Criminal Minds (TV Series)

Miasma (2018)

Salvador Benavides: M.E. Dr. Aristeo Caruso

Quotes 

• Dr. Tara Lewis : So the burning was postmortem, like the others?

  M.E. Dr. Aristeo Caruso : Yes, but C.O.D. was a stab wound to the back.

  David Rossi : Well, just as we predicted, this is our guy. He's gone widly off pattern. Burned the clinic, attacked the doctor here. He's devolving.

  Dr. Tara Lewis : Well, maybe he finally figured out that killing sick people won't stop the spread of disease.

  David Rossi : The clinic was probably a stark reminder of the failure of modern medicine.

  Dr. Tara Lewis : It shows an evolution of thought, and he's gone from putting the blameless out of their misery to punishing those in the medical profession.

  David Rossi : Yeah, he's no longer on a mission of mercy, that's for sure. This could very quickly become about finding that person that he thinks is responsible for the loss he suffered.

• M.E. Dr. Aristeo Caruso : So, I can tell you what kind of accelerant he used. Good old drugstore variety rubbing alcohol. That's why the burn patterns on the bodies are so uneven.

  David Rossi : These aren't defensive wounds, are they?

  M.E. Dr. Aristeo Caruso : No. The flexion of the elbows, knees, and hands is caused by the shrinkage of body tissues due to dehydration.

  David Rossi : So the pugilistic pose is a result of the body being exposed to extreme heat?

  M.E. Dr. Aristeo Caruso : Yes. And it can occur even if the bodies were dead before they were burned, which I believe was the case here.

  David Rossi : And the bloodletting, was that done postmortem as well?

  M.E. Dr. Aristeo Caruso : Yes. He sliced the carotid. Nice clean cut.

  David Rossi : So the unsub is skilled with a knife.

• David Rossi : If exsanguination wasn't the cause of death, what was?

  M.E. Dr. Aristeo Caruso : Each victim had large quantities of pure ketamine in their system. A powerful anesthetic. They were most likely injected with a pretty hefty dose.

  David Rossi : So all the violence done to the body was postmortem.