The crackdown on organized crime began with the arrest of the mother-in-law.

Chapter 863 On-site Analysis and Autopsy

The on-site investigation continued intensively, with the technicians responsible for fingerprint and footprint identification working intently. Armed with professional fingerprint scanners and footprint measuring tools, they meticulously searched every corner of the crime scene.

"Xiao Li, look here. This set of footprints has a very special pattern. The lines are clear, and the stride spacing is relatively large. We initially judge it to be male footprints," said Lao Zhang, a technician, pointing to a footprint on the ground to his colleague. Xiao Li quickly squatted down and took pictures of the footprints from different angles with his camera, while recording relevant data: "The stride is about 75 centimeters, the footprint length is 26 centimeters, and the sole pattern is irregularly blocky, completely different from the footprints of the deceased and their family members collected before."

While collecting fingerprints from the furniture, doors, and windows in the room, another technician exclaimed, "Here's a set of fingerprints, located on the window frame. Judging from the size and shape of these fingerprints, they don't seem to belong to the deceased or their family." Everyone gathered around, and the technician carefully sprinkled fingerprint collection powder evenly on the fingerprints, then gently taped them with special tape to completely extract the fingerprints.

After meticulous work, the technicians extracted three sets of unfamiliar footprints and several unidentified fingerprints. They quickly brought these traces back to the laboratory for comparison with the fingerprint database in the system. However, disappointingly, after a lengthy comparison and analysis, these unfamiliar fingerprints did not match in the system.

"How could this be? Don't these people have any criminal record and have never had their fingerprints entered into the system?" Xiao Li frowned, his face full of doubt.

Old Zhang sighed: "It's possible, or perhaps they deliberately avoided fingerprint collection. However, we can't give up and continue to analyze these traces from other aspects. For example, studying the depth and pressure distribution of the footprints might help us deduce the suspect's weight, height, and walking habits."

Meanwhile, in the autopsy room, forensic pathologist Zhang Lin and her assistants were preparing to perform autopsies on two corpses. The room was filled with the pungent smell of formaldehyde, and the lights were a stark, glaring white. Zhang Lin, dressed in professional autopsy gowns, a mask, and gloves, had a focused and resolute gaze.

"Ready? Let's begin," Zhang Lin said to her assistant. The assistant nodded, holding a whiteboard, ready to record every discovery during the dissection.

Zhang Lin first performed an autopsy on Li Chenhao's body. Using a scalpel, she slowly and skillfully cut open the skin along the body's midline. "Observe the muscle tissue beneath the skin carefully; there are obvious bruises and contusions, which further confirm that the deceased suffered a violent beating before his death," Zhang Lin explained to her assistant as she performed the procedure.

After opening the chest cavity, Zhang Lin carefully examined the heart, lungs, and other organs. "There were multiple bleeding points on the surface of the heart and ruptured myocardial fibers, indicating that the deceased's heart had been subjected to a strong external impact. The lungs also showed signs of congestion and edema, possibly caused by respiratory dysfunction due to the violence."

While examining the head, Zhang Lin carefully cut open the skull. "Look, the deceased's skull is fractured, with the fracture lines radiating outwards, which is typical of blunt force trauma. There are obvious contusions and hematomas in the brain tissue, which should be one of the main causes of death."

After dissecting Li Chenhao's body, Zhang Lin rested briefly before beginning the dissection of Song Juanjuan's body. Following the same procedure, when she opened the chest cavity, Zhang Lin discovered something new. "Assistant, look, Song Juanjuan has multiple bruises on her chest, and her breast tissue is also damaged. This matches our previous assessment of signs of sexual assault."

Next, Zhang Lin conducted a detailed examination of Song Juanjuan's reproductive organs. "There were large areas of lacerations on the inner wall, and there were also injuries inside. These wounds were fresh, consistent with the characteristics of sexual assault before her death. Moreover, judging from the severity of the wounds, there is indeed the possibility of multiple people taking turns assaulting her."

During the autopsy, Zhang Lin also extracted the deceased's stomach contents and blood samples. "Analyzing the stomach contents may help determine the time and type of the deceased's last meal, which will help to further pinpoint the time of death. The blood samples will be used for toxicological testing to see if the deceased had taken any drugs or narcotics before death."

The autopsy lasted for several hours, during which Zhang Lin and her assistants remained highly focused. Every discovery and every detail was meticulously recorded. After the autopsy, Zhang Lin wearily removed her gloves and told her assistant, "Send these samples to the laboratory for testing as soon as possible. We need the results quickly to provide strong support for solving the case."

Meanwhile, the technicians responsible for analyzing the traces at the scene made new discoveries. Through studying the depth and pressure distribution of the unfamiliar footprints, they deduced that of the three suspects, two male suspects weighed approximately 70 kg and 80 kg respectively, and were about 175 cm and 180 cm tall; the other female suspect weighed approximately 55 kg and was about 165 cm tall. This data provided crucial information for the subsequent investigation of the suspects.

Upon learning of these results, Li Ming immediately convened a meeting of the action team. "Comrades," he said, "we have some important leads. The unfamiliar footprints and fingerprints found at the scene, as well as the autopsy results, have all pointed us in the right direction. Next, we must expand our investigation based on these leads, focusing on individuals matching these characteristics. At the same time, we must continue to delve deeper into Li Chenhao's investment activities and the identity of the strange man who spoke with Song Juanjuan, leaving no detail overlooked that might be related to the case."

The task force is now tracking down the unfamiliar van that appeared near Lijia Village on the night of the incident.

However, Lijia Village is located in a remote area on the outskirts of Dongchuan City, where surveillance facilities are extremely scarce. Apart from a few areas far from the village that have relatively complete surveillance networks, there is almost no public surveillance within Lijia Village itself, which undoubtedly poses a huge challenge to the investigation.

Undeterred, the officers in the task force decided to employ the most basic yet effective method—inquiring with local residents. They split into several groups, venturing into Lijia Village and surrounding areas, visiting each household to ask questions. Armed with a description of the van's general characteristics, they patiently inquired of every villager: "Did you see a van like this on the night of the incident? The license plate was obscured, it was a large vehicle, and the color was likely dark?"

Most villagers shook their heads, saying they had no recollection of it, but the police officers were not discouraged. In a small shop at the entrance of Lijia Village, the owner frowned and recalled, "It seems there was such a car. It drove very fast that night, passing by my shop. I even muttered to myself, 'Why is it driving so fast so late at night?' But I didn't see the license plate clearly, nor did I notice who was in the car."