Diary of a Criminal Investigator-Chapter 336: Murder Weapon and Motive

Shen Yan had learned this before and had watched videos and photos.

The reason is straightforward because during the process of being burned to death, people inhale a large amount of smoke.

This smoke contains a large amount of carbon monoxide, which, when entering the human body, creates a phenomenon similar to carbon monoxide poisoning.

The skin appears bright red, and the internal organs, especially the lungs, appear bright red with a lot of internal fluid accumulation.

In the case of murdering someone and burning the body, the body will not have any special changes.

The color of the internal organs is normal, and there is no reaction of carbon-oxygen combination in the blood.

While the autopsy is being conducted, the crime scene investigation is also proceeding in an orderly manner.

"Here, Lu, take a photo."

Under a toppled wardrobe, there were still many scattered clothes that weren’t completely burned.

Lu Chuan stepped forward, took several photos from different angles, and marked it: "The glass on the front of the wardrobe is shattered, but the clothes..."

The range of scattered clothes was quite broad, and there were charred remnants mixed with the black substance from the fire department’s water spray around them.

However, it could be seen that the clothes in the wardrobe didn’t fall out due to the wardrobe toppling and the glass shattering.

"Are you saying... someone rummaged through the wardrobe?"

Lu Chuan nodded: "It seems so, the wardrobe toppled, and the range of scattered clothes exceeded the range of the shattered glass, it shouldn’t be."

Liu Guodong came over, glanced, and said, "Not only that, the perpetrator probably deliberately knocked the wardrobe over."

"High-temperature flames would scorch the glass of the wardrobe, even if it didn’t melt, there would be lots of soot and carbon residue attached."

Liu Guodong picked up a piece of shattered glass and gently brushed it: "There’s only dirt from the ground on this, which wipes off easily, indicating that the wardrobe was already down before the fire."

Although there wasn’t much information at the scene, there were still plenty of discoveries in terms of details.

Fingerprints and footprints are probably out of the question, given the magnitude of the fire, plus the damage from the fire department’s water, whatever clues the perpetrator left are likely gone.

"Beside the bed, I just checked the desk, there are signs of rummaging."

Liu Guodong pointed to the entrance, describing an iron desk where its contents had long been burned, but the drawer was open and contained some residues.

"Inside that desk, there was a small safe which has been pried open, and its contents are gone."

Lu Chuan went over, squatted down, and saw the pried-open safe.

The safe wasn’t big, not very high-quality either, just slightly thicker iron, now somewhat deformed.

Moreover, Lu Chuan and others at the scene also found a knife whose handle had melted from the heat under the wardrobe, an area untouched by the flames, with a tire mark.

Other than that, there was basically nothing else.

Ren Qiang and Sun Jun’s teams had already started conducting investigations around the neighborhood.

They specifically focused on the neighbors to the left and right of the fire-stricken room.

"Yesterday... I didn’t hear anything, I was working tying steel bars at the construction site, I was dead tired and fell asleep."

"At around three, the dog in the yard barked twice, but then it went quiet again, so I didn’t get up to check."

"After three? I just got back, was drunk, didn’t see anyone suspicious."

"Those two worked at the cotton factory, don’t seem to have any enemies, but... the young wife is quite pretty, quite a few people hit on her..."

The situation learned from the surroundings didn’t yield much significant information.

The young couple who lived in the house, according to current information, hailed from Haizhou’s countryside, and their family had been contacted through the cotton factory registration info.

The family was on their way and would arrive by the afternoon.

Outside a pile of ruins, Qin Yong stood surrounded by Sun Jun, Ren Qiang, and Liu Guodong.

"Let’s talk about the situation first, Ren Qiang, have Zhang Hui clear the area around."

Ren Qiang nodded and beckoned to Zhang Hui in the distance.

Actually, such a clearing wasn’t of much use.

When the case happened, the necessary photos were already taken.

Now, there were already reports online about the fire situation on Changhe Street.

Unlike homicides, the media is quite enthusiastic about such fires, and they are willing to report on them.

Especially when it involves information about injuries.

A fire is considered a public safety event and is different from murder.

Of course, the report’s information is conservative, regarding the cause of the fire, the fire department had responded that an investigation was needed.

Initially, it was reported that there were two fatalities.

Then, there were some videos from the time of the incident.

The raging fire and blaring fire alarms, but since it was nighttime, the video didn’t capture things clearly.

"Guodong, what discoveries have you made at the crime scene investigation?"

"First, we found stab wounds on both bodies, and based on the forensic doctor’s preliminary judgment, both were stabbed and then set on fire by the perpetrator."

"However, one of them was still alive when the fire was set."

"The specifics still await the forensic doctor’s autopsy report."

"Second, there are signs of rummaging through the wardrobe and desk, and the desk’s safe was pried open."

"We also found a knife with a melted plastic handle at the scene, but whether it’s the murder weapon needs further testing; matching it with the wound marks will confirm it."

"Is it a case of home invasion robbery and murder?"

"It’s a possibility, and quite likely."

"Sun Jun, how’s your side coming along?"

"The rented house belonged to a couple, the man named Zhao Ming and the woman named Zheng Caixia, both workers at the nearby cotton factory, originally from Ma Baoyu Village, Zhang County."

"But to confirm if the bodies belong to them, DNA comparison with family members is needed."

"Currently, both sets of parents are on their way and should arrive in the afternoon."

"However, the identity is likely to match 80 to 90 percent, the cotton factory confirmed they didn’t show up for work today, and they couldn’t be reached by phone."

The dead’s identity is likely almost confirmed.

But, because one of the bodies’ face was completely burned while the other only had half a face left, recognition was impossible. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

In the past, when DNA identification technology wasn’t as widespread, many cases of identity swapping occurred.

Originally thought the person who died at the scene was the occupant, but actually, it was someone else, and the supposed victim occupant was actually the perpetrator, not discovered until twenty years later.

Therefore, the most important task now is to confirm the victim’s identity.

"Ren Qiang, how about your situation?"

"The deceased moved here only last year, not particularly familiar with the neighbors, only a few people they worked with at the cotton factory who sometimes rode electric bikes together to work."

"As for the surrounding neighbors, there weren’t any special sounds heard when the fire happened yesterday, just a dog from a family barking a few times."

The information was indeed very limited.