bone marrow contains other people's hematopoietic stem cells, which is equivalent to some of the patient's own hematopoietic stem cells being replaced by others, so the patient's blood cells will contain the donor's DNA.
This is also where Jack is confused. They have basically ruled out the possibility that Kerry McMay has an identical twin brother, so the only possibility seems to be bone marrow transplantation.
However, the sample used for DNA identification by the CSI laboratory was not the murderer’s blood, but the epithelial cells on the skin surface. Could this also lead to a miscarriage of justice?
Mike Taylor thought for a while and called up a document on the computer, "In fact, not only the epithelial cells, but also the recipient's semen and the DNA in the epithelial cells may be damaged by the donor's Replaced by DNA.
This is a case in Wausau County, Nevada. Eight years ago, a man named Chris Long received a bone marrow transplant for acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome.
In the third month after the successful operation, the DNA in his blood changed, and the donor's DNA was also found in swab samples taken from his lips, cheeks and tongue. 4 Years later, the DNA in his semen was also replaced. "
"Uh, I. Are all these things you are talking about true? "Jubal is also a person with a higher education. Although he couldn't interrupt the whole process, he did understand roughly.
"So your intuition is right. The case three years ago, Kerry McMay is indeed not a murderer. "Jack smiled and reached out to shake his hand.
Jubal had mixed feelings for a moment, and he didn't even know whether he should be happy or sad.
"Don't think too much. The responsibility does not lie with you, and it will not even have any impact on your partner. This kind of thing is too rare and is a non-subjective factor. You may not have been very clear at that time, but the entire case handling process has nothing to do with it. Problem.
What we should do now is to correct that mistake as soon as possible and catch the real culprit to avoid the next victim."
After that, Jack thanked Mike Taylor and Jubal. They left the CSI laboratory together, and before they returned to the federal building, Hannah called. She had received confirmation from Kerry McMahe's sister that he had indeed donated bone marrow once when he was 20 years old.
Jubal seemed to have regained his energy and spirit, "So we only need to find the recipient through the medical records. Isobel, immediately apply for a review of the relevant medical files. We have to catch that son of a bitch before the next victim appears."
Isobel, who was waiting at the door to greet the two of them, showed a strange smile, "I think. We may have found out who the murderer is. "Is it the volunteer at the children's hospital who claimed that the car was stolen?" Unlike Jubal, who was agitated and full of thoughts along the way, Jack had roughly guessed the murderer on the way back. identity.
Among the suspects currently under investigation, this guy happens to have had leukemia.
The smile on Isobel's face showed a trace of undisguised appreciation, "Yes, we captured a lot of portraits in the surveillance of the ATM machine opposite Sigby's cafe. The shooting time It was about ten minutes before the suspicious computer logged into a certain website in the cafe.
Originally, we just wanted to find a few frequently appearing faces and investigate their identities in detail, but Aubrey took a look. I recognized that Pete DeLeon.”
There was no one in front of the big screen in the combat center. Only the photo and information of Pete DeLeon, a white man with brown curly hair, remained on the screen. The fat man looks safe and harmless to humans and animals, and the smile in the photo is full of warmth. This situation is quite ironic.
"After receiving your call and these photos, we figured out what was going on. I contacted the judge immediately. The local police had arrested Pete DeLeon. Aubrey would be gone within an hour at most. To bring him back, Hannah and Jiejie are on their way to search his apartment."
Isobel explained what happened before and her arrangements.
"It seems that you have adapted to your job very well." Jack complimented Isobel.
Jubal rubbed his hands and asked slightly hesitantly, "Can I be responsible for the interrogation later?"
Jack almost laughed out loud, "Did you forget? Are you still the boss of the combat center?”
After two days of observation, he has confirmed that Jubal has indeed given up drinking. He is 100% alcohol-free. This is not easy. It seems that those things at the beginning have indeed given this old man enough A profound lesson.
While Jubal was waiting anxiously, more than an hour later, the highly motivated Aubrey escorted Pete DeLeon into the interrogation room.
Jack was not too involved in this case. From on-site investigation, analysis and reasoning to the final revelation, it was basically a team effort. He only played a catalyst role at most.
He was also very satisfied with everyone's performance, which could even be said to far exceed his expectations. Jack stood in the observation room and watched Jubal and Aubrey walk into the interrogation room together. Secretly proud.
"I am Detective Superintendent Valentin." Jubal walked into the interrogation room as if he was a different person, throwing a pile of information on the table with a serious look on his face.
With his hands handcuffed on the table, Pete DeLeon was smiling habitually, without showing any signs of uneasiness. He looked harmless, and even his voice was still slow, like... For fear that others might not be able to hear clearly.
"Can anyone tell me what exactly happened?"
As Jubal asked, he walked slowly around and walked behind him, speaking without any fluctuation in tone. , "You had acute lymphoblastic leukemia when you were a child, right?"
Pete de Leon seemed to feel some discomfort and moved his cuffed hands, the smile on his face remained unchanged, as if he was being forced What kind of solidification magic is like, "What's the problem with this?"
"Then you had a bone marrow transplant, and the person who was successfully matched with you had no blood relationship with you, but the operation was successful, You're almost healed, right?" Jubal continued.
"Yes, how do you know this?" Pete DeLeon looked at Aubrey standing at the door, then turned to Jubal with a curious look on his face.
(End of this chapter)