"Natural Death" is a case appearing Criminal Case: Justice Department. It is the series' second case. It takes place in the first district, Uptown Acropolis.
Plot
The player and Lt. Eric Wayne were assigned to question the Greenstone park rangers regarding Cerebrum Lab's mysterious activities in the nature reserve. While Lt. Wayne and the player were strolling down the pathway, they stumble upon the dead body of park ranger Lynne Gillis, having a tranquilising dart sticking out of her neck.
In the beginning of the investigation, Lt. Wayne and the player identified three suspects – Edward Jarvis; Lynne's ex-husband, Henry Lancaster; the head ranger and Oliver Briers; Lynne's fellow ranger. Edward stated that he and Lynne decided to remarry, Henry praised Lynne for her professional attitude and Oliver had been close friends with Lynne.
Upon finishing the autopsy, Dr. Graham Fraser determined the cause of death to be ketamine overdose, which came from the dart. Dr. Fraser added that he found unusual substance on the dart's tail, which turns out to be kale juice, determining that the killer drank kale juice before firing the dart. The player also managed to find the victim's handkerchief, which, according to Dr. Candy Orson 's analysis, had traces of beagle hair, revealing that the killer owned a beagle.
Mid-investigation, Henry Lancaster told the police that he saw a shadowy human figure lurking around Halo Falls, who was revealed to be Cerebrum scientist, Dr. Julius Ackroyd, listing him down as a suspect. Lt. Wayne and the player meet Lynne's life coach, Annie Oswald , and she was also considered a suspect. The team also managed to discover that Lynne had a drunken argument with Henry and that Lynne rejected Oliver's affections.
The player also managed to collect new clues – the tranquiliser gun's dart magazine was found with a smear of cream on it. Dr. Orson identified the cream to be rash cream, which revealed that the killer uses rash cream.
Lt. Wayne and the player continue on investigating and found out that it was Lynne who allowed Cerebrum Labs to set up their laboratories in the reserve and was threatening Dr. Ackroyd in evicting them out of the forest. The duo also learned about Edward and Lynne's row about living in Acropolis after their remarriage. Lynne wrote a demeaning letter about Annie's services as a life coach, giving Annie motive.
Incriminating evidence has been allocated – the tranquilising gun and Lynne's badge. The gun had traces of the killer's sweat, allowing Dr. Orson to deduce that the killer had green eyes and Lynne's badge had wool fabrics on it that allowed Dr. orson to figure out that the killer wears a scarf.
Soon enough, the police found enough evidence to arrest Lynne's ex-husband, Edward Jarvis, for the murder. Initially denying the murder charges, Edward finally submitted to confess. Edward stated that Lynne wanted to remarry. But when he was visited by Lynne's banker, Edward found out that Lynne was broke. Edward put two and two together and came up with the conclusion that Lynne toyed with his emotions to remarry him only to gain access to his bank account to pay all her debts. Angered, Edward decided to confront Lynne in the park pathway, only to lie to him about her bankruptcy. Out of retaliation, Edward loaded up the tranquillising gun and shot his ex-wife with a lethal dose of ketamine, ultimately killing her. Upon his trial in Judge Bishop's court, Edward was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison.
With the murder being solved, Lt. Kate Wong and the player go on to investigate further into Cerebrum Lab's operations in Greenstone Natural Reserve. Since the victim permitted Cerebrum to work in the reserve, they searched in Lynne's office and found a USB stick. Reed Rothman, the team's technician, studied the USB and found documents regarding Cerebrum's experiments – they were a complex series of notes that theorises the possibility of enhancing the human brain's abilities. Lt. Wong and the player speak to Cerebrum researcher Julius Ackroyd about the notes. Julius simply stated that Cerebrum Lab's main goal is to make breakthrough in improving human brain development.
Lt. Wayne and the player were approached by the head park ranger, Henry Lancaster, regarding the disturbance in the park trail. Upon investigating the area, the police search through the pile of rocks, where they find Oliver Briers' badge. Oliver was then spoken to by the player, he had stated that he saw a drone fly through the forest. Thinking that it was used to illegally hunt animals, Oliver shot down the drone. The drone was then recovered and given to Reed to be examined, he stated that the drone was simply a prototype developed by Cerebrum, they were used to keep track on their experiments in the urban areas.
The player and the police come together to report to Chief Fellowes regarding their findings on Cerebrum, when Reed suddenly burst in to tell the team that the drone had similar designs to that of the works of genius engineer, Tommy Park, determing that Cerebrum had stolen technological designs from Park Inc. for the benefits of their experiments. Fellowes assigned the team to speak to Tommy Park for his assistance in unmasking Cerebrum's operations. Reed then mentioned that Tommy and his corporate board are in Greenstone Park for a company retreat. Chief Fellowes then ordered the police and the player to meet with Park in Greenstone's camp site.
Summary
Victim
- Lynne Willis – found dead with a dart on her neck.
Murder Weapon
- Tranquilising Gun
Killer
- Edward Jarvis
Suspects
- Henry Lancaster – Head Park Ranger
- Oliver Briers – Victim's Ranger Partner
- Julius Ackroyd – Cerebrum Scientist
- Annie Oswald – Life Coach
- Edward Jarvis – Victim's Ex-Husband
Killer's Profile
- The killer drinks kale juice
- The killer owns a beagle
- The killer uses rash cream
- The killer wears a scarf
- The killer has green eyes
Crime Scenes
| Primary Crime Scenes | Secondary Crime Scenes |
|---|---|
| Greenstone Park Trail | Information Gazebo |
| Rangers' Base | Victim's Desk |
| Halo Falls | Waterfall Pool |
Steps
Chapter 1
[Soon To be completed]
Chapter 2
[Soon To be completed]
Chapter 3
[Soon To be completed]
Additional Investigation – To New Beginnings (2/6)
[Soon to be completed]