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

"Secondly, the on-site investigation. We started from a 50-meter radius outside the cave dwelling and investigated one by one, and found several suspicious traces. On the grass 30 meters outside the cave dwelling, we found a patch of weeds that had been clearly trampled, with an area of ​​about one square meter. The grass stems were bent and some were broken, which were fresh traces. We judged that they were left in the last few days, and were not formed by natural lodging or long-term trampling."

"Within the trampling area, there are several incomplete and blurry footprints with deep and rough treads on the soles, resembling work boots or outdoor hiking shoes commonly found on construction sites. They are approximately size 42. The edges of the footprints are not clear. Due to recent light rains, some footprints have been slightly washed away, but we can still extract some of the tread patterns from the soles. We have already made plaster molds of these footprints to fix and extract them, and we can compare them later."

“Starting from this trampled area, there is a clear drag mark that extends all the way to the entrance of the cave, about three meters long and about fifty centimeters wide, which is roughly the same as the width of an adult male’s body. The drag mark was formed by lateral force, and the grass was evenly flattened and tilted towards the inside of the cave. It is not a vertical mark formed by footsteps. It can be determined that someone dragged a heavy object from the trampled area into the cave. Based on the situation at the scene, this heavy object is the unidentified male corpse.”

"No obvious clothing fibers or bloodstains were found on the drag marks, but a small amount of soil samples were extracted. A preliminary comparison with soil samples from inside the cave and around the body revealed that the composition was basically the same, indicating that no soil from other places was carried during the dragging process. The dragging route was from the trampled area to the cave, without any signs of stopping or moving along the way."

"On both sides of the drag marks, we found several freshly broken jujube tree branches and vines. The cuts were tender and the wood was whitish, consistent with Zhang Baolu's description. They were all forcibly pried open and broken in the past few days. On one of the branches, we found slight friction marks, which were suspected to be left by clothing friction. We have extracted a trace amount of residue from the branch and handed it over to the technical department for testing to see if clothing fibers can be extracted."

"On a path about 20 meters outside the cave dwelling, we found a broken sapling. The cut was fresh, and it was about half a meter tall. It was broken by someone, not by the wind or by wild animals. The weeds around the sapling also showed signs of being trampled, similar to the trampling marks near the drag marks. It is suspected that the suspect accidentally trampled and broke it when passing by. We have taken photos of the cut of the sapling, secured it, and extracted trace amounts of residue from it."

"In addition, we conducted a comprehensive search within a 50-meter radius of the cave dwelling and found no domestic waste, such as cigarette butts, mineral water bottles, food packaging, or plastic bags. This indicates that the suspect was very cautious and did not leave any personal trash at the scene, demonstrating a strong awareness of counter-surveillance. We also did not find any suspicious items such as ropes, sticks, or knives, nor any traces of blood or hair. Our preliminary assessment is that there were not many valuable direct clues left at the scene."

"Then came the investigation of the central scene, which was the interior of the cave. Inside the cave, apart from the unidentified male corpse, no traces of any other suspicious persons were found. There were no signs of fighting or struggle. There were no obvious bloodstains or hair on the ground, and the loess walls were not extensively damaged. Only the earthen walls near the cave entrance had slight scratching and friction marks, which were suspected to be left by the suspect's hands or the corpse's clothing when dragging the body."

"We conducted a detailed investigation of the earthen walls near the cave entrance and extracted a small amount of trace fibers using special tape. The fibers were dark in color and were initially identified as dark clothing fibers. The specific material and type will need to be tested and analyzed by the technical department later. These fibers are very likely from the clothing of the suspect or the deceased and are very important trace evidence."

"The body was located in the innermost corner of the cave, lying on its side. It was highly decomposed, with a large area of ​​soft tissue dissolved and detached, and the outline of the skeleton was visible. The head, torso, and limbs were all decomposed to varying degrees, and some limb tissues were missing. It was impossible to determine the specific cause of the missing parts. It could be due to natural decomposition and detachment, or it could be caused by being eaten by wild animals."

"The body was covered with a large amount of putrefactive secretions and insects. The surrounding soil was soaked in putrefactive liquid, which was black in color and had a pungent smell. Due to the severe decomposition, it was impossible to determine the deceased's specific age, height, appearance, hairstyle, facial features, or whether the deceased had tattoos, scars, or other obvious individual characteristics."

"The clothes on the body were completely rotten and broken into small fragments scattered on the ground around the body. It was impossible to determine the original style, color, or brand of the clothes. There were no identifying marks, such as logos, tags, or buttons on the clothes, which had all rotted away and disappeared, making it impossible to extract any valuable information."

“We conducted a detailed investigation of the ground around the body and found several incomplete footprints, similar to those found outside the cave. They were all work shoes or hiking boots with deep tread patterns, about size 42, and the marks were fresh. We determined that they were left by the same person, that is, by the suspect. Because the ground was damp and contained putrefactive liquid, some of the footprints were damaged, but we were still able to extract some clear shoe sole patterns, which have been used to make plaster molds and photographs to fix them.”

"In a crack in the soil next to the head of the body, we found an extremely small piece of evidence: a small, dark blue plastic fragment, only one-third the size of a fingernail. It was hard and smooth, unlike anything that would naturally exist in the mountains or a fragment of rotting clothing. It was initially determined to be a foreign object, possibly an item carried by the suspect or something that fell off the item that was wrapped around the body."

"Using the smallest tweezers, we carefully picked up the plastic fragment, placed it in a miniature evidence bag, and marked it. It will then be handed over to the technical department for examination to analyze the plastic's material, manufacturer, and usage, in an effort to find the source of the plastic fragment and provide clues for solving the case."

"Besides this, no other suspicious items or traces were found inside the cave. None of the deceased's personal belongings were found, such as a cell phone, ID card, wallet, keys, watch, etc. We searched the ground, around the body, and even the cracks in the soil carefully, but found nothing that could identify the deceased." (End of Chapter)