Attending ex-girlfriend's wedding, arresting the groom's officer on the spot

Furthermore, he might work in the construction industry, and the cement scraps and red paint on his clothes could narrow down the search. However, these are all just speculations; without substantial evidence, it's still impossible to identify the suspect.

The two packed up their investigation tools, preparing to return to the scene to report to Lu Chuan. Halfway there, Yang Sen suddenly remembered something, turned back to the base of the wall, and shone the size 43 shoe print again with his footprint light. "Do you think the suspect could be an employee of the landfill? Or a scavenger who frequently comes here? Otherwise, how could they be so familiar with the route and the surveillance footage?"
"That's possible, but we can't rule out the possibility that outsiders scouted the area beforehand," Yang Lin pondered. "When we get back, have Wang Shuai and the others check the landfill staff and regular scavengers to see if anyone matches the height description and wears size 43 sneakers, especially those with recent unusual behavior. Also, we need to get the technical department to process that half-delivery slip and the short-distance bus ticket as soon as possible; we might be able to find clues about the deceased or suspect from the tracking number and ticket information."

When the two returned to the scene, Lu Chuan was communicating with Wang Shuai about the progress of the surveillance investigation. After Yang Lin and Yang Sen reported the newly discovered evidence and investigation results, Lu Chuan frowned, looking at the evidence bag on the table. Plastic fragments, metal buttons, cigarette butts, tissues. These clues, while supplementing the process of disposing of the body, still failed to break through the core issue: the identity of the deceased and the specific suspect. However, your findings are not without value; at least they have determined the suspect's activity range and some characteristics, providing direction for subsequent investigations.

"Next, these pieces of evidence must be sent back to the branch's technical section immediately. Priority will be given to testing the stains on the plastic fragments, the DNA on the cigarette butts and tissues, and the material of the metal buttons and chains," Lu Chuan instructed Yang Lin and Yang Sen. "Also, the exploration route map you draw must clearly mark the location of every trace found, to facilitate subsequent re-examinations. Although there haven't been any major breakthroughs yet, as long as we connect these details, we'll find crucial clues sooner or later."

Yang Lin and Yang Sen nodded, carefully placing the evidence into a special evidence box, preparing to send it to the branch office. The sun was gradually setting, and the cold wind of the garbage dump began to howl again. Looking at the chaotic garbage dump before them, the two knew that although this expanded investigation had uncovered many details and clues, there was still a long way to go before identifying the deceased and the suspect. However, they were not discouraged. Every discovery was a step closer to the truth; as long as they persisted in meticulous investigation, they would eventually unveil the mystery of this garbage dump corpse case.

On the way back to the branch office, Yang Sen looked out the window at the passing streets and said to Yang Lin, "Hopefully, the forensic department can find useful information from these pieces of evidence, especially DNA and stain composition. If they can identify the deceased or find the suspect's DNA, the case will take a turn for the better."

Yang Lin nodded. "Yes, and there's also that half-delivery slip and the short-distance bus ticket. If we can recover the information on them, we might be able to find the deceased's whereabouts or the suspect's location. When we get back, let's not just sit idle; let's go through all the traces at the scene again and see if we've missed any connections. Sometimes, seemingly unrelated details, when pieced together, can form a complete chain of clues."

The police car pulled into the Criminal Investigation Division's gate, and two officers carried a box of evidence straight to the technical section. Although the case was still at a standstill, they firmly believed that these details, painstakingly unearthed from the junkyard, would eventually become the key to solving the mystery and expose the crimes hidden behind it.

At 3 PM, the temperature control system in the Criminal Investigation Division's autopsy room remained stable at 16°C, and the filtration system operated at full capacity to try to dilute the strong stench of the corpse. A refrigerated truck carrying the body from the landfill slowly drove into the passageway. Two staff members, wearing heavy biosafety suits, carefully lifted the black plastic bag containing the body onto the autopsy table. The plastic bag still had a small amount of garbage debris and cement particles clinging to it, and the exposed skin at the torn opening was dark green, with a vaguely visible swollen and deformed outline.

"Prepare the dissection instruments. Begin with a surface examination of the body, focusing on recording signs of putrefaction, injuries, and any substances attached to the surface." Zhang Kai, wearing double-layered latex gloves, spoke through his gas mask, his voice deep and authoritative. His assistant, Xiao Lin, had already arranged the dissection trays in order; scalpels, forceps, bone saws, and other instruments gleamed coldly under the operating lights, while specimen bottles filled with saline solution were ready to collect samples at any time.

Xiaolin carefully cut open the black plastic bag with scissors, gradually revealing the full appearance of the corpse. The body was in a state of advanced decomposition, with large areas of skin peeling off to expose the dark red muscle tissue underneath. The face was swollen and deformed, the eyeballs were bulging, the lips were everted, and the tongue was protruding due to the pressure of putrefactive gases. Typical characteristics of gigantism were beginning to emerge. "The deceased is male, with an initial age estimated to be between 35 and 45 years old, and a height of 173cm. Based on the femur length measurement, the error is no more than 1cm." Xiaolin measured with a soft ruler while quickly writing on the record board. "The rigor mortis has completely subsided, and the joints are relaxed, indicating that the time of death has exceeded 72 hours; the livor mortis is dark purplish-red, distributed on the back, buttocks, and unpressed areas of the limbs, and does not fade when pressed, which is consistent with the characteristics of livor mortis fixed more than 24 hours after death."

Zhang Kai squatted beside the autopsy table, gently puncturing the putrefactive bubbles in the corpse's abdomen with a dissecting needle. Brownish, putrefactive liquid slowly flowed out, carrying a pungent odor of hydrogen sulfide. "The gas composition analysis within the putrefactive bubbles needs to be expedited; focus on the concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia," he instructed Xiao Lin. He then used tweezers to pick up a piece of sloughed-off skin tissue. "The skin is dark green, indicating active putrefaction. A clear network of putrefactive veins is visible in the chest and abdomen, distributed in a tree-like pattern—typical of 5-7 days after death. Furthermore, the putrefactive green tinge in the lower right abdomen has spread to the waist. Based on the correlation formula between the rate of putrefactive green tinge diffusion and ambient temperature, combined with the recent average daytime temperature of 18°C ​​and nighttime temperature of 10°C at the landfill, we preliminarily judge that the putrefaction process has been ongoing for 6-8 days."

"Should we combine entomological evidence to further narrow down the time of death?" Xiao Lin pointed to the maggots wriggling in the corpse's hair. "There are quite a few third-instar maggots at the hair roots and in the gaps in the clothing, about 1.8cm long, and a few pupal cases. Perhaps we can make a precise determination by analyzing their developmental cycle." Zhang Kai nodded, indicating that Xiao Lin should collect the maggots and pupal cases in a special specimen bottle: "Third-instar maggots need 5-6 days to develop to the pupal stage at the current temperature. Combined with the 6-8 day range of decomposition characteristics, we can determine the time of death to be between 2 AM and 4 AM seven days ago, with an error margin of within 12 hours." (End of Chapter)