Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 306 Identifying the Corpse (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Zhou Yi thought all three directions for investigation proposed by Pan Hongjie were correct.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with handling this case this way.

Aside from being slow.

Adding to the difficulty is the weather in Anyuan, which undoubtedly makes this needle-in-a-haystack reconnaissance method even more challenging.

To solve a case quickly, you need clear clues; otherwise, the investigation can easily get bogged down.

Before the widespread adoption of information technology and surveillance, a large number of old and unsolved cases remained stagnant.

However, Zhou Yi did not express any opinion throughout the process. After all, this was not Hongcheng, but his own home. Even when facing Director Xie, he could speak freely.

When visiting someone's home, it's best to keep a low profile until the host has spoken.

After all, it wasn't at a crucial juncture in the case.

Following his usual practice, Pan Hongjie finished speaking and assigned tasks, only remembering Zhou Yi at the end, so he asked, "Zhou Yi, do you have any additional information?"

Upon seeing that Pan Hongjie had called on him, Zhou Yi immediately stood up.

"It's alright, let's sit down and talk, make yourself at home."

"Okay, thank you, Captain Pan. I think you've done a very good job, and the direction of the investigation is quite clear. Let me add some information about the current situation of our investigation into Li Youqiang and Fu Daqing in Hongcheng."

Zhou Yi repeated exactly what Wu Yongcheng had told him the previous night.

One key piece of information is that when Fu Daqing was in the fruit business, he had close financial dealings with a private business owner in Anyuan named Ding Wenyuan. This is the only clue they have found that has a clear connection with Fu Daqing.

Pan Hongjie was very pleased and praised Hongcheng for its high efficiency in handling the case. He then took the opportunity to give his subordinates a few words of encouragement.

Finally, he said to Xia Yu, "Xia, please take good care of Zhou Yi while he's in Anyuan. After all, Zhou Yi isn't familiar with Anyuan. I'll have to trouble you to investigate Ding Wenyuan's line."

Xia Yu quickly nodded and said okay.

Zhou Yi also knew that this was to make Xia Yu his temporary partner.

He didn't know what Pan Hongjie was thinking, but he thought it was a good thing. Xia Yu was obviously inexperienced, so he would have more room to maneuver during the investigation.

“Zhou Yi, we should welcome you with a feast since you’ve come all this way, but the case is more important right now, so we’ll have to trouble you,” Pan Hongjie said.

"Captain Pan, you're too kind. I'm just here to learn from you and all the seniors. It's Deputy Captain Wu who told me that once the case is solved, he wants me to treat everyone to a meal on his behalf to express my gratitude." Zhou Yi thought to himself, "Anyway, I'll ask Wu Yongcheng for reimbursement when I get back."

"Deputy Captain Wu, you're too kind. Is this your first time in Anyuan?"

"Yeah." Zhou Yi nodded.

"It's a pity you didn't come in the summer, otherwise you could have tasted our Anyuan watermelons, which are famous far and wide. I'll send you some this summer."

After exchanging a few polite words with Pan Hongjie, Zhou Yi said, "Captain Pan, there's something else I might need to ask you about."

"what's up?"

"Li Youqiang's wife came to Anyuan with me yesterday."

Before Zhou Yi could finish speaking, Pan Hongjie asked, "You want to identify the body, right? Let Xia help you with the procedures. However, the condition of the body is not optimistic. The face is too badly damaged. I'm afraid the family won't be able to handle it psychologically."

Zhou Yi said, "It's not just about identifying the body. Li Youqiang's wife wants to apply for cremation because she wants to take Li Youqiang back with her."

Pan Hongjie clicked his tongue and said, "I'm afraid that won't work. The case has only just been filed and there's been no progress yet. If we cremate the body now, what if a second autopsy is needed later? You see, we found the murder weapon yesterday, and we had to compare it with the body to confirm it."

As Zhou Yi had predicted, this matter was not easy to handle.

It's not that the victim's remains can only be cremated after the case is solved, since some cases drag on for a long time and may even become cold cases. But at the very least, the evidence must be secured and confirmed by the presiding criminal investigation department and forensic doctor before the public security authorities can issue a cremation certificate.

"Captain Pan, it's like this, Li Youqiang's mother passed away in the early hours of the day after learning of Li Youqiang's murder."

“What…” Pan Hongjie was stunned.

“We understand what you just said, but we are afraid that the family members will not be able to accept it and may take some extreme actions, so we told her that she can come and submit the application first. As for the approval process of this application, it can be delayed, so that at least the deceased’s family members still have something to look forward to.”

Pan Hongjie nodded: "I understand what you mean. No problem, let's do it your way. The key is to solve the case as soon as possible, so that we can give the victim's family an explanation."

"Thank you, Captain Pan. I'll bring my family over."

"Xia, please cooperate with Zhou Yi's work. As for the application, let's postpone it for now."

Xia Yu quickly nodded in agreement.

Pan Hongjie clapped his hands and shouted, "Everyone, stop sitting there and get moving! The murderer won't just jump out on his own."

Everyone looked at the heavy rain outside and sighed helplessly.

Zhou Yi went back to the hotel to find Zhang Xianglan. Before going back, he stopped by the nearby convenience store and bought an umbrella, a pair of rain boots, and a roll of thick garbage bags.

He went back to his room first, took off his soaked shoes and socks, and wrung out the socks, which were completely wet.

He dried his feet, changed into dry pants and socks, put on his rain boots, and, carrying an umbrella and the roll of garbage bags, went to Zhang Xianglan's room and knocked on the door.

Zhou Yi told her that the case was still under investigation and that at present, they could only submit an application. He asked her to bring her identification and go with him to the Anyuan Municipal Public Security Bureau.

As for whether or not she would identify the body, that was her decision, but she needed to be mentally prepared. Zhang Xianglan firmly stated that she would identify the body.

Zhou Yi handed her the umbrella, then tore off two garbage bags and told her to put them on her feet and tie them tightly to prevent water from getting into her shoes.

Then the two braved the heavy rain and arrived at the Anyuan Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Xia Yu was already waiting downstairs. Zhou Yi said the family wanted to identify the body first, so Xia Yu led the two to the forensic room.

After the registration was completed, the forensic doctor led the group into the forensic room and opened the refrigerated cabinet.

Zhou Yi glanced at it, then turned and left.

Xia Yu was stunned for a moment, somewhat at a loss, and then quickly followed him out.

Zhou Yi and he stood in the corridor outside the forensic doctor's office. Zhou Yi took out the pack of good cigarettes he had bought earlier and asked, "Officer Xia, do you smoke?"

Xia Yu waved his hand sheepishly, and Zhou Yi lit a cigarette for himself.

The cigarette had barely been lit when Zhang Xianglan's heart-wrenching cries echoed from the forensic lab.

Xia Yu couldn't help but peek into the room, while Zhou Yi remained silent, smoking.

After finishing a cigarette, the crying inside the room gradually stopped.

A little while later, Zhou Yi threw his cigarette butt into a nearby trash can and went inside. Xia Yu quickly followed him in.

Zhang Xianglan's eyes were red and her face was streaked with tears. Zhou Yi asked, "Is this your husband?"

Zhang Xianglan nodded.

That's how people are; even if they've changed beyond recognition, they can still recognize the people they spend every day with at a glance.

This is different from the police identifying a body. The police are rational and need clear characteristics to make a confirmation; this is emotional, a feeling.

Zhou Yi said, "Don't worry, justice will prevail, we will definitely catch the murderer. You go with Officer Xia to fill out the application for cremation of the body, I'll keep an eye on things for you afterwards."

Zhang Xianglan cried and kept saying thank you.

"Dear family member, please come with me. Please accept my condolences." Xia Yu said.

After Xia Yu left with Zhang Xianglan, only Zhou Yi, An Yuan's forensic doctor, and Li Youqiang in the freezer remained in the room.

"I heard you're from Hongcheng?" The forensic doctor on Anyuan's side was a woman around forty years old. She wore thin-rimmed gold glasses and had a very elegant demeanor, though she looked slightly tired.

In the 1990s, forensic doctors were a rare commodity, and their work was tough everywhere.

"Yes, I'm Zhou Yi from the Criminal Investigation Division of Hongcheng City Public Security Bureau. May I ask your name, sir?"

"Tang Wenli, I am a classmate of your forensic doctor Song."

"Really? That's quite a coincidence."

"Please give my regards to Lao Song for me later."

Zhou Yi quickly nodded: "Definitely, definitely."

Tang Wenli pointed to the body in the freezer and said, "Do you want to take another look?"

"No need, I'm not an expert in this area. It's better to look at the autopsy report."

Tang Wenli nodded and pushed the freezer up. The police station's forensic department could only temporarily store the body; for long-term preservation, it still had to be sent to the funeral home.

"Teacher Tang, I'd like to ask you a question?"

"what is the problem?"

"Given the typical nighttime temperatures in March, how long after death does rigor mortis develop?"

Tang Wenli said, "Under normal circumstances, the first one to three hours after death is the initial stage of rigor mortis. The muscles of the body will begin to harden slightly, but the joints can still move slightly."

"Four to six hours after death, it is the development stage, during which stiffness gradually spreads throughout the body. However, the joints can still move under strong external force."

"Complete rigor mortis takes about twelve to twenty-four hours. At this time, the degree of rigor mortis in the body will reach its maximum, the joints will be completely fixed, and it will be difficult to change the posture of the body even with external force."

Tang Wenli explained in detail. Firstly, it naturally brought her closer to Song Yiming. Secondly, she saw that Zhou Yi was still very young and thought that he asked this question because he lacked experience, so she patiently guided him.

Zhou Yi nodded, then asked, "I remember you said the well where the body was found was very narrow, is that right?"

"Hmm, thirty-five centimeters."

"In this case, is it difficult to fit a body into a hole that's 35 centimeters wide?"

"The body was in a high state of decomposition, but the autopsy results suggest that the deceased was rather thin before death, so it shouldn't have been too difficult for him to be stuffed into this well. This is on the premise that the deceased had just been murdered when the body was dumped, and that the rigor mortis was not severe, because we did not find any signs of external force compressing the joints of the body after death."

Zhou Yi nodded thoughtfully.

Seeing his expression, Tang Wenli asked curiously, "What's wrong? Is there something you want to say?"

　Thank you so much for the generous donation from the handsome and earnest Xiaoshuai!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)