kingnovel Chapter 821 On-site Investigation, Eerie Crying Sounds
Chapter 821 On-site Investigation, Eerie Crying Sounds
Forensic pathologist Zhang Lin was squatting at the entrance, intently shining a portable ultraviolet light on the wall; the light was particularly glaring in the dark cellar.
Before Li Ming called Qin Chuan to report, they had already arrived at the scene and conducted some investigation before reporting the relevant details of the case to Qing Chun. Therefore, when they arrived at the scene, some on-site investigation had already been completed, and the forensic team was already on-site examining the body.
"Forensic Doctor Zhang, how is the situation?" Qin Chuan asked softly, afraid of disturbing her focused work. Zhang Lin looked up, removed her protective mask, and her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat. "Director Qin, the body is 165cm long, male, and the preliminary age is estimated to be between 30 and 40 years old. The corneas are completely cloudy, and the degree of adipocere is about 40%." She stood up and pointed to the bloated abdomen of the body, continuing, "The putrefactive gases inside the body caused the abdomen to rupture. I recommend an immediate preliminary autopsy to further determine the cause and time of death."
In such cases, if the death occurred within a short period of time, the time of death can be roughly determined based on rigor mortis and the formation of livor mortis. However, since the body has exhibited gigantism in the cellar, it means that the person has been dead for more than 24 hours, or even more than 48 hours. The specific time of death can only be determined after an autopsy.
The time of death of a body can be determined from several aspects, including examination of the body surface, the formation of livor mortis, rigor mortis, and the degree of decomposition. However, different examination methods can lead to different errors.
For example, if the deceased's eyes were normal, they may become cloudy after a period of time, and this phenomenon will become more and more serious as time goes on.
However, after one day and after seven days, there was essentially no difference between the deceased's eyes and those of the deceased.
At this point, it is necessary to consider other factors to determine the time of death.
Qin Chuan crouched down and carefully examined the corpse's curled-up position. The deceased's hands were bound behind their back, the nylon rope deeply embedded in the decaying skin, leaving gruesome marks. There was a clear ligature groove around the neck, forming a horizontal ring, about 1.5 cm wide.
Qin Chuan picked up the investigation lamp and focused the light on the corpse's head. "There is a depressed fracture in the parietal bone," he observed and analyzed. "Judging from the shape and depth of the fracture, the murder weapon is most likely a blunt object such as a round-headed iron hammer. Moreover, the location and angle of the fracture indicate that the victim was likely in a relatively fixed position when the murderer struck him."
Wang Lei, the head of the trace evidence team, approached and handed over an evidence bag. "Director Qin, we found fresh friction marks at the entrance. Judging from the width and depth of the marks, they look like they were left from dragging a body. There are a small amount of splattered bloodstains on the wall of the passage. Based on the distribution and shape of the bloodstains, they should have been formed when there was a head injury," he said, pointing to the bloodstains on the wall.
The police have conducted a detailed investigation of the entire cellar perimeter and discovered some clues. The suspect killed the victim and dragged him into the cellar. This situation has been largely reconstructed.
“Pay attention to the bloodstain pattern analysis,” Qin Chuan stood up, took the evidence bag, carefully examined the samples inside, and then used a laser rangefinder to measure the angle of the bloodstain distribution. “The direction of the splatter indicates that the victim was sitting when he was hit. Judging from the range and density of the bloodstain splatter, the first point of impact should be in this area.” He circled an area on the wall with his finger. “This shows that the murderer had a clear trajectory and sequence of actions when committing the crime, and was very likely prepared.”
The direction and distance of the blood splatter are important technical indicators for crime scene reconstruction. Analyzing these aspects can help determine how the suspect managed to get the victim into the room.
In the dimly lit cellar, the investigation proceeded methodically. Qin Chuan and the investigators scrutinized every detail, recognizing that each discovery could be the key to solving the mystery.
"Director Qin, we've made a new discovery!" Forensic investigator Zhao Xiaowen shouted excitedly from a corner. Qin Chuan and the others immediately gathered around.
Zhao Xiaowen squatted down and pointed to a spot on the ground, saying, "Director Qin, there's a fragmented shoe print here, size 42. The pattern indicates it's from a certain brand of outdoor boots. Judging from the wear and tear on the print and the amount of mud clinging to it, the person wearing the shoes stayed here for quite some time, and their movements were rather complex." She then pointed to the lower part of the corridor wall, "And this too, a plastic button, possibly from the murderer's clothing. The button has minor scratches on its surface; we might be able to extract useful substances from it."
Qin Chuan squatted down and carefully examined the shoe print and button. "Immediately create a 3D model of the shoe print," he told Zhao Xiaowen. "Through computer simulation, analyze the stress points and walking posture of the shoe print to infer the suspect's height, weight, and possible occupation. Send the button for material composition analysis to see if there is any residual DNA or other biological samples on it."
Analyzing footprints is actually quite difficult. In the past, people could only rely on experience to analyze them. In the early days, there were very few experts in footprint identification and analysis, and the accuracy of the analysis was not very high. At that time, it was only possible to identify whether it was a man or a woman. However, now, due to the abundance of technology, we can use 3D modeling and big data to analyze the relevant information of the footprints. As a result, we can obtain much more information.
After completing their exploration of the cellar, Qin Chuan and Li Ming returned to the courtyard. By then, technicians had finished recording the scene using a 3D scanner, and a drone buzzed overhead, taking aerial photographs of the surrounding area. Qin Chuan looked up at the drone, pondering how to utilize these high-tech methods to obtain more clues.
Generally, drones are used to investigate the surrounding area of a crime scene in relatively open areas, such as the low-rise residential buildings in this case. They are more useful in such places. They are not necessary in urban areas. This is the first time Qin Chuan has seen the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Criminal Police use drones to investigate the surrounding area.
His gaze swept across the crowd outside the police line, noticing an elderly man with a cane staring intently in their direction with a strange look in his eyes. Qin Chuan and Li Ming exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly, and walked towards the old man.
Observing the surrounding situation is the first thing that police officers need to pay attention to when handling a case. The old man's eyes were obviously a little strange, so they went over to ask him some questions.
"Grandpa, do you know this family?" Qin Chuan handed over his police ID, a gentle smile on his face, and asked softly. The old man trembled as he took the ID, looked at it, then looked up at Qin Chuan and Li Ming, hesitated for a moment, and slowly said, "The homeowner is Wang Jianjun. He moved away half a year ago. The house is empty now, and his daughter comes back to stay occasionally. Last month, I heard noises in the cellar, like someone was crying..."