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

At 9:50 a.m., after completing the indoor central scene investigation, Yang Lin and Yang Sen led the technical team members to move outdoors to conduct a peripheral scene investigation. The peripheral scene investigation radiated outward from the vacant farmhouse, focusing on examining the ground, walls, crops, weeds, etc., within a 5-10 meter radius of the farmhouse, searching for passages for the suspect to enter and exit the scene, traces and physical evidence left behind, and items that may be related to the case.

First, the courtyard in front of the farmhouse was examined. The courtyard was approximately 20 square meters in size, with a dirt surface covered by weeds about 10-20 centimeters high. There were no debris or fresh signs of trampling or disturbance in the courtyard. In the center of the courtyard, a fresh shoe print was found. The shoe print matched perfectly with the suspect's shoe print found to the east of the pool of blood inside the house. The shoe was size 43, with a diamond-patterned rubber sole, and the print was pointing towards the farmhouse door. It was preliminarily determined to be the footprint left by the suspect when entering the scene.

Yang Sen used plaster to fix and extract the shoe print. Simultaneously, he examined the weeds around the courtyard and found a small amount of fallen weeds on the east side of the courtyard, pointing towards the farmhouse door. The fallen area was approximately 1 square meter. A small amount of soil remained on the stems of the fallen weeds, consistent with the soil composition of the suspect's shoe print, leading to the preliminary conclusion that the soil marks were formed by the suspect trampling the weeds. A black cotton fiber, approximately 5 centimeters long, was extracted from the fallen weeds. The fiber material matched that of the deceased's T-shirt, suggesting it was a fiber from the deceased's clothing that was brought to this location by the suspect trampling the weeds.

On the outer side of the west wall of the farmhouse, a fresh wiping mark was found. The mark was strip-shaped, approximately 10 centimeters long and 2 centimeters wide, and the wiping direction was from bottom to top. The surface of the mark contained a small amount of dirt and dark red stains. A sample of the stain was extracted using a cotton swab and preliminarily identified as blood, consistent in color with the bloodstains inside the house. It is speculated that this was left by the suspect after committing the crime, when their hands were covered in blood and they touched the wall. Magnetic powder was used to reveal the wiping mark, but no clear fingerprints were found, further suggesting that the suspect may have worn gloves during the crime.

To the north of the farmhouse is a field planted with corn, which is growing well. The corn stalks are about 1.8 meters tall. Near the farmhouse wall, there is a narrow dirt road, about 1 meter wide, which is a common path for villagers and the main access to the vacant farmhouse. Yang Lin and Yang Sen led their team to conduct a detailed investigation of the dirt road and the surrounding farmland. There were many messy shoe prints on the dirt road, mostly left by villagers in their daily walks. After screening, three shoe prints were found that matched the suspect's footprints inside the house. The shoe prints were all size 43, with diamond-patterned rubber soles, spaced about 50 centimeters apart, and pointing towards the depths of the farmland. It was initially determined that these were the footprints left by the suspect when fleeing the scene along the dirt road after committing the crime.

All three shoe prints were relatively intact. Yang Sen used plaster to fix and extract them one by one. At the same time, he examined the ground around the shoe prints and found a small amount of bloodstains next to the shoe prints. The bloodstains were circular, about 0.3-0.5 cm in diameter, and the color was consistent with the bloodstains in the room. It is speculated that the suspect had blood on his hands or clothing after committing the crime, and the bloodstains dripped onto the ground when he fled. In the cornfield on the east side of the dirt road, a fresh trampling mark was found, covering an area of ​​about 0.5 square meters. The corn stalks were flattened, and the direction of the flattened corn stalks was towards the depth of the field. A small amount of metal residue was extracted from the flattened corn stalks, which was consistent with the metal residue on the surface of the sharp object residue in the room. It is speculated that the suspect carried the murder knife when he fled, and the blade of the knife touched the corn stalks to form the mark.

About 50 meters deep in the farmland, there was an abandoned well house. The well house was a brick and stone structure, about 8 square meters in area. The door was dilapidated and open. The well house was empty, with only a few discarded agricultural tools piled up inside. Yang Lin and Yang Sen led their team to examine the well house. The floor was covered in dust, and in the dust was a fragmented shoe print that roughly matched the suspect's shoe print, suggesting that the suspect had briefly stopped inside the well house when fleeing. In the corner of the well house, a discarded cigarette butt was found. The cigarette butt was of the cheap flue-cured type, with a small amount of saliva residue on its surface, but no blood was found. The cigarette butt was removed with tweezers, placed in a sealed bag, and the extraction location was marked for subsequent DNA testing to determine if it belonged to the suspect.

To the south of the farmhouse was an open space surrounded by poplar trees. The ground was covered with weeds and gravel. Investigators conducted a comprehensive survey of the open space and found a fresh drag mark in the center. The mark was strip-shaped, about 3 meters long and 0.8 meters wide, with irregular edges. There were signs of movement on the gravel. It was initially determined to be a mark left by the suspect when dragging an item. However, no bloodstains, footprints, or other relevant clues were found around the mark, so its connection to the case could not be determined. The mark was temporarily recorded, and gravel samples were taken from the area around the mark for later comparison.

Under a poplar tree on the south side of the open space, a silver-white metal button was found. The button was about 1.5 centimeters in diameter, with a patterned surface and a small amount of rust on the back. There was no bloodstain. It was initially determined to be a button from clothing, possibly from the suspect's or the deceased's clothing. However, the style and material of the buttons on the deceased's T-shirt and jeans were inconsistent, suggesting that it was a button from the suspect's clothing. Yang Lin removed the metal button, placed it in a sealed bag, and marked it. At the same time, he searched the area around the poplar tree but found no other relevant traces or evidence.

Subsequently, investigators examined other areas within a 10-meter radius of the vacant farmhouse, including other vacant farmhouses, walls, and ditches, but found no fresh traces or physical evidence. The other vacant farmhouses in the vicinity were all closed, with intact doors and windows, no signs of climbing or trespassing, undamaged walls, and no unusual items in the ditches. No tools used in the crime, items left by the suspect, or other relevant clues were found.

At 11:30 a.m., after completing the outdoor perimeter investigation, Yang Lin and Yang Sen led the technical team back to the central site to review the investigation process, organize the collected trace evidence, and verify the investigation records, photos, videos, and other materials to ensure that the investigation was thorough and error-free. Subsequently, the technical team members preliminarily classified and packaged the collected trace evidence, labeling it with information such as the extraction location, time, and person who extracted it, preparing to send it to the laboratory for further testing, including DNA testing, metal material testing, and fiber testing, to provide technical support for solving the case.

At this moment, Lu Chuan was at the entrance of the farmhouse, overseeing the on-site investigation. Besides questioning Li Feng, the person who had initially reported the incident, he had also interviewed several villagers in the surrounding area to understand the usage of the vacant farmhouse, recent activity in the vicinity, and whether any strangers had appeared. (End of Chapter)