Diary of a Criminal Investigator-Chapter 373: The Corpse in the Garbage Heap

Old Bai wished he could slap himself twice.

He had been rambling about a case for no reason, and now, indeed, a case had arisen.

"See, cases just won’t stand being talked about. Let’s go."

Old Yang placed the college entrance examination application guide facedown on his desk and started putting on his police uniform.

Lu Chuan also put down the flamingo-lily and donned his police uniform.

Unlike most frontline criminal investigators, Lu Chuan and the other technical officers would wear police uniforms when attending a crime scene.

The main reason is that it’s easier for frontline officers to remain undercover during investigations, but technical officers don’t have this concern; wearing uniforms at the crime scene helps distinguish their identity.

In fact, the back of the police uniforms worn by the four of them even had the words: Crime Scene Investigation.

This time it was a rare collective outing for the four from the Crime Scene Investigation office. Lu Chuan was the driver, taking a specialized crime scene vehicle, following the main team to the scene.

"Old Liu, what’s the specific situation?"

In the car, Old Yang checked the equipment while inquiring about the case details.

"We got the report just as the morning meeting was about to end."

Liu Guodong thought it would be another idle day, as today’s morning meeting had already lasted an hour.

Judging by past experience, if a morning meeting lasted an hour, there typically wouldn’t be any cases, but an alert came just as Qin Yong announced the meeting adjourned.

And it was a murder case.

"This morning, the Warehouse Valley police station received a report; a scavenger found a corpse at the landfill in Warehouse Valley."

"As for the specifics, I don’t have any information yet. We’ll see when we get there."

Old Liu spoke lightly, but Old Bai and Yang Sen’s expressions were quite serious.

"Is it at the landfill this time?"

Liu Guodong nodded, "This case... will be tough to handle, so be mentally prepared."

The two nodded in silence, and Old Bai patted Lu Chuan on the shoulder, "Lu, how many gas masks do we have in the car?"

Since the beginning of the year, all instruments and equipment in the Crime Scene Investigation office, including vehicles, had been under Lu Chuan’s management.

This responsibility used to be Yang Sen’s, but due to the establishment of a trace evidence lab and the introduction of advanced investigative equipment, Yang Sen couldn’t figure out how to use much of it.

Lu Chuan naturally took over, so he knew the equipment in the crime scene vehicle best.

"We have five gas masks, one for each of us with one spare."

"Good, reliable, we’ll need them soon."

Although Lu Chuan hadn’t experienced a similar scene before, the name landfill said it all.

It would be surprising if such a place smelled pleasant.

The Warehouse Valley landfill was on the outskirts, far from populated areas, with a long drive of over an hour from the city center.

At 10:30 AM, though the rain had stopped, the weather remained gloomy.

Qin Yong led the team, and after getting off the vehicle, the Warehouse Valley police station head Li Hong came over to report the case.

Li Hong was one of the few female police station heads in Haizhou City, and Lu Chuan had heard she was quite legendary.

Once, while on vacation, she singlehandedly captured a wanted criminal.

"The station received the report at 8:30 this morning, a scavenger deep in the landfill found a black suitcase. When opened, the body was discovered, so they called the police."

"We conducted an initial understanding of the reporting scavenger; he’s from the nearby Warehouse Valley village, who typically searches the landfill during off-farming seasons and has done so for over ten years."

"There were a few others from the village with him at the time; we also asked them about the situation."

Li Hong’s report was brief, or rather, there wasn’t much in the way of clues at the moment.

This time, at least there weren’t any onlookers around the scene.

The smell of the landfill wasn’t something easy to endure; thankfully, today’s rain subdued the stench beneath its cover.

"Ren Qiang, tell those garbage trucks to stop dumping until the scene investigation is complete."

In the distance, garbage trucks were still lined up, dumping waste.

"Crime Scene Investigation and the forensic doctor enter first."

The body was packed in a suitcase; obviously, this wasn’t the primary crime scene, suggesting the perpetrator had dumped the body.

So the investigation into the surrounding environment might not yield useful clues, such as footprints or fingerprints.

The only option was to examine the body.

Shen Yan and Wang Changjiang arrived in another vehicle.

Lu Chuan handed Shen Yan the spare gas mask, "Put this on."

As for Wang Changjiang... there was simply no way, as there were only five gas masks available.

But fortunately, neither Liu Guodong nor Old Bai wore one. The six of them put on shoe covers and, after preparing the equipment, were the first to enter the scene.

The location of the body discovery was deep in the landfill, about 500 meters from the roadside.

The Warehouse Valley landfill was one of the largest in Haizhou City, with a history of ten years.

The landfill spanned a vast area, five kilometers north-south and three kilometers east-west.

From the parking spot, the body’s location wasn’t visible, hidden by uneven terrain and piles of trash resembling real mountain peaks.

After about a 20-minute trek, they finally made it through.

Luckily, they wore waterproof shoe covers, otherwise...

The shoes would have been unusable.

Two officers were already at the scene, keeping watch; upon seeing the crime scene unit arrive, they promptly greeted them.

"Leaders, it’s all yours now; we’ll step back."

The two officers were a veteran and a rookie, clearly master and apprentice.

With someone to take over, they could leave. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

This place was certainly no place for people.

"Lu, go ahead and take some photos."

The suitcase was already open, and the body inside had been dismembered, the torso in one piece while the arms and thighs were removed and stacked neatly on either side.

Crime scene photography was a preliminary step in every procedure, and Lu Chuan was adept at it. He adjusted the camera, set up the markers, and finished photographing in under five minutes.

"Old Wang, do you want to work together?"

The crime scene was definitely not the initial scene, so CSI and the forensic doctor could work simultaneously.

Wang Changjiang nodded, "Let’s do it together."

Because the suitcase wasn’t very large, they worked on one arm segment each.

"The body exhibits mold growth, and the lividity has disappeared, indicating a lengthy post-mortem interval."

Liu Guodong closely examined the arm and quickly made some discoveries.

Wang Changjiang nodded in agreement, "The layered mold on the body suggests possible cold storage signs."

Body mold is a straightforward term for when a corpse grows fungi in a dark and humid environment.

Based on the length and growth condition of the mold, one can infer the time of death.

Lu Chuan’s intermediate CSI skills included experience and knowledge of this aspect, but encountering a moldy corpse was a first for him.