bookcurios Chapter 1193 Analyzing the Case and Determining the Direction
Chapter 1193 Analyzing the Case and Determining the Direction
He further explained, "Lung contusion is usually caused by blunt force trauma to the chest or violent shock. Combined with subcutaneous bleeding in the neck, it is speculated that the suspect first struck Zhang Juan's neck to render her unable to resist, and then struck her chest, causing lung contusion, ultimately leading to her death from respiratory failure."
"What about the ligature marks on her ankles and the tear in her skirt?" Xiao Lin asked, puzzled. "Was it caused by her struggling before she was alive, or by the way she was moved after death?" Zhang Lin pointed to the bleeding at the ligature marks: "The edges of the ligature marks have peeling skin and bleeding, which means they were formed before she was alive. Zhang Juan still had vital signs and struggled when she was restrained. The fibers at the tear in her skirt are neat and there are no obvious signs of stretching. It is possible that she was torn by a sharp object during the way she was moved after death, such as the edge of a wire or waste material from a cement plant."
Other details about the body also provided clues to the case. Zhang Lin found a small amount of reddish-brown soil in the palm of the body's right hand: "The soil composition is consistent with the soil found under Zhang Juan's fingernails during the previous investigation. It is not local soil from the cement factory and contains a lot of humus and sand." He put the soil sample into an evidence bag, "Indicating that Zhang Juan had been in contact with this soil before her death, which may be the suspect's hiding place or the place where she stayed before dumping the body." He added, "The nail of the body's right ring finger was broken, and there was fresh bleeding at the break. It is speculated that it was broken by the suspect or surrounding objects during the struggle. A small amount of black fiber was also extracted from the nail crevices, which is initially consistent with the fiber composition of the silver van."
To further confirm the time of death, Zhang Lin tested the blood biochemical indicators of the body: "The potassium ion concentration in the blood is 9 mmol/L, and the sodium ion concentration is 135 mmol/L." He compared the values with the standard values, "After death, the blood potassium ion concentration will gradually increase over time, increasing by about 2 mmol/L every 10 hours. Based on the current values, the time of death can be calculated to be about 7 hours, which is completely consistent with the previous judgment, that is, around 1 a.m. on August 15."
As the autopsy neared its end, Zhang Lin summarized all the findings: "The deceased, Zhang Juan, female, 32 years old, suffered blunt force trauma to the neck (causing subcutaneous hemorrhage) and chest (leading to pulmonary contusion), resulting in respiratory failure and death; the time of death was around 1 a.m. on August 15; her ankles were bound with red ropes before her death, and there were obvious signs of struggle; after her death, the suspect transported her to the cement plant in the eastern suburbs in a silver van and dumped her body in a pile of materials; the reddish-brown soil, black fibers, and other physical evidence on the body pointed to the suspect having a fixed hiding place and a direct connection to the silver van."
“These conclusions correspond perfectly with the clues from the preliminary investigation,” Xiao Lin said, organizing the autopsy report. “The silver van, the red rope, the reddish-brown soil, and Zhao Lei’s suspicion all connect.” Zhang Lin nodded and handed the autopsy report to the technical department: “We need to expedite the testing of the red fibers at the ligature marks, the black fibers under the fingernails, and the specific composition of the reddish-brown soil. These could all become key evidence in identifying the suspect.”
As the body was re-covered with a white sheet and wheeled out of the autopsy room, Zhang Lin removed his gas mask, the smell of disinfectant lingering on his face. Looking at the darkening sky outside the window, he recalled the unfinished accounts and the pink pen on Zhang Juan's desk. He knew that this autopsy report not only determined the cause and time of death but also provided a clear direction for the investigation—following these clues would eventually lead to finding Zhang Juan's killer and bringing her justice.
When Xiao Lin handed the autopsy report to Li Ming, Li Ming was reviewing the interview records submitted by Xiao Zhou. "The time and cause of death are clear," Li Ming said, his finger tracing the report. "Now the chain of evidence is becoming more and more complete, and Zhao Lei is becoming increasingly suspicious. We must find him as soon as possible." He gave orders into the walkie-talkie: "The technical department should prioritize testing the fiber and soil samples extracted from Zhang Juan's body. Xiao Zhou, lead the team to continue tracking Zhao Lei's whereabouts. Xiao Wang, expand the search area for the silver van. We must find a breakthrough in the shortest possible time."
As night deepened, the lights of the Criminal Investigation Division remained bright. Zhang Lin's autopsy report was like a key, unlocking the crucial door to solving the case. Everyone knew that every step from now on would revolve around this report, using scientific evidence to bring the murderer to justice and comfort the soul of the deceased.
Early the next morning, Li Ming convened a case analysis meeting. The blinds in the Criminal Investigation Detachment's meeting room filtered the morning sunlight into dappled patterns, falling on the long conference table. In front of Li Ming lay Zhang Juan's case file; the words "Female Corpse Case at the East Suburb Cement Plant" were circled in red marker on the cover, next to which was Zhang Juan's ID photo—the woman in the photo wore a light blue shirt, a gentle smile on her lips; no one could have imagined that she would end her life curled up in a pile of cement materials.
"Everyone's here, let's begin." Li Ming's voice broke the silence, his gaze sweeping over everyone present: Xiao Yang's survey uniform was still covered in cement dust, Xiao Zhou's visit logbook was filled with dense annotations, Xiao Wang's computer screen was stuck on a surveillance screenshot, and Zhang Lin's white coat cuffs still bore traces of disinfectant. Each person had a freshly brewed cup of hot tea in front of them, the steam rising gently in the cold air, but unable to dispel the heavy atmosphere in the meeting room.
Xiao Yang was the first to stand up and project the scene investigation map onto the screen. On the screen, five piles of cement clinker forming a small mountain were clearly visible. The location of the body was marked with a red circle next to the third pile of materials, and there were scattered footprints, fibers, cigarette butts, and other physical evidence around it. "Three types of core traces were extracted from the scene," Xiao Yang pointed to the investigation map. "The first type is footprints: 12 footprints from a size 42 men's work boot, with a stride length of 70-72 centimeters, estimating a height of 170-175 centimeters. The shoe prints show concentrated pressure on the forefoot and drag marks on the heel, which matches the act of throwing the body; 8 footprints from a size 38 women's leather shoes, with a stride length of 58 centimeters, belonging to the deceased Zhang Juan. The edges of the shoe prints show fresh wear, indicating that she had walked a relatively long distance or struggled before her death."
He switched to a close-up shot, showing a complete palm print: "A complete palm print of the right hand was extracted next to the mixer parts in the waste area. The 23 feature points are clear and have been entered into the fingerprint database for comparison. No matching object has been found yet. There are light brown drip marks next to the palm print. After testing, they are found to be the bloodstains of the deceased Zhang Juan. The drip spacing is 15 centimeters and the direction is from the waste area to the material pile. It is confirmed that the bloodstains were formed by the dripping from the wounds of the body when the suspect was moving the body."
“The most crucial evidence is the two types of fiber evidence,” Xiao Yang said, pulling up the fiber testing report. “Black polyester fiber, dark gray cotton fiber, and white dust net fiber were extracted from the nail crevices of the body, the brick seams of the wall, and the silver van, respectively. The black fiber is consistent with the material of the suspect’s black jacket, the source of the dark gray fiber is currently undetermined, and the white fiber came from the dust net of the material pile, proving that the deceased struggled when the body was dumped and that his hands came into contact with the dust net.”