Diary of a Criminal Investigator-Chapter 377: Case Discussion

Due to the very limited quantity of micro-evidence samples, most of the time measured in grams or milligrams, the experimental requirements are very high, leaving no room for a second mistake.

Liu Guodong and Yang Sen handled each sample cautiously.

"The fiber testing results are out; it’s colored cotton."

"Colored cotton? This stuff isn’t cheap."

Old Bai bought a set of colored cotton underwear during the New Year, costing several hundred yuan.

"How about the soil testing?"

"North Mountain’s, it’s from our North Mountain."

Soil from each location has different characteristics and components, and the soil in North Mountain of Haizhou City is a kind of clay, which can be used to make bricks and tiles.

"North Mountain..."

Lu Chuan had never been there, but Old Bai was familiar with the place.

"A few years ago, there were many brick and tile factories in North Mountain, but later they were all moved due to environmental pollution. I remember a cold storage logistics transit base was built there two years ago."

Cold storage?

The body had signs of freezing; could the body have been frozen in North Mountain?

At 9:30 in the evening, Qin Yong organized the first case analysis meeting.

The meeting room was filled with smoke. Lu Chuan sat in the corner, observing that the people sitting in the front row were not in high spirits, indicating that the case investigation was not going as smoothly as anticipated.

"Forensics department, Old Wang, why don’t you start by discussing any findings from the autopsy?"

In the past, when Wang Changjiang spoke, he was usually calm. As a forensic doctor, presenting autopsy reports was routine work that he had done countless times, but this time he looked troubled.

"Female, cause of death was a sharp instrument piercing the heart center at the chest, resulting in exsanguination. No signs of assault were found on the body, and there is a history of freezing."

"From the end of the freezing state to the body being discovered by a scavenger at the landfill, it likely took over a month."

"The reason is that the body showed severe mold growth, with patches in the armpits, face, arms, and inner thighs."

"Additionally, the freezing time for the body is likely more than a year, as there are stratified changes in the mold growth on the body’s surface, suggesting that before the body became moldy in the landfill, it had already gone through a spell of mold growth while frozen."

"The time of death... it’s difficult to determine the exact time right now, but it’s estimated to be no less than a year."

As a forensic doctor with many years of experience, Wang Changjiang rarely gave such ambiguous conclusions.

However, in this case, there was no choice.

In the initial period after death, determining the time of death is usually quite straightforward.

For example, by gauging body temperature, the degree of rigor mortis, and the color of livor mortis, one can accurately determine the time of death.

Even skeletal remains with no flesh often have some advantages in determining the time of death.

But with a frozen body, after the autopsy, even after looking at the changes in internal organs and the residue in the stomach, it was basically possible to determine the time after thawing, but not the exact duration of freezing.

Only based on mold growth under frozen conditions could an estimated death time longer than a year be given.

This range is too broad.

In other words, the autopsy does little to advance the case.

The victim’s fingerprint matching was successful, and the identity of the victim has been confirmed. The victim disappeared over a year ago.

So, the victim possibly died more than a year ago, or at least for a significant likelihood, was dead for that duration, and then was frozen all along.

Until last month, when the murderer dumped the body at the landfill.

"Forensics is done talking. Crime Scene Investigation, Old Liu, why don’t you go ahead?"

Liu Guodong cleared his throat. Compared to the lack of clues from forensics, Crime Scene Investigation had a wealth of clues, though they didn’t directly point to the murderer.

"First, for the fingerprint identification analysis, Lu Chuan successfully completed the victim’s fingerprint identification analysis and matched the victim’s identity."

"The victim’s name is Wang Lili, female, 32 years old, from Huangzhou City, reported missing in March last year, and it’s now been a year and three months."

Liu Guodong hadn’t followed the missing person case, which had been reported to the action group, so his focus wasn’t on this part of the report.

"At the same time, we conducted DNA testing on the victim and successfully matched it with the DNA provided by Wang Lili’s parents in the missing person case."

The fingerprint and DNA both matched successfully, confirming the victim’s identity.

"Additionally, we discovered a type of fiber on the victim and in the suitcase containing the body, identified as colored cotton from Xin Province, through micro-evidence detection."

"This cotton is known for its breathability and warmth but is not produced in large quantities, so the price of garments made from it is relatively high."

"We also found some soil residue inside the suitcase, and tests confirm this soil is from North Mountain in Haizhou City."

"North Mountain?"

Liu Guodong paused his report as the attendees exchanged views.

"Wasn’t the area around North Mountain originally a brick and tile factory?"

"Yes, North Mountain had clay and was full of brick and tile factories, but due to environmental standards and pollution issues, they were dismantled, and in recent years, a cold storage logistics park was built there because it’s near the highway and the ring road."

"Does Crime Scene Investigation have any suspicions about the body being stored in the cold storage logistics park?"

Liu Guodong nodded: "There’s a possibility, but we can’t rule out other options, like a cold chain transport vehicle."

"According to the autopsy results from forensics, the body had exhibited mold growth during the freezing state, which is very rare."

"The basis for mold growth implies the presence of mold spores, which should not survive under normal low-temperature freezing conditions or lose activity if they survive."

"We suspect that the place where the body was stored had multiple accidental temperature increases leading to mold spore growth."

"Large cold storage facilities rarely have such issues, whereas small facilities like cold chain transport vehicles might be more prone."

"Of course, I mention cold chain transport vehicles as an example; it could also be some small cold storage or freezers built by hotels and restaurants."

The Crime Scene Investigation team, while not providing clear, decisive leads, still offered a potential directional clue for the investigation with the North Mountain location.

At the very least, the task force can now confirm that the body had once stayed in North Mountain or was even packed into the suitcase there.

"Does Crime Scene Investigation have any more to add?"

Qin Yong glanced past the crowd and looked at Lu Chuan sitting in the second row.

Seeing no reaction from him, he continued to chair the meeting: "Alright, the action group, Ren Qiang, you’re responsible for the visits and investigations. Let’s hear your report." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Clearing his throat.

Ren Qiang cleared his throat twice and shifted in his seat.

"After the crime, we deployed many personnel and, with the cooperation of the local police station, surveyed several surrounding villages, but the yields were not significant."