timeless, spencer reid [ 1 ]

105. to bear witness

"So either the unsub is lucky or he has medical training." Blake says.

"He wanted his victim to survive." Derek says.

"We need to canvass the area where he was found. He wouldn't have walked very far in this condition." Hotch says.

"Well, lobotomies are considered to be the surgery of the soul." Spencer says. "Doctors like Walter Freeman claimed they could cure a number of mental illnesses. He believed the procedure could relieve suffering."

"Excuse me, Agent Hotchner." Anderson steps in. "Agent Cruz is here."

"Oh." Hotch mumbles as Cruz walks in. "Everyone, this is our new section chief. This is Agent Mateo Cruz. These are Agents Blake--"

"Blake, Davis, Dr. Reid, Morgan, Jareau, and Rossi." Cruz lists. "Good to officially meet you. Oh, and Penelope Garcia. Erin Strauss always spoke very highly of you."

"Oh. Thank you." Penelope says.

"I spoke to the Baltimore office. Seems like they're at a loss." Cruz says.

"When the identity of the victim is unknown, it makes everything that much harder." Hotch says.

"I'd like to join you. It's not every day that these cases take you an hour away from home, so..." Cruz says.

"We leave in 20 minutes." Hotch says.

+++

"A lobotomy is supposed to alter a patient's personality. But it's hard to know if that's what he was trying to do since the victim's a John Doe." Blake says.

"When it's used for torture, it's about complete power and control over the victim." Spencer says. "Jeffrey Dahmer fantasized about men and he put battery acid in their brains so they couldn't escape."

"All because he was lonely, right?" Cruz asks.

"Yeah, extremely deranged sexual urges, irrational fantasies, and psychopathic tendencies." Spencer says.

"Looks like the victim is in his mid 20s. But no one matching his description has been reported missing in the tri-state area." Blake says.

"Well, if he's been arrested before, his prints will be in the database." Cruz says.

"The locals are running them now." Hotch says.

"Well, it's no accident the unsub chose a victim who won't be missed." Blake says.

"But if he's so meticulous in his hunting, how did he let his victim escape?" Hotch asks.

+++

"The victim was found just after dawn." Spencer says. "It could mean the unsub has a job that requires him to leave early."

"My guess is his social skills are lacking, and that'll be reflected in his type of work." Blake says.

"S.A.C. is in the field but called to say whatever you need, you got it." Cruz says.

"The recovery site's surrounded by abandoned warehouses." Hotch says.

"He needs the desolation to enforce his power and control." Spencer says.

"There's a team looking through the buildings now." Cruz says.

"This unsub doesn't leave anything to luck." Hotch says. "There was a garbage truck that sticks to a schedule."

"Hey, Hotch." JJ answers her phone.

"Did you talk to the driver?" He asks.

"Yeah, according to him, the victim looked and sounded like a zombie." JJ says.