flstandardbreds Chapter 1306 Determining the Analytical Conclusion
Chapter 1306 Determining the Analytical Conclusion
He used a scalpel to remove a small piece of stomach wall tissue and liver tissue, and fixed them in formalin solution. "The degree of cell autolysis is an important basis for judging the time of death. Stomach wall cell autolysis usually begins 4-6 hours after death, and liver cell autolysis begins 6-12 hours after death. Combining the previous rigor mortis, livor mortis, and putrefaction characteristics, the time of death was judged to be about 8 days, which is around last Sunday."
He looked at the body's hands and found no dirt or fibers under the fingernails, indicating that the deceased had not struggled violently before death, or that the suspect had cleaned the deceased's hands before burying the body. "The deceased was not carrying any identification, and the clothing had no obvious markings, suggesting that the suspect may have deliberately removed items that could identify the deceased after killing the body, in order to conceal the deceased's identity and increase the difficulty of the investigation."
At 11 p.m., the autopsy was nearing its end. Zhang Lin and Xiao Lin carefully placed the dissected organs back into the cadaver's abdominal cavity and began suturing. "To summarize, the cause of death is clearly mechanical asphyxiation, specifically, the neck was compressed by a soft, strap-like object, causing airway obstruction; the time of death is estimated to be around 8 days, around last Sunday; the deceased had not eaten for at least 12 hours before death, and there were no obvious signs of resistance on the body surface, suggesting no violent struggle at the time of death, or that the deceased knew the suspect and was killed when the suspect was off guard," Zhang Lin explained to Xiao Lin while suturing.
"Do these conclusions correspond to the clues found at the scene?" Xiao Lin asked, his notebook filled with dense writing. "They correspond perfectly," Zhang Lin replied confidently. "The tire marks from the electric tricycle found at the scene indicate that the suspect used an electric tricycle to transport the body; the shovel scratches prove that the suspect used a shovel to dig the hole and bury the body; the light blue synthetic fibers match the material of the victim's underwear, and the dark gray cotton fibers came from the quilt that wrapped the body—these clues, combined with the autopsy findings, can reconstruct the approximate crime process: the suspect strangled the victim to death with a soft, strap-like object indoors or in a secluded place, then wrapped the body in a quilt, transported it to an unused lawn on the north side of Dongshan Park using an electric tricycle, dug a hole with a shovel to bury it, and accidentally left scratches on the tree trunk during the process, with clothing fibers falling off at the scene."
After the stitching was completed, Zhang Lin handed over the extracted blood, liver, kidney samples, and the deceased's clothing to the technical department, instructing them: "Focus on testing the blood samples for sedative drug components to rule out the possibility that the suspect first drugged the deceased before strangling him; compare the fibers of the deceased's clothing with the fibers extracted from the scene to confirm whether they come from the same source; in addition, perform DNA typing on the deceased and enter it into the missing persons DNA database to confirm the deceased's identity as soon as possible."
Stepping out of the autopsy room, Zhang Lin rubbed his sore shoulders. The night outside was deep, but the lights in the Criminal Investigation Division's office building were still bright. He picked up his phone and dialed Li Ming's number: "Captain Li, the autopsy results are in. The deceased died of mechanical asphyxiation, approximately eight days ago. Based on clues from the crime scene investigation, we speculate that the suspect knew the deceased, transported the body using an electric tricycle, wrapped it in a blanket, and buried it with a shovel. Samples have been collected and sent for testing; we are awaiting DNA comparison results to confirm the deceased's identity."
On the other end of the phone, Li Ming's voice was filled with relief: "That's great, Zhang Lin, you've worked hard! These conclusions provide a clear direction for the subsequent investigation. I will immediately arrange for Xiao Wang to adjust the scope of the investigation, focusing on finding men aged 45-55 who went missing around last Sunday, as well as people who have electric tricycles, quilts, shovels, and have recently exhibited unusual behavior."
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Lin looked at the autopsy report that Xiao Lin had compiled, and a clear outline of the case came to mind. Although the victim's identity had not yet been confirmed, the perfect match between the autopsy findings and the clues from the crime scene investigation gradually clarified the direction of the investigation. He knew that as long as the toxicology and DNA comparison results from the technical department came out, combined with Xiao Wang's interviews and investigations, they would soon be able to identify the suspect and uncover the truth behind the Dongshan Park corpse case.
On Sunday morning, the technical department reported the latest news: no toxic substances were detected in the deceased's blood sample, ruling out the possibility of drug intoxication; the fibers of the deceased's underwear were completely consistent with the light blue synthetic fibers extracted from the scene, and the dark gray cotton fibers matched the composition of common cotton quilt wadding; the deceased's DNA typing has been entered into the database and is being compared with information on missing persons.
These results further corroborated Zhang Lin's autopsy findings and made the investigation more targeted. Li Ming immediately convened a case analysis meeting to determine the next key points of the investigation: First, to conduct a screening of "men aged 45-55 who went missing around last Sunday," and to confirm the identity of the deceased by combining DNA comparison; second, to visit electric tricycle sales points and repair shops around Dongshan Park, and to screen people who had purchased or repaired electric tricycles in the past six months, especially those who had shovels or quilts; third, to expand the scope of the surveillance screening, and to retrieve surveillance footage from roads around the park around last Sunday to look for suspicious electric tricycles.
As all the work progressed smoothly, the investigation into the Dongshan Park corpse case gradually got on track. Standing by the window of the autopsy room, Zhang Lin watched the rising sun in the distance, firmly believing that it wouldn't be long before the deceased buried under the grass was exonerated and the murderer was severely punished by law. Justice may be temporarily covered by the earth, but it will never be absent forever.
At 8 p.m. on Saturday, the lights in the Criminal Investigation Division's information and investigation room echoed the cold glow of the forensic autopsy room. Xiao Zhou and four team members sat around a long table, the computer screen scrolling through entries from the missing persons database, the dense text and photos appearing particularly tedious in the night. "Team Leader Li just sent word that Zhang Lin's autopsy has started. We need to find a match among the missing persons as soon as possible, so as not to slow down the investigation." Xiao Zhou rubbed his throbbing temples and pushed a cup of strong tea towards team member Xiao Li. "The deceased was male, 45-55 years old, approximately 173 cm tall, medium build, died around last Sunday. Focus on missing persons reported within the last 10 days, especially those matching the age and height, and whose occupations might involve contact with electric tricycles or blankets."
Xiao Li yawned, his fingers weakly tapping on the keyboard: "Brother Hui, this is the 500th one. Either the age difference is too big, or the height difference is too big, and some of the disappearances were six months ago, which doesn't match the time of death of the deceased. Staring at the screen for too long makes my eyes blurry. This job is too exhausting."
Team member Xiao Wang also complained: "Yeah, a lot of missing persons information is just 'male, 48 years old, 170 cm tall,' without even mentioning occupation or clothing. How are we supposed to match them with the deceased? It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. We're lucky if we can check 1500 records in one night, and then we still have to find matches. It's so difficult."