flstandardbreds Chapter 994 Crime Scene Investigation
Chapter 994 Crime Scene Investigation
Li Ming wrote the four large characters "Identity Confirmed" on the whiteboard and circled them in red: "Currently, all clues point to the same core issue—who is the deceased? Zhang Lin, can you extract usable DNA from the remains?"
"The petrous part of the temporal bone of the female skeleton is relatively well preserved and has been sent to the provincial laboratory for mitochondrial DNA testing. The results are expected within 48 hours." Zhang Lin flipped through the records. "The pulp chamber of the male skeleton is damaged, making extraction more difficult, but we are trying."
"Xiao Yang, is there any progress on the extraction of fabric fibers and buttons from the site?"
"The fiber sample has been confirmed to be denim fabric, and we are comparing it with the production records of garment factories throughout the city." Xiao Yang pulled up photos of the evidence. "The 'J.C' on the button may be a brand abbreviation, but after searching domestic and international trademark databases, there were no matching results. It cannot be ruled out that it is a custom-made or niche brand."
Li Ming pondered for a moment and began to deploy his plan: "First, using endemic fluorosis as a starting point, contact the police in high-fluoride areas of the north to investigate women aged 25-30 who have gone missing in the past three years, focusing on those with a history of dental fluorosis and bone pain. Second, expand the investigation scope to vehicles with license plates 'XK,' retrieve surveillance footage from surrounding highways and gas stations, and combine this with time clues provided by scavengers to pinpoint the activity trajectory of suspect vehicles. Third, conduct visits to hardware stores and knife wholesale markets throughout the city to trace sales records of stainless steel knives that match the composition of the murder weapon."
His gaze swept over everyone: "Remember, any detail can be crucial. Xiao Wang, go back to the construction site and get the contractor to provide information on the previous owner of the land. Find out what the land was used for before it was abandoned. Zhang Lin, conduct stress analysis on all the injuries to the skeleton to reconstruct the crime. Xiao Yang, re-examine the soil at the scene to see if you can find any more trace evidence."
After the meeting, Li Ming remained alone in the conference room. He stared at the photos of two skeletons on the whiteboard, imagining what they looked like in life. The repeated violence suffered by the male victim and the complex cause of death of the female victim both indicated that this was not a simple murder case.
That afternoon, the sun beat down on the construction site, turning the exposed yellow soil white, and leaving crisscrossing tracks from the excavator. Xiao Wang wiped the sweat from his brow and, with three officers, stepped back into the area he had already investigated multiple times. He knew that with all known leads at a standstill, his only hope lay in finding a breakthrough through the most basic interviews.
"Listen up, everyone. Today, we're going to question everyone on the construction site again, including the contractors, supervisors, security guards, and even the scavengers who occasionally come and go from the area. Any subtle anomaly could be a crucial clue." After giving the instructions to his team, Xiao Wang headed straight for the temporary prefabricated houses on the construction site.
Inside the prefab house, construction foreman Lao Zhou was squatting on the ground eating a steamed bun. When he saw the police enter, he hurriedly stood up, a few crumbs still stuck to the corner of his mouth. "Captain Zhou, let's talk again. When this land hadn't started construction last winter, did you really not notice anything unusual?" Xiao Wang pulled over a rusty iron chair and sat down, his eyes fixed on the policeman.
Old Zhou scratched his head and said with a simple smile, "Officer Wang, I've said it several times already. There was no one at the construction site back then. It was deserted all around, and there was nothing but the sound of the wind."
"Do you know this old man who scavenges?" Xiao Wang pulled out a photo of the scavenger who provided the clue about the black SUV.
Old Zhou squinted at it, then shook his head: "I don't recognize him. These scavengers often loiter around here, so we don't pay them any special attention."
"On December 15th last year, the construction log recorded that work was stopped due to mechanical failure, but your workers said they were gambling on the construction site. Why did you change the record?" Xiao Wang suddenly asked this question.
Old Zhou's face turned deathly pale instantly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead: "This...this is because we're afraid of being investigated. We were just having some fun, it has absolutely nothing to do with the case!"
Xiao Wang didn't press the matter further and got up to walk towards the workers' rest area outside the prefab house. Several workers were sitting together smoking, and when they saw the police coming, they all nervously stubbed out their cigarettes.
"Brothers, may I take up a little of your time? Tell us again, did you really not see any suspicious people or vehicles around here last winter?" Xiao Wang tried to be as gentle as possible.
A dark-skinned middle-aged worker hesitated for a moment before speaking: "To be honest, once when I was on night patrol, around 1 a.m., I saw what looked like a car's headlights flashing in the distance to the east of the construction site, but it was too far away to see what kind of car it was."
"East? Do you remember the exact location?" Xiao Wang immediately perked up.
"It's right there at the corner of the wall, where the building materials are piled up now," the worker pointed into the distance.
At this moment, a young worker next to him interjected, "I remember too! I got up to go to the toilet that day and saw it too. I even told my coworkers, but we all thought it was just a passing car."
Xiao Wang meticulously recorded the time and location they described, and then continued to ask other workers. While talking to a worker who was in charge of driving the water truck, the worker suddenly remembered: "One morning last winter when I came to work, I saw a very deep footprint at the entrance of the construction site, as if someone had dragged something very heavy. I didn't pay attention to it at the time, but now that I think about it, it's a bit strange."
After leaving the workers' rest area, Xiao Wang led his team to the construction site security room. Security guard Lao Zhang was dozing in front of the monitor screen when he heard the noise and hurriedly sat up straight.
"Mr. Zhang, are all the surveillance videos from last winter really damaged?" Xiao Wang had asked this many times, but he still wouldn't give up.
Old Zhang sighed: "There was really nothing we could do. The construction site hadn't been officially put into use yet, and the monitoring equipment was old. It broke down completely after a heavy rain, and nothing was left behind."
"Did you spot any strangers while you were on duty?"
Old Zhang frowned and thought for a moment: "Strangers are common, after all, this is a wasteland, and occasionally homeless people and scavengers pass by. But there was a man, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, who often loitered around the construction site during that period. He was dressed quite decently and didn't seem like a scavenger. I chased him away a few times."
"What does he look like? Does he have any distinctive features?" Xiao Wang's heart raced.
"He was tall and thin, wore glasses, and had a mole on his chin. Every time he was kicked out, he wouldn't get angry; he would just smile and leave."
Xiao Wang carefully recorded these features and then walked around the construction site again. At the corner of the eastern wall of the construction site, he squatted down to examine it carefully. Although the ground had been renovated after a long period of construction, he could still vaguely see some irregular dents based on his experience, which might be the marks left by the workers "dragging heavy objects" as they mentioned.