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

Chapter 543 Case Analysis of Case 803

Zhou Yi was wondering if the sudden advancement of the headless female corpse case by eight days meant there would be more information and clues compared to his previous life.

However, after listening to the summary of the current investigations from various sources, he discovered that, in essence, it was not much different from his previous life.

First, there's the body itself. The head, hands, and feet were chopped off, and the cuts were generally clean. There were obvious multiple slash marks on the neck, suggesting that the murder weapon was a long and hard knife.

The condition of the blood vessels at these incision sites confirms that the severing occurred either shortly before death or shortly after death.

Because after death, the blood stops circulating and gradually coagulates.

Typically, blood loses its fluidity and turns into a complete blood clot about an hour after death.

If it exceeds six hours, a stable solid blood clot will form.

At this point, even if the blood vessels were cut open, no more blood would flow out. However, this headless female corpse was different. The blood vessels at the cut showed obvious signs of shrinkage, indicating that the body was dismembered shortly before or shortly before death.

This is also a common mistake made by many murderers without a medical background: after killing someone, they rush to cut up the body in an attempt to destroy the evidence, which results in the dismemberment scene being filled with luminol, creating a sea of ​​evidence.

The body had no tattoos or scars, and was not wearing any clothing.

Yun Yao said the autopsy is still underway, and because the victim's body is incomplete, an accurate cause of death analysis cannot be given at present.

The preliminary autopsy confirmed one thing: the deceased was not sexually assaulted before or after his death.

The deceased was not a virgin, but there were no signs of violence on her lower body, and no male bodily fluids were found.

Therefore, from this perspective, the possibility of sexual assault and murder can be ruled out first.

Secondly, there is the on-site investigation and the search of the surrounding area.

The crime scene was a wasteland, and most of the surrounding land was also abandoned. Fang Jianqing sent people to ask the local township officials, who confirmed that the land did not belong to any individual and had been idle for many years.

So under normal circumstances, this wasteland might not see more than a few people passing by in a whole day.

After visiting the surrounding villages, no eyewitnesses were found.

Because of the heavy rain and the relatively loose soil at the scene, part of the body, which was not buried very deep, was washed out and was discovered by the person who reported the crime.

Therefore, no footprints or other traces were found at the scene.

Yesterday, the Criminal Investigation Division and the Qingyuan Branch Bureau searched the area surrounding the crime scene all day, but ultimately found nothing.

However, it is certain that the wasteland was the burial site, not the primary crime scene.

Because no traces were found at the scene that would produce a large amount of blood from beheading or chopping off limbs.

Finally, there is the investigation into the identity of the deceased.

Since no clues were left at the scene or on the body to identify the deceased, the first step was to investigate the list of missing persons.

When Zhou Yi arrived yesterday, Fang Jianqing and the others in the office were checking information on missing persons.

Fang Jianqing said they have found several missing women who may match the description and are currently conducting interviews and investigations. They will screen the women as soon as possible and strive to identify the deceased as soon as possible.

But Zhou Yi knew that this approach would ultimately be futile.

However, the investigation has only just begun, and even though he knows this approach is useless, he can't say anything more, otherwise he won't be able to explain himself and will also incur people's resentment.

So although the headless female corpse case changed from the August 11 case to the August 03 case, it is essentially still a headless case, with no new clues to follow.

Besides the case being brought forward, there is only one other significant change: the time of the deceased's death.

In my previous life, the autopsy indicated that I had been dead for more than forty-eight hours.

However, in this life, Yun Yao said that based on the analysis of lividity and rigor mortis, the time of death should be between 24 and 48 hours.

Zhou Yi has not yet noticed anything unusual about this change.

Because the time of death is relative and depends on when the body is discovered, which is inherently beyond our control.

If that wasteland remains untouched until the students from the previous life discover it on August 11th, then it will be another case like the August 11th Incident.

Of course, in that case, the person who would find the body would most likely be Zhou Yi, because he couldn't just passively wait like that.

Death was just one step ahead of him!
This meeting is a general meeting of the entire criminal investigation team. Its purpose is to synchronize case information among all departments, and then the leaders determine the subsequent investigation direction and work arrangements.

If this were in Hongcheng, perhaps Director Xie would have asked Zhou Yi to share his thoughts.

But since you're new here, Director Dai wouldn't specifically choose you as an exchange student, and Zhou Yi certainly wouldn't be so eager to show off.

Moreover, he can't share his current speculations with anyone.

In terms of the direction of the investigation, based on the current case, there are essentially two key points.

First, expand the investigation to the surrounding areas and inquire whether there are any suspicious people or vehicles.

Secondly, we must continue to investigate missing persons who meet the criteria and strive to identify the deceased as soon as possible.

In addition, Cao Anmin added that the investigation should focus on the migrant population who have come to Wu Guang in a short period of time. This group is highly mobile and their social relationships in Wu Guang are not stable. If someone goes missing, no one may notice it in a short period of time, or no one may think it is a missing person and report it to the police.

This line of thinking is actually quite correct. When Zhou Yi was reviewing the case files, he strongly agreed with this direction of the investigation.

The problem is that this investigation is too difficult because long-distance bus stations and train stations do not have a real-name system, and many small hotels are very careless in registering guest information.

Therefore, a large amount of police resources will inevitably be required, and there is still a possibility that the investigation will come to nothing.

As Cao Anmin himself said, the mobility of the incoming population in the short term is too great, making it difficult to track them down.

Although Zhou Yi initially agreed with this direction, things are different now.

At first, he was just a bystander, but now he knows that the premature death of the unidentified female corpse must be related to the chain reaction he caused.

Then the direction of this investigation is definitely wrong.

After assigning the tasks, Director Dai said a few more words, using a combination of kindness and severity.

First, they emphasized the seriousness of the case, saying that they had accompanied Director Gu to a meeting at the municipal government yesterday, and were severely criticized by the city leaders.

The city put a lot of pressure on them, urging them to solve the case as soon as possible.

Then, changing the subject, they said that as leaders, they would naturally withstand the pressure, but everyone still needed to put in their best effort and devote themselves to solving the case.

This case is related to the reputation of our Wuguang Public Security Department. If we handle it well, we will all be honored; if we handle it poorly, everyone will be criticized.

This is a common rhetoric used by leaders to exert pressure without damaging morale.

But Zhou Yi knew that the pressure would soon increase.

Because there was really no clue about this case.

The two current investigative directions—confirming the identity of the deceased and finding suspicious persons—are both aimed at focusing the investigation.

But when all options are blocked, morale will drop and the pressure will naturally increase.

In the end, despite the immense pressure, morale plummeted, and the case had to be shelved.

That's how unsolved cases come about.

Leaders will not allow manpower and resources to be continuously poured into an unsolvable case, and frontline criminal investigators cannot maintain their enthusiasm and confidence in a case with no clues.

This is the silent cruelty of reality.

After Director Dai left, Cao Anmin asked the people from Team One and Team Two to stay behind for a small meeting to discuss the specific details of the work.

Zhou Yi then realized that Zhong Ming was not attending the meeting.

With only frontline criminal investigators remaining, Cao Anmin's expression relaxed somewhat.

After looking around, he asked, "So, what are your thoughts? Tell me."

Everyone, look at me, and I'll look at you.

The second team leader, Gao Bo, was about the same age as Wu Yongcheng. He asked, "Chief Cao, this case must require a lot of police manpower right now, right? Should I put the other cases on my plate on hold for a while?"

Cao Anmin nodded: "No matter what, we need to find out the victim's identity first before we can start the investigation. Otherwise, we'll have no way to use our strength." "Chief Cao, I think the point that forensic doctor Yun made earlier about the victim not being sexually assaulted is very important," Fang Jianqing said. "This rules out the possibility that the murderer's motive was lust and rape. The murderer's methods were so cruel, it's very likely a revenge killing. The two people were probably husband and wife or lovers, and the murder was committed in a fit of rage due to some emotional entanglement. So we can check the police reports from the local police stations to see if there have been any cases of men and women using knives due to relationship problems before."

Someone immediately echoed, saying they agreed with the team's opinion. After all, the murderer was capable of such a cruel dismemberment method, so he must have had violent tendencies. In addition to checking the police reports, they should also check those with prior convictions.

Zhou Yi felt that there was no problem in terms of the direction of the investigation, but the police reports and the criminal records were both time-consuming and laborious tasks.

If we conduct investigations in these areas simultaneously, and all the team's manpower is deployed to investigate them all, it will take at least ten days to half a month.

The investigation team's visits alone were enough to make Wu Guang's life a reality.

Cao Anmin looked at the two new exchange students and greeted Kun first: "Xiao Hou, you went to the site the day before yesterday too. How was it? Any thoughts?"

Hou Kun seemed somewhat reserved, and quickly straightened his back and said, "Captain Cao, this is what I'm thinking... I think there might be a problem with the direction of the formation."

"Oh? Tell me about it," Cao Anmin asked, and everyone else also focused their attention on Hou Kun.

Hou Kun glanced at Fang Jianqing with a slightly nervous expression.

Fang Jianqing immediately said generously, "It's alright, it's just a case discussion anyway."

"Okay, then let me share my thoughts. I think the murderer is unlikely to be a man with a long-term emotional entanglement with the victim, and is also unlikely to have a police report for violence."

Most people showed curious expressions, but Cao Anmin observed that Zhou Yi, who was standing to the side, nodded slightly.

Indeed, Zhou Yi also disagreed with Fang Jianqing's view. Fang Jianqing's speculation was based on the cruelty of the murderer's dismemberment method.

But he overlooked a crucial point: the murderer cut off the victim's head, hands, and feet not to dismember the body, but to conceal the victim's identity.

If the dismemberment occurred after a revenge killing, the murderer would have been driven by intense hatred. It's unlikely that they would have only severed the limbs and head; instead, they would have dismembered the body into eight pieces, and the cuts would not have been as clean as Yun Yao described.

There was another point, and Zhou Yi soon heard the answer from Hou Kun.

Hou Kun said, "There were no signs of violence on the surface of the body. The preliminary examination report from the Yun forensic doctor also mentioned that there were no obvious external injuries on the deceased's body. If the perpetrator had violent tendencies and a history of domestic violence, how could the deceased have no injuries at all?"

Zhou Yi nodded slightly again, thinking to himself that this Officer Hou from Taicheng was quite something.

Publicly refuting Fang Jianqing made the deputy captain of the team lose face.

Zhou Yi clearly noticed a hint of displeasure flash across Fang Jianqing's face, but he reacted quickly, immediately covering up his embarrassment with a smile, and said, "Captain Cao, I think Hou Kun makes a lot of sense. He truly deserves to be called an elite sent by Taicheng. I was not thoughtful enough. I will learn from my colleagues later."

Upon hearing this, Hou Kun immediately became nervous and quickly tried to explain and make amends.

But it was already too late.

Fang Jianqing's words were a bit much. Although his tone sounded quite friendly, Zhou Yi could tell at a glance that his words were barbed.

This Officer Hou is quite capable and has some skills, but his emotional intelligence is a bit low.

It's not wrong for you to raise different opinions. To put it simply, the logic of solving a case is what Hu Shi once said: "Make bold assumptions and carefully verify them."

The problem is that if you refute someone else's answer, you have to provide your boss with a better one.

But Hou Kun clearly hadn't considered this.

So even though Cao Anmin sensed the barb in Fang Jianqing's words, he still calmly asked Kun, "Then which direction do you think we should focus our investigation on?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi immediately sensed that Hou Kun beside him tensed up.

He suddenly became stammering, and in the end he could only say that it was better to focus on investigating the missing persons first. Then he did not forget to flatter Cao Anmin, saying, "Especially the migrant workers who have just arrived in Wuguang, as you just mentioned, Captain Cao."

The situation suddenly became a bit awkward, and that's when the difference in skill level became apparent.

Cao Anmin nodded with a kind expression, but that was all.

Fang Jianqing remained outwardly calm, but his neck was slightly raised and his eyes glanced down with a hint of contempt.

Zhou Yi suddenly remembered Xie Guoqiang's previous hint. Could it be that Director Xie was reminding him that there was some internal power struggle within the Wuguang City Bureau?
But after thinking about it, I realized it probably wasn't that simple.

Just as I was pondering this, I heard Cao Anmin call my name.

“Zhou Yi, do you have any thoughts? Although you only just learned about the case, you can still express your opinion. Director Dai isn’t here, so this is supposed to be a private discussion, and it’s okay if you say something wrong.”

In fact, Zhou Yi didn't want to speak because he knew that he couldn't say anything, but he also knew that he couldn't avoid it.

"Okay, Captain Cao, I'll just say a few random things. If I'm wrong, please don't laugh at me."

Fang Jianqing said with a smile, "It's okay, feel free to speak freely. See, even if I'm wrong, no one laughs at me."

Zhou Yi immediately felt a little embarrassed for Hou Kun standing to the side.

"I think what the squad leader just said is actually correct."

As soon as Zhou Yi said this, Cao Anmin looked puzzled, but Fang Jianqing's eyes lit up.

“Beheading, chopping off hands, chopping off feet—ordinary people simply don’t have the mental fortitude to commit crimes of this magnitude. So it’s very necessary to check the list of released prisoners, especially those who were imprisoned for intentional injury and now have the means to dismember and move bodies independently,” Zhou Yi said, tapping the table. “This group of people are suspicious targets that need to be thoroughly investigated.”

Cao Anmin nodded slightly in agreement.

Fang Jianqing was even happier, since Zhou Yi was supporting his opinion, even if not entirely.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yi then added, "I also agree with what Officer Hou just said."

"Huh?" Everyone was stunned. Didn't Hou Kun refute Fang Jianqing's opinion?

"Officer Hou mentioned that there were no external injuries on the deceased's body, which I'm sure everyone has noticed."

As soon as Zhou Yi said this, some people nodded in agreement, while others scratched their heads.

Forensic pathologists only provide objective autopsy results; what can be analyzed and deduced from this information is the job of criminal investigators.

"Isn't it a bit contradictory that someone with a prior conviction for intentional assault has no external injuries on the deceased?" Cao Anmin asked.

"Reporting to the leader, I think these two points are not contradictory, and there is even a certain logical relationship between them."

"People with criminal records generally fall into two categories after returning to society: the first is the hardened criminal, who was involved in the underworld before going in and remains incorrigible after being released, making it easy for them to go back to jail again and again, like a dead pig that is not afraid of boiling water. However, the main reason for these people to repeat crimes is related to things like fighting and gang warfare."

"The other type is people who have an extreme fear of going to prison and losing their freedom. Unlike the first type, these people do not commit crimes as a daily routine. These people often commit crimes impulsively due to certain criminal motives, such as emotional conflicts, economic disputes, etc., and eventually end up in prison."

"Most of these people have probably been reformed. But there will always be a small group whose nature has not changed. They may suppress their violent impulses in daily life because of their fear of legal sanctions and loss of freedom. But fear is only a temporary solution, not a permanent one. If the root of the problem is not addressed, these long-suppressed emotions will eventually turn into criminal behavior."

Zhou Yi deliberately explained in more detail, mainly to divert attention and ease the awkward atmosphere caused by Hou Kun's rebuttal.

To put it simply, the murderer might have been hesitant to physically assault people because of his prior imprisonment, but when pushed to the limit, he might have resorted to killing to end the matter.

After listening, everyone nodded in agreement, finding it somewhat reasonable. The main point was that this meant Fang Jianqing and Hou Kun's views were no longer opposing, but rather had become part of Zhou Yi's argument.

Cao Anmin said, "I think Zhou Yi makes a lot of sense. Some criminals are just scared after they get out of prison, not that they've really reformed. They don't commit crimes usually because they're pretending and hiding it. But when they can't control themselves anymore, they'll explode. Xiao Fang, don't you think so?"

With Zhou Yi's opinion in hand, Fang Jianqing naturally wanted to wholeheartedly agree, since Zhou Yi had indeed saved face for him.

"Captain Cao, this comrade who has already earned credit before even arriving is truly capable, hahaha." Fang Jianqing pointed at Zhou Yi and laughed heartily.

Zhou Yi smiled helplessly to himself. He could tell that this squad leader was a little petty; even in praising himself, he had to subtly criticize Hou Kun. Calling himself a comrade and Hou Kun an elite was clearly intentional.

Fang Jianqing's pettiness is quite different from Ni Jianrong's back in Hongcheng. Ni Jianrong was the kind of person who put on airs and didn't actually target his subordinates because he believed they weren't on the same level as him. His pettiness was mainly directed at Wu Yongcheng.

But this squad member's pettiness was directed at those who disagreed with him.

In fact, you can tell from his usual tactful handling of small favors that this is his style of doing things. He likes to take the initiative to show goodwill, which means he is trying to win people over.

"Xiao Fang, allocate some manpower to this line and concentrate our efforts to quickly screen them," Cao Anmin instructed.

"clear."

"Zhou Yi, do you have any other thoughts? Feel free to speak your mind."

Zhou Yi nodded and said, "Yes, there are a few other things that I think we need to get done as soon as possible."

Zhou Yi had already organized his thoughts, but since this case would ultimately end up like the female corpse case, with no leads...

So he decided to use this opportunity to solve his immediate problem.

Make the most of what you have and force some clues into this case!
(End of this chapter)