ebookland Chapter 1087 Organizing and Convening a Case Analysis Meeting for Discussion
Chapter 1087 Organizing and Convening a Case Analysis Meeting for Discussion
As Xiao Zhou walked out of the information center, the smell of disinfectant mixed with the morning light wafted towards him from the corridor. Looking at the slogan on the wall, "Speak for the dead, advocate for the rights of the living," he suddenly recalled the last words Wang Kaisheng's wife had spoken on the phone: "He always said that driving long distances was like walking a tightrope, that he didn't know when he would be gone..." At that moment, the cold data churning in the database finally pieced together the final trajectory of a vibrant life, and the figure of the lame man, guided by these clues, gradually emerged.
The team members, exhausted, prepared to rest. Their faces were etched with weariness, but their eyes held a hint of relief. Xiao Zhang yawned and remarked, "Although the process was grueling, finding the victim's identity makes it all worthwhile. Now, it's up to Captain Wang and his team to follow this lead and catch the killer." Xiao Zhou nodded, knowing that confirming the victim's identity was only the first step. Uncovering the truth behind Wang Kaisheng's death was a long road ahead, but at least they had found a name for this lost life, laying a crucial foundation for the subsequent investigation.
The next day, the blinds in the Criminal Investigation Division's meeting room were drawn tightly shut, with only a few rays of sunlight filtering through the gaps and casting long, thin patches of light on the table. Li Ming slammed his enamel mug on the table, the tea stains spreading at the bottom like an abstract map. "Everyone's here," he said, glancing at those present, each with dark circles under their eyes. "Let's begin. Start with Xiao Yang and give a detailed account of the investigation of the sand and gravel plant."
Xiao Yang opened the investigation logbook, the sound of pages turning clearly audible in the quiet meeting room. "A male right limb fragment was found in the hopper of Area B of the sand and gravel plant. The fracture plane is located in the middle of the scapula, the fracture end is oblique, the long axis forms a 45-degree angle with the limb's long axis, the wound edges are irregular, and lacerations and traction marks on the skin, muscles, and tendons are visible." He adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting the light. "A size 44 hiking boot print was extracted from the site, the forefoot is severely worn, and reddish-brown clay is embedded in the tread, consistent with the composition of the soil at the edge of the hopper. There is a 3.7-meter-long bloodstain on the ground below the hopper, in a splatter pattern, with wiping marks at the end; the bloodstain DNA matches the limb fragment."
"Did you find any tools used in the crime?" Li Ming pressed, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.
"In a pile of discarded cement bags in the northwest corner of the material yard, we found a torn black work jacket," Xiao Yang turned to the next page. "The cuffs were worn through, revealing gray wristbands. There was a 2.1-centimeter-diameter charred hole on the left chest, which was determined to be caused by high-temperature burning. There were cigarette butts in the jacket pocket, and the DNA did not match the remains. In addition, a strand of dark blue fiber with a double-strand woven structure was found wrapped around the conveyor belt gear assembly. The fiber thickness was the same as that on the watch chain of the remains, but the color was slightly lighter, possibly due to discoloration by machine oil."
Zhang Lin took over the conversation, distributing copies of the autopsy report to everyone. "The deceased was male, aged 35-40. The right upper limb stump was 62 cm long, indicating ante-mortem amputation. The muscle tissue at the stump was dark red, with a subfascial bleeding zone. Contractile hemorrhage was observed in both the biceps and triceps muscles, and a small amount of incompletely liquefied blood clots were found in the intermuscular groove, suggesting the amputation occurred between 8 and 12 hours prior." His voice was steady, carrying the calm characteristic of a forensic pathologist. "The preliminary cause of death is determined to be mechanical asphyxiation complicated by acute hemorrhagic shock. The skin of the stump showed dense subcutaneous hemorrhages, with an average diameter of 0.3 mm, consistent with the histological characteristics of death from acute asphyxiation."
He paused, then continued, "The stump of the left humerus showed callus from an old fracture that had healed over approximately 5-8 years, consistent with the fracture record of the missing person, Wang Kaisheng. Pure cotton double-ply 15-count yarn fibers were found under the fingernails, commonly found in truck tarpaulins, and consistent with the production batch of Wang Kaisheng's truck tarpaulin. Silicate and iron oxide particles were extracted from the intermuscular space, with a 98% match to the quartz sand composition of the sand and gravel plant."
"Could you be more precise about the time of death?" Li Ming asked, leaning forward slightly.
"Based on the degree of rigor mortis, corneal opacity, and environmental factors," Zhang Lin turned to the latter part of the report, "it is inferred that the time of death was between 16 and 20 hours, and the survival time after amputation was no more than 2 hours. Shell 20W-50 engine oil was detected in the muscle tissue of the limb, which is different from the 15W-40 used in the red truck, with a retention time difference of 0.8 minutes, thus ruling out a direct correlation."
Xiao Wang cleared his throat and opened his notebook. "Regarding the investigation of the red truck, we checked the purchase records, refueling records, and maintenance records, and found that the vehicle was using a fake license plate, the original owner's information was forged, and the registered identity of 'Li Zhiqiang' did not exist." His tone carried a hint of helplessness. "The truck goes to the sand and gravel plant every Tuesday to pick up sand and gravel. The driver speaks with a Northeastern accent, and the gas station surveillance shows that he fills up with 200 yuan worth of 92-octane gasoline each time, paying in cash, and likes to buy chilled mineral water."
"Is there anything unusual?" Xiao Zhou couldn't help but ask, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
“Last Tuesday, when the driver was loading steel bars into the truck bed, he was wearing a silver digital watch on his left wrist. The watchband was solid, completely different from the mechanical watch on his amputated limb,” Xiao Wang continued. “The auto repair shop owner confirmed that the truck’s brake pads had been replaced three months ago. The brand was a domestic ‘Great Wall’ brand, which was unrelated to the Shell engine oil found in the amputated limb’s muscles. Our investigation revealed that the driver would spend two hours in the sand and gravel plant’s rest room every Tuesday. Last Tuesday, he had an argument with someone over the unloading order and physically assaulted the other person, breaking their head.”
"Where is that red truck now?" Li Ming asked, his brows furrowing.
“We found it at the back gate of the material yard,” Xiao Wang’s voice was lower. “There was broken glass in the truck bed, like it was knocked off a window. We found a few black hairs in the gaps of the floor mats in the cab, but there was no match in the DNA database. The DNA of the skin tissue fragments in the wrench groove matched that of the cigarette butt, belonging to the truck driver, but it had no connection with the limbs.”
Xiao Zhou opened his notebook, preparing to report on the investigation into the deceased's identity. The air in the meeting room seemed to freeze; all eyes were on him. "After working through the night to compare information with the missing persons database, combined with the forensic autopsy report and the results of the on-site investigation, we have confirmed that the deceased is Wang Kaisheng, a long-haul truck driver." His voice carried a barely perceptible hint of excitement. "Wang Kaisheng, 38 years old, suffered a mid-shaft fracture of his left humerus in a delivery accident in Shanxi five years ago, consistent with the characteristics of an old fracture of the stump. Last year's physical examination revealed a stomach ulcer, and he had been taking antacids for a long time, consistent with the characteristics of staged pigment loss in the hair of the stump."
He paused, then continued, "Wang Kaisheng's wife, Zhou Lan, reported to the police three days ago that he had gone missing after driving a Jiefang J7 truck with license plate number *A?3872 to Tangchuan to deliver goods."