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

The autopsy lasted for a full three hours. Zhang Kai and Lin Xiao remained highly focused throughout, meticulously examining every part of the body, collecting numerous tissue samples, bodily fluid samples, and clothing fiber samples. They also made detailed anatomical records, took photographs, and preserved the remains. After the autopsy, they carefully arranged the body, placed it in a mortuary refrigerator, labeled it, and awaited further examination.

After removing their autopsy gowns and protective gear, Zhang Kai and Lin Xiao both looked exhausted, fine beads of sweat forming on their foreheads, and a faint smell of decay lingered on their bodies. They walked to the rest room next to the autopsy room, took a sip of water to calm themselves down, and began to sort through the clues they had discovered during the autopsy.

“Master, although this autopsy didn’t directly determine the cause of death or the exact time of death, it did yield several crucial findings,” Lin Xiao said first, a hint of relief in his voice. “First, the preliminary estimate of the time of death is around three days. The exact time will be determined once the pathological examination and stomach contents analysis results are available. Second, we’ve ruled out the possibility of head injury or asphyxiation from a foreign object. The preliminary cause of death is either poisoning or mechanical asphyxiation. Considering the needle mark on the victim’s left ankle, poisoning is the more likely cause. Third, there’s a dent on the victim’s right wrist, suggesting that the victim may have worn a watch, bracelet, or other jewelry before death, which was taken by the murderer after death. The murderer is suspected of concealing the victim’s identity and robbing them. Finally, we’ve extracted samples of the victim’s teeth and bone tissue for DNA testing. Once entered into the national DNA database and compared with missing persons information, we can identify the victim. This is the most crucial step in solving the case.”

Zhang Kai nodded in agreement, his tone calm but serious: "You're absolutely right. These findings are indeed crucial, but we can't let our guard down. The needle mark on the deceased's left ankle is the most critical clue. We must pay close attention to it and have the technical department speed up the testing to determine the source of the needle mark as soon as possible. We need to examine the body fluids and tissue samples for any drug or poison residues, and what type of drug or poison they are. This directly relates to determining the cause of death and can also provide clues for identifying suspects. If it was indeed a death by poisoning, then the murderer is likely a medical worker, a pharmacist, or someone who can easily obtain poisons or drugs. If it was a death by mechanical asphyxiation, then the murderer likely had close contact with the deceased, and there may still be trace amounts of the murderer's evidence on the deceased's body, which may have been destroyed by the decomposition of the body, insects, or cleaned up by the murderer."

"In addition, the dent on the victim's right wrist should be investigated in detail. The forensic department should examine tissue samples around the dent to see if there are any metal or jewelry residues. This will help determine the type and brand of jewelry the victim wore before death, and may even help determine the victim's identity, occupation, and financial situation. The murderer took the victim's jewelry either to cover up the victim's identity or to steal valuables. In either case, it reflects that the murderer has a strong sense of counter-surveillance, is meticulous, and is not a first-time offender. It is possible that the murderer came prepared."

"Also, although we can't determine the style or brand of the clothing by examining the fragments of clothing fibers on the deceased, we still need to have the technical department conduct a detailed examination to analyze the material and type of the fibers, to see if it is ordinary or special fabric, and whether there are any special processes or dyeing techniques. Perhaps by examining the clothing fibers, we can narrow down the scope of the investigation and help determine the deceased's identity and occupation."

"Most importantly, we need DNA testing, which is crucial for identifying the deceased. Contact the technical department immediately and have them expedite the DNA testing. Get the extracted teeth and bone tissue samples processed for DNA typing as soon as possible, enter them into the national DNA database, and comprehensively compare them with all recent missing persons information, especially from villages surrounding Zhangjiagou. We need to identify the deceased as quickly as possible. Once we confirm the deceased's identity, we can investigate their social relationships, conflicts, and economic situation to find the killer's motive, narrow down the suspect pool, and make a breakthrough in the investigation."

"Understood, Master. I'll contact the technical department right now and urge them to speed up the testing. I'll report any test results to you immediately." Lin Xiao nodded quickly, took out his phone, dialed the technical department, explained the situation in detail, and urged them to expedite the progress of all testing work.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiao looked at Zhang Kai with a hint of doubt on her face: "Master, why did the murderer dump the body in an abandoned cave halfway up the mountain in Zhangjiagou? That cave is so remote, and few people go there normally. The murderer obviously chose that place on purpose to cover up the crime and prevent the body from being discovered. Moreover, after committing the crime, the murderer cleaned up the scene, took the victim's personal belongings and jewelry, and cleaned up any trace evidence that might remain on the victim's body. Such strong counter-surveillance awareness means that the murderer is likely familiar with the environment around Zhangjiagou, knows about the existence of that abandoned cave, and may even be someone from a village around Zhangjiagou, or someone who frequently travels around Zhangjiagou."

Zhang Kai nodded and said thoughtfully, "Your analysis makes sense. There are two possibilities for why the murderer chose that abandoned cave to dump the body: First, the murderer was familiar with the environment around Zhangjiagou and knew that the cave was remote and secluded, rarely visited, making it suitable for hiding the body and delaying its discovery; second, the murderer discovered the cave by chance and decided to dump the body there on the spur of the moment. However, this possibility is relatively small because the murderer cleaned up the scene after committing the crime, showing a strong sense of counter-surveillance. It doesn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment decision to dump the body; it's more like he came prepared and chose the location in advance."

"Furthermore, the fact that the murderer was able to drag the victim's body from the primary crime scene to that abandoned kiln indicates that the murderer was physically strong and of a robust build, which is consistent with the suspect's characteristics that we deduced based on the footprints and drag marks at the scene. Moreover, the murderer likely acted alone without accomplices, because no footprints or drag marks of multiple people were found at the scene, and the transfer and dragging of the body were all done by one person."

"Furthermore, the highly decomposed body indicates that the murderer did not return to the scene after disposing of the body, nor did they take any further measures to conceal it, such as burying the body with soil or weeds. This could be because the murderer was afraid of being discovered, or it could be because the murderer believed that the cave was well-hidden and the body would be difficult to find, thus eliminating the need for further concealment. This also suggests that the murderer may not be a native of Zhangjiagou Village, or may have rarely been active in the Zhangjiagou area, fearing that returning to the scene would result in discovery by villagers and the leaving of clues." (End of Chapter)