ebookland Chapter 1207, Department 4 Report
Chapter 1207, Department 4 Report
On the long conference table lay the complete case file of the male corpse case in the abandoned brick kiln in Beishan. The words "Li Kui Murder Case" were circled in red marker on the cover, and next to it was Li Kui's ID photo. In the photo, the auto mechanic was wearing dark blue overalls, his hands were covered in engine oil, and he had a simple and honest smile. No one would have thought that he would end his life in Beishan, which he knew so well, curled up in the abandoned brick kiln.
At 2 p.m., when Li Ming entered the meeting room, Xiao Yang, Xiao Zhou, Xiao Wang, and Zhang Lin were all present. Each of them had a thick stack of report materials in front of them. Xiao Yang's investigation notebook was filled with sketches of the brick kiln, Xiao Zhou's notebook was marked with key clues about Li Kui, Xiao Wang's computer screen was displaying surveillance screenshots of vehicles entering the mountains, and Zhang Lin's autopsy report was tucked with multiple photos of physical evidence.
"Everyone's here, let's begin. According to the previous division of labor, report on the progress in turn." Li Ming sat in the main seat, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "Let's start with Xiao Yang, tell us about the site investigation and the search for abandoned mining roads."
Xiao Yang immediately stood up and projected the scene investigation map and photos of the mining road onto the screen. The layout of the abandoned brick kiln, the location of the body, and the distribution of traces were clearly visible on the screen. Scattered tire tracks were marked on the gravel surface of the mining road. "Four types of core traces were extracted from the brick kiln site," Xiao Yang pointed to the investigation map. "The first type is footprints: 18 footprints of size 43 Martin boots, with a stride length of 75 centimeters, estimating a height of 178-182 centimeters. The shoe prints show concentrated pressure on the forefoot and dragging marks on the heel, consistent with the act of disposing of the body. Furthermore, the reddish-brown soil on the edges of the boot prints is completely consistent with the soil composition on Li Kui's trouser legs; 12 footprints of size 41 sneakers, belonging to Li Kui, extending from the brick kiln entrance to the body location, with several pauses along the way, indicating that Li Kui had lingered inside the brick kiln before his death and may have spoken with the suspect."
He switched to photos of the abandoned mining road: "The abandoned mining road is about 3 kilometers long and the surface is covered with gravel. In the middle section, we found two sets of tire tracks—one set was a car tire track (model 205/55 R16, presumably a Volkswagen Lavida), and the other set was a motorcycle tire track (60 centimeters in diameter and 10 centimeters in tread width). Both sets of tire tracks pointed towards the brick kiln, and the reddish-brown soil embedded in the tire treads was consistent with the composition of the brick kiln soil. However, due to the long-term lack of maintenance of the mining road, the tire tracks were severely damaged by wind and sun, making it impossible to extract complete tire treads and brake marks, and no bloodstains, fibers, or other physical evidence were found."
“In the pile of tools at the brick kiln, we also found a carbon steel knife,” Xiao Yang said, showing a photo of the knife. “The blade is 15 centimeters long, the handle is missing, and there is slight rust on the blade, but there are fresh wear marks on the edge. After testing, the metal fragments on the blade are consistent with the fragments from the tear in Li Kui’s work jacket. We speculate that this knife is the one that cut Li Kui’s jacket. However, the knife has been exposed to the air for a long time, and the fingerprints and DNA have been destroyed, making it impossible to identify the user.”
Xiao Zhou then reported on the deceased's identity and related clues, and Li Kui's social relationship chart and bank transaction records popped up on the screen. “The deceased, Li Kui, was 40 years old, a mechanic at Beishan Auto Repair Shop, divorced, with simple social relationships and no major debt disputes,” Xiao Zhou pointed to the relationship diagram. “There are five key clues: First, Li Kui’s emotions had been abnormal for the past half month. He mentioned to his colleagues that he was ‘encountering trouble and something bad might happen,’ but he did not specify the details. Second, on August 17, his bank card received an anonymous transfer of 20,000 yuan, which was all withdrawn on the morning of August 18. The transfer account was an unregistered ‘ghost account,’ and the source of the funds could not be traced. Third, at 2:30 pm on August 18, Li Kui spoke with an unknown number for 10 minutes. Half an hour after the call, he went to the brick kiln alone. Fourth, the auto repair shop’s surveillance footage showed that Li Kui rummaged through his dormitory before leaving, as if he was preparing something. Fifth, Li Kui’s younger brother, Li Da, reported that Li Kui had been working overtime until late at night for the past two months and had refused family dinner invitations, saying that he ‘had to keep an eye on things at the factory.’”
Xiao Zhou paused for a moment and added, "We interviewed 12 colleagues at Beishan Auto Repair Shop, and three of them mentioned that at the end of July, they saw Li Kui arguing with a man wearing a black jacket and a baseball cap at the entrance of the auto repair shop. The man was agitated and pointed at Li Kui, saying, 'If you meddle in other people's business again, you'll regret it.' At the time, everyone thought it was just a normal customer dispute and didn't pay much attention. Based on the Martin boot prints at the scene and the suspect's height, we speculate that this man in black is very likely the murderer."
Xiao Wang then reported on the investigation of vehicles entering the mountain, and screenshots of five suspicious vehicles simultaneously appeared on the screen. "We checked the surveillance footage of the four main mountain roads leading up the North Mountain and found a total of five suspicious vehicles, but they all belonged to nearby villagers and have all been ruled out as suspects," Xiao Wang said with a hint of helplessness. "The owner of the black sedan, Li Jianjun, was delivering supplies to the forest rangers; the owner of the red motorcycle, Wang Qiang, was going up the mountain to see a doctor; the owner of the white van, Zhao Liang, was collecting scrap metal; and the owners of the two silver sedans, Sun Wei and Zhang Hai, were patrolling the sheepfold up the mountain. The whereabouts of all five individuals can be corroborated by witnesses, and the vehicle characteristics do not match the tire tracks found on the mining road."
He pulled up screenshots from private surveillance cameras in the village: "We also visited three villages around Beishan and retrieved private surveillance footage from 28 households. Only in the surveillance footage at the entrance of Beishan Village did we see a black sedan (the model is blurry and cannot be identified) drive out from the direction of Kuangkuang Road at 7:8 pm on August 18, heading towards the city. However, due to the dim lighting, we could not see the license plate or the driver's features. We have contacted the traffic department to check the surveillance footage from the city direction that night in an attempt to track the trajectory of this black sedan."
Zhang Lin gave his final report on the autopsy results. An autopsy diagram of Li Kui appeared on the screen, with red arrows marking the locations of the fatal injuries. "The cause of death was determined to be respiratory failure," Zhang Lin said, pointing to the contusion area on the chest. "Li Kui had a 7x8cm contusion in the lower lobe of his right lung, with hemorrhage and swelling of the lung tissue, ruptured alveoli, leading to pulmonary dysfunction; there was a 5x6cm subcutaneous hemorrhage on the left side of his neck, and a 3x4cm scalp hematoma on the right temporal region of his head. All of these were caused by blunt force trauma. It is speculated that the suspect first subdued Li Kui by beating him, then struck his chest, causing the fatal injuries."
"The time of death is accurate to around 8 PM on August 18th," he said, pulling up the biochemistry report. "The blood potassium concentration was 16 mmol/L. Combined with the degree of digestion of the stomach contents (last meal 3-5 hours, corresponding to 3-5 PM on the 18th), and the development of cadaveric spots, the three pieces of evidence cross-validate, and the error in the time of death is no more than 30 minutes. In addition, grayish-brown hemp rope fibers were extracted from the restraint marks on Li Kui's wrists, which are consistent with the composition of the hemp rope found at the scene, and there was bleeding at the edges of the restraint marks, indicating that Li Kui struggled and resisted before his death; in addition to dirt, there were also a small amount of black canvas fibers in his fingernails, which are consistent with the fiber composition of the discarded canvas in the brick kiln, and it is speculated that they were left by scratching the canvas during the struggle."