The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective-Chapter 360 - 220: Jiang An’s On-the-Spot Analysis
On this "battlefield" of the criminal investigation team, teammates who have gone through numerous cases and struggles together have developed a kind of tacit understanding akin to battle-hardened comrades.
Jiang An’s sudden pause felt like a giant stone being thrown into an otherwise calm lake.
Everyone knew clearly in their minds that Jiang An must have discovered something unusual.
Captain Li Jian noticed the peculiarity in Jiang An, and without saying a word, swiftly shoved his phone into his pants pocket, flashed over like an agile leopard, and darted over to Jiang An’s side.
He widened his eyes, his gaze intense as he asked, "Brother Jiang An, is there something wrong with the clothes?"
Jiang An nodded slightly, his expression solemn.
He slowly raised his arm, pointing precisely at the deceased’s back with his finger.
Then, Jiang An cleared his throat and said, "Mr. Li, take a look at the clothes on the deceased’s back, the gap between the top and bottom is clearly off."
"What do you mean?"
Captain Fu, Captain Qin, Zhang Yean, and Wan all immediately gathered around upon hearing this, heads turning towards where Jiang An pointed.
Everyone took a closer look and saw that the deceased was wearing a baggy sweatshirt on the upper body and a pair of somewhat old and slightly shabby jeans on the lower body.
The gap between the sweatshirt’s hem at the back and the jeans’ waist looked like a galaxy separating them, distant and far from the snug and close-fitting state when people wear clothes normally.
Upon a closer inspection, good heavens, the edge of the sweatshirt’s back was actually rolled up, with a pale part of the bone at the lower back exposed directly, looking rather eerie.
Zhang Yean watched for a while, scratched her head, looking curious like a child, and asked, "Could it be possible that while animals were gnawing on the body, they accidentally pulled the shirt like this?"
Wan nodded continuously beside her like a pecking chicken, echoing, "Exactly."
"I also think what Zhang Yean said makes sense."
"Just think about it, those beasts, driven by hunger, not picky about what they eat, might have yanked the clothes askew when biting the body."
Captain Fu and Captain Qin exchanged glances, their eyes communicating their opinions.
Then they also nodded in agreement.
It seemed they accepted this seemingly plausible guess.
However, Jiang An gently shook his head.
His head moved like a gentle breeze passing by.
He spoke unhurriedly, "I think this possibility is unlikely."
"Please look closely, the clothes at the back are intact, not even a pin-sized tiny damage, and there’s absolutely no bite marks or tear traces left by animals."
"Besides, the deceased is lying face upwards."
"Judging by the overall state of the body, the back has barely moved."
"So, naturally, there wouldn’t be the chaotic signs caused by animal bites on the clothes."
"I’ve carefully examined the back bone earlier, same thing, no damage from animal gnawing."
"Therefore, I think the clothes are in their original state."
"Original state?"
These simple four words were like a sharp lightning strike hitting everyone’s hearts, startling them.
Li Jian had been in the trenches of criminal investigation for years?
He knew all too well the deep mysteries hidden behind those four words.
Captain Qin broke the suffocating silence first, swallowed, and squeezed out the question like toothpaste, "If the clothes are in their original state, does that mean the moment the body dropped, the clothes on the back moved upward?"
"But what does that explain?"
He spread his hands, palms up, his face full of confusion.
Jiang An nodded again, his eyes deep.
He raised his voice a bit, emphasizing, "This is of great significance!"
"Under normal circumstances, the coverage position of a human body’s clothing is relatively fixed."
He glanced at the deceased on the ground, "
"I strongly suspect that the deceased was dragged before death, and it was very likely dragged by the lower limbs."
He added at the end, "This isn’t just a wild guess of mine, based on the body’s overall posture, clothing state, and surrounding marks, this is the most reasonable explanation."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.
It was like a cold wind "swishing" through, chilling everyone to the spine.
In a moment, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, quiet enough to hear everyone’s heartbeat.
Captain Qin was the first to snap back to reality, rolling beads of sweat on his forehead like broken strings of pearls.
He raised his hand to wipe it and asked in a slightly trembling voice, "Brother Jiang An, this conclusion is too crucial."
"It’s like the lifeline determining the direction of the case, must be handled with utmost caution."
"If misled at the start, if the investigation goes astray, then it really would be a little off at the start, and way off in the end, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Jiang An’s expression was serious, his determined gaze like a burning torch, shining brightly.
He said gravely, "Captain Qin, have you ever seen me joke about such matters?"
"When it comes to professional knowledge, I never dare to be careless. I came to this conclusion after repeated observation and careful comparison."
Standing next to him, Li Jian did not immediately respond.
