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

Chapter 251 The Baby Cried (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Zhou Yi nodded: "That's right, we can prioritize investigating the mother and daughter in room 201 of building number 12."

"Regardless of whether the victim is an adult or an infant, murder and dismemberment require a suitable environment. We can refer to the Zhang Hui case to see that Xu Jiaguang dismembered and disposed of Zhang Hui's body in his own bathroom, which is why the body parts ended up in the underground septic tank of the community."

"Similarly, the place where newborns are murdered and dismembered is most likely the bathroom."

"But the environment for committing a crime is not just about the geographical environment, but also the time environment and the relationships between people. Xu Jiaguang's crime was a typical premeditated crime. He created a favorable environment for committing the crime by drugging Xu Xinxin with sleeping pills. However, childbirth without a hospital check-up is highly uncertain and it is impossible to create the environment for committing the crime in advance based on this."

Zhou Yi took a deep breath: "Besides, I find it hard to imagine that a minor girl could calmly create a favorable environment for committing a crime after suddenly giving birth. After all, that requires extremely strong psychological qualities."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Even adults would tremble with fear in such a situation, let alone a teenager, unless someone is truly "gifted".

"Therefore, including the mother and daughter in Building 12, in the process of investigating underage girls, we should pay special attention to families where the girl's family situation allows her to spend a long time alone at home."

Zhou Yi turned to Xu Nian and said, "Xu Nian, I'll have to trouble you to find the doctor at the infirmary later. You may need to be ready to examine any suspicious targets at any time."

For corpses, autopsies do not require the forensic pathologist to be of the sex.

However, if it is to check whether a minor female has given birth, there are gender requirements, and only female doctors from Xu Nianhe Municipal Bureau Medical Office can do it.

Not to mention Song Yiming, even Qin Beihai's examination was not acceptable.

Xu Nian nodded.

"Mr. Qin, I've finished explaining my thoughts. Is there anything else you'd like to remind us of?" Zhou Yi asked Qin Beihai respectfully.

Qin Beihai looked at Zhou Yi with great appreciation.

Zhou Yi's statement just now demonstrated a clear investigative approach, rigorous logic, and meticulous attention to detail. Most importantly, it was based on the crucial clues he provided from the autopsy, and he gave his feedback in a very short time.

Qin Beihai knew that such rapid thinking could not be achieved by talent alone; it required constant refinement.

He smiled and said, "I've done all I can. The rest is up to you."

Zhou Yi immediately said to Shi Tao, "Team Leader Shi, there's no time to lose, let's get started right away."

Shi Tao rubbed his hands together eagerly and said, "Good."

"Oh, right, I just thought of another possibility," Zhou Yi said as soon as everyone stood up.

Everyone was looking at him, even Qin Beihai was a little curious.

"I need to call Captain Wu. I need to understand the chromosome part of the DNA test results from the provincial department and confirm whether the murdered newborn was a boy or a girl."

Shi Tao was surprised: "They can even determine a person's gender using DNA?"

Zhou Yi nodded: "Male and female chromosomes are significantly different, so DNA can be used to determine the sex with 100% certainty. If it is a female infant, we may also need to consider the possibility of serious preference for sons over daughters within the married woman's family, and the possibility of family members harming the female infant cannot be ruled out."

The people in the second team, including Shi Tao, were all taken aback.

Shi Tao thought to himself, "It seems like fighting organized crime is easier. Why are all the major cases so morally reprehensible?"

After everyone left, only Qin Beihai and Shen Zhaoxing remained in the room.

“Zhaoxing, Xie Guoqiang wasn’t lying. This Zhou Yi is indeed a promising talent.” Qin Beihai said with a discerning eye, “You might have the chance to work together again someday.”

Shen Zhaoxing was somewhat surprised: "Teacher, you mean..."

Qin Beihai nodded slightly and said, "I'll wait for him in the provincial capital. Let's see how long it takes him to get here."

……

When Zhou Yi and the others returned to Donghai Community, night had already fallen.

But the flashing red and blue lights of the police lights parked at the entrance made everyone's hearts skip a beat, and they all wondered what had happened this time.

Even the gatekeeper couldn't resist peeking out the window.

Shi Tao said, "Old Gu and Xiao Qiao have already organized the household registration information. They've marked which households to check and which not to. You all heard what Zhou Yi said earlier. I don't need to repeat how to check and what to focus on. And one more thing, I'm putting this out there today: don't be afraid of asking too many questions and getting complaints. If there are any complaints, they'll all be on my end. It's better to be complained about than to miss anything, understand?"

The two teams replied in unison, "Understood!"

"But you'll have to write your own review later."

Everyone smiled.

Every leader has their own style of leadership. Shi Tao's江湖气 (jianghu qi, a kind of江湖江湖气 ...

Team Leader Shi is truly willing to step up when something happens.

What subordinates care about most is that their leaders treat them like human beings, not like beasts of burden.

"Zhou Yi, that place in Building 12, it's ours."

Zhou Yi nodded, and the two walked towards Building No. 12 in the night.

According to household registration information, the mother and daughter living in apartment 201 of building number 12 are named Yao Fenfang. She is 36 years old and works at Nanming Xinchuang Plastics Factory.

My daughter's name is Tang Xue. She is seventeen years old and is a sophomore at Xiangyang Middle School.

Shi Tao knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside.

I knocked on the door again, but still no one answered.

"Is no one home at this hour?" Shi Tao had barely finished speaking when he heard the sound of a lock being opened behind the door.

The door creaked open, but not fully. A little girl peeked out from behind it, watching them nervously, and asked somewhat fearfully, "Who...who are you looking for?"

"Are you Tang Xue?" Zhou Yi asked calmly.

The girl nodded. Zhou Yi wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the girl's face was a little pale, and her hair covered most of her face. In addition, the room was dimly lit, so he couldn't see the girl's appearance clearly.

The girl was clearly very afraid of strangers.

Zhou Yi pulled out his badge. "Don't be afraid, we're police officers. Is your mother, Yao Fenfang, at home?"

The girl immediately shook her head and said timidly, "She went to work the night shift."

"Night shift? Does your mother work three shifts?"

"No, just day shifts and night shifts."

Zhou Yi and Shi Tao exchanged a glance. Two shifts meant a twelve-hour shift system, which perfectly matched the criminal environment Zhou Yi had mentioned earlier.

"Tang Xue, may I ask you a few questions?"

Tang Xue looked at the two of them, at a loss.

"Have you noticed any changes in your health recently?" Since the girl was home alone, Zhou Yi asked tactfully, afraid of startling her.

Logically speaking, when asked such an ambiguous question, a person's instinctive reaction would be to ask in return, "What changes?"

But Tang Xue clearly showed a hint of fear and immediately shook her head, saying, "No...no, I don't know what you're talking about."

After saying that, he slammed the door shut.

Zhou Yi knocked on the door, calling out to her, hoping she would open it; they were there to help her.

But the door never opened again.

“Zhou Yi, there’s definitely something wrong with this,” Shi Tao said.

"Okay, call Yao Fenfang back. Have Director Chen inform her that her daughter might be suicidal."

"Is this...appropriate?"

Zhou Yi pointed into the room and said, "What if this child gets a shock and really can't think straight?"

If it really was this 17-year-old girl who did that, she might actually be traumatized and commit suicide.

Upon hearing this, Shi Tao thought it made sense and asked, "Then should we break down the door?"

"It's best not to, it would be even more dangerous if it really triggered something."

"Alright, then go and have Director Chen make a call. I'll stay here and keep watch."

When Zhou Yi came downstairs, he heard Shi Tao banging on the door and shouting, "Kid, don't be impulsive, let's talk this out. We're here to help you."

When Yao Fenfang rode her bicycle back to Donghai Community at breakneck speed, Zhou Yi spotted her immediately. She was disheveled and looked terrified.

Zhou Yi immediately went up to her: "Are you Yao Fenfang? We are from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. This is my identification."

"What have you done to my daughter? What have you done to my daughter?" Yao Fenfang dropped her bicycle and rushed forward, shouting.

"Don't get agitated, calm down. We just knocked on the door, but your daughter's reaction was a bit unusual. We were worried that something might happen to her if she was locked in the room, so we called you back."

"What do you police want? Are you trying to drive my daughter and me to our deaths?"

Seeing that Yao Fenfang was becoming increasingly agitated, Zhou Yi said sternly and loudly, "Yao Fenfang, calm down. The most important thing right now is to open the door and check on your daughter!"

"Yes, Xiaoxue, Xiaoxue." Yao Fenfang scrambled upstairs, her hands trembling as she pulled out her key from her pocket. She tried several times before finally getting it into the lock.

As soon as the door opened, Yao Fenfang rushed in first, followed by Zhou Yi and Shi Tao.

There was no smell of gas or blood, but the room was dark because the lights were off.

"Xiaoxue? Xiaoxue?" Yao Fenfang turned on the light and shouted urgently.

The three of them only felt relieved after rushing into the bedroom.

In a bedroom of less than ten square meters, Tang Xue was curled up in a corner on a single bed against the wall, clutching a quilt.

Fortunately, the girl didn't do anything foolish, otherwise things would have been troublesome.

Just as Zhou Yi and Shi Tao breathed a sigh of relief, Yao Fenfang, who had been pacing anxiously, suddenly burst into a tirade: "You brat, are you crazy? Do you know that I get penalized for taking leave? I work so hard to earn money to support you, to feed you, to give you food, to send you to school, and this is how you repay me? What sins did I commit in my past life to be born with you?!"

He then started hitting Tang Xue, who was so frightened that she hugged the blanket tightly and cried.

Yao Fenfang was emotionally agitated, but Zhou Yi and Shi Tao stopped her from actually hitting the child.

At the same time, Zhou Yi felt that Yao Fenfang's behavior was somewhat inconsistent. She had just been very concerned about her daughter, but suddenly she became hysterical.

Tang Xue, who was in the corner, suddenly said something that sent chills down Zhou Yi and Shi Tao's spines.

Tang Xue said in alarm, "Mom, I think I heard the baby crying again."

(End of this chapter)