civil forensic

Chapter 1352 A profusion of plants
The sun rises in the east, the green ivy hangs gently, and the indoors, without any wind, dances; all that can be heard are the sounds of cattle and horses running about.

Wang Chuanxing lay on the ground, his legs twitching unconsciously. He had been busy all night and only lay down on his cot at dawn, after which he fell silent.

The police walked around the room but didn't wake Wang Chuanxing. It wasn't until the leaders started work that someone kicked Wang Chuanxing.

Wang Chuanxing sat up with a quick roll, and without even opening his eyes, he clearly said, "The information on the Bajiang arson case has been compiled and is waiting for Director Jiang to review it."

"How do you know I'm not Director Jiang?" Shen Yaowei, who had kicked him, said unhappily.

Wang Chuanxing opened his eyes: "Director Jiang's kicks were so accurate, all hitting the pressure points... Bah, Director Jiang would never kick anyone, I guessed it was you!"

Shen Yaowei chuckled twice: "The director is here, I'm doing this for your own good."

"For my own good, the director should see me sleeping on the cot, working myself to the bone." Wang Chuanxing complained as he slowly tidied up the cot.

As they were tidying up, Jiang Yuan, Liu Jinghui, and Xu Taining walked into the conference room together. The first person they saw was Wang Chuanxing, who was tidying up his cot.

"Oh my, Chuanxing slept in the office last night?" Liu Jinghui, being a sensible person, exclaimed as soon as he entered the room, as if he was quite shocked.

Wang Chuanxing smiled with satisfaction and said, "It was too late yesterday, and I couldn't stay awake any longer, so I only slept for a few hours. However, the information on the Bajiang arson case has been compiled, and I have also contacted people to deliver the relevant evidence for the other four cases that were submitted and rated as C. I should be able to figure them out by noon today."

Liu Jinghui smoothly followed the topic, pondering as he asked, "Where are the four Class C cases located?"

“Three of these cases are from Pingzhou. Some involved burning the bodies beforehand, while others involved burning them afterward. The other case is from our Changyang City. The body was burned in the wild, and the identity of the body is uncertain. It was burned very badly, so the rating is C-,” Wang Chuanxing said.

"The crime scenes have all been identified, right?" Liu Jinghui said, walking to his desk. "Chuanxing's summary is good. Three cases in Pingzhou and one in Shannan. That's very interesting... Including the Li Huimin case, the cases currently considered suspicious are all concentrated in Pingzhou and Shannan..."

"Did the murderer travel between two places?" Huang Qiangmin asked, wiping his face as he came over after hearing that several people had arrived. He also had dark circles under his eyes. "If it's just two places, then our net has been cast too far."

Xu Taining was very experienced in this matter. He glanced at Huang Qiangmin with great certainty and said, "Don't rush. The resources invested in other places cannot compare with those in Shannan and Pingzhou. Therefore, Shannan and Pingzhou will produce results first. So, resources determine everything. You need to invest a lot of resources to have a lot of output."

Huang Qiangmin smiled, completely ignoring Xu Taining's comment. It wasn't that he didn't believe in resource theory; in fact, in other situations, he was even more of a resource theorist than Xu Taining.

Furthermore, Huang Qiangmin had more contact with Xu Taining and knew that he couldn't win a debate against Xu Taining because Xu Taining was willing to bet on any decision.

It's not that he has a high accuracy rate, but rather that he has already bet everything, so any form of betting is costless for him.

Xu Taining's job dictates that he can only win, and even win spectacularly. At this moment, he is like the coach of a championship team; victory is commonplace for him, continuous victories are just his daily routine, while defeat would ruin his reputation.

"I'll catch up on the progress." Xu Taining didn't look at the specific information; he just picked up his phone and followed up with the person.

Jiang Yuan picked up the existing evidence from the newly arrived Class C cases and began to examine it.

The evidence being delivered consists of physical items, and the photographs are mostly complete.

According to Xu Taining's classification, compared to the similarity of B-level cases, these C-level cases are actually closer to the Li Huimin case mainly in terms of target selection and burning of corpses. As for the similarity in modus operandi, there is still room for discussion.

However, like Xu Taining, Jiang Yuan wasn't in a hurry. Since they were already using large nets, there was no need to rush the fishing. He continued to review the files that had arrived, his deliberate pace resembling that of a seasoned fisherman with an air force background. Now that everything was ready, what they lacked wasn't technology or effort, but fishery resources!

As dusk approaches, the green ivy curls slightly.

Jiang Yuan's phone rang.

Zhang Dinghui from the Meiyang City Public Security Bureau burst into laughter first: "Hahaha, I finally caught you calling! You didn't just get off work and are having dinner, did you? Hahahaha..."

Jiang Yuan found it childish and replied, "It's still my normal working hours. Director Zhang, do you usually sleep well? Do you have night terrors?"

"You little rascal, hahaha..." Zhang Dinghui was amused, so much so that the young men under his command were stunned. The two newly recruited police officers couldn't help but exchange glances, feeling as if they had grasped the pulse of officialdom.

"Have you made any discoveries?" Jiang Yuan asked.

“Yes, we have a case, an arson case after breaking into a house, but it didn’t burn down, only the curtains burned. But the victim’s hands were indeed tied, and the way they were tied fits. Should I have someone send you the information?” Zhang Dinghui’s talk about business immediately attracted Jiang Yuan’s attention.

"That's great, thank you for your help." Jiang Yuan no longer thought Zhang Dinghui was childish. Judging from his ability to hand in his paper first, he must be a playful old man.

"Don't mention it. I'll have someone send you the basic information about the case first, then a text message and a WeChat message..." As the bureau chief, Zhang Dinghui was often served and knew how to make people feel comfortable; it was just a matter of whether they wanted to or not.

Jiang Yuan happily agreed, and after a short while, he immediately received the message. Upon opening it, he saw the case file number and other index information.

He beckoned Wang Chuanxing over, and soon a large number of pictures appeared.

Jiang Yuan first looked through the photos of the victim's bound wrists, then looked at the victim's autopsy report, and the answer became obvious.

"Have you found it?" Liu Jinghui and Xu Taining, having received the message, came looking for them.

“Possibly.” Jiang Yuan paused, looked at Xu Taining, and said, “Level A. The binding methods are basically the same, the ropes chosen are also similarly thin and small, and the lengths look about the same. As for the method of killing, although it was not inserted into the heart, it was still stabbed into the chest, a total of three stabs were used, and the purpose was still to kill the victim completely.”

"Is this an earlier murder case?" Liu Jinghui instantly realized, and his excitement replaced it.

Xu Taining said in a deep voice, "Serial killer."

The probability that the killer is a serial killer was already high, but it is only now that this has been relatively confirmed. For Xu Taining, the search method will also change.

"What can we see?" Liu Jinghui pressed. From his perspective, the focus of investigating serial killers is on the early and initial cases. In a profession with such an abnormally high attrition rate, striving for perfection is the norm, and rough-around-the-edges individuals are actually in the minority.

Jiang Yuan quickly flipped through the photos, looked at them for a long time, and said, "There is only one murderer. He is about 1.8 meters tall and weighs about 180 kilograms. Judging from the footprints, he is not a well-built, muscular man. He is more like the type with a beer belly. He is male and should be around 27 years old at the time of the crime."

Liu Jinghui said, "This case is more than a year older than the Li Huimin case, which means the murderer is around 44 years old. Or maybe it's somewhere between 42 and 46?"

"More or less." Jiang Yuan said, then added, "Once the evidence related to the case is delivered, I can scan it again for fingerprints. However, judging from the bloodstains at the scene, the murderer was likely wearing gloves, so the chances are slim."

"We'll take whatever we can get. We've already made a lot of progress since we first started this case. Of course, we have to take this case very seriously. Although it's a cold case from sixteen or seventeen years ago, if we can find the murderer or find some more evidence through this case, it will be a win!" Xu Taining had a very good attitude and even laughed as he spoke.

Jiang Yuan and Liu Jinghui also smiled; this was exactly the effect they wanted from merging the cases.

Before his smile faded, Wang Chuanxing took out his phone and handed it to Jiang Yuan, mouthing, "Gu Qi, Municipal Bureau Chief Gao Changjiang."

Jiang Yuan nodded to the person next to him, picked up his phone, and said, "Director Gao!"

Gao Changjiang's voice boomed: "Director Jiang, we have accomplished our mission! We have found a case that has many similarities to yours!"

"Great, shall I put it on speakerphone?" Jiang Yuan asked. After receiving permission, he immediately hung up and said, "Director Gao, could you please tell me the details of the case?"

Gao Changjiang: "Okay, it's a case of burglary and murder. The murderer tied up the victim, ransacked the residence, killed the victim, and burned the body. The scene was heavily damaged due to firefighting efforts, which ultimately prevented the case from being solved. However, our colleagues investigating the case believe that the modus operandi in this case is similar to the case you're looking for, especially the way the victim's hands were tied before being stabbed in the heart with a dagger, which is quite recognizable..."

Jiang Yuan thought of the phone call he had just received and couldn't help but say, "So, the murderer in this case committed the murder by accurately stabbing the heart?"

“Yes, our forensic doctor said that the stab went in close to the ribs, quite accurately, and without scratching the bone. It must have been inserted by feeling the chest of the deceased.” Gao Changjiang added, because he was speaking to Jiang Yuan, “It is said that it was quite difficult.”

"It wasn't easy," Jiang Yuan agreed, then asked, "When exactly did this case begin?"

Compared to other parts of the human body, the ribs in front of the heart provide the best protection. The gaps between the ribs are very small. Even if you try to stab them horizontally, the blade could stick out too much and hit the ribs.

Therefore, the case presented by the Guqi City Public Security Bureau involved a higher level of difficulty in the perpetrator's operation. Jiang Yuan's inquiry about the specific time was also for verification.

Liu Jinghui and Xu Taining had the same question on their minds and stared silently at the telephone.

Gao Changjiang, on the other end of the phone, covered the receiver and asked a few questions before continuing, "I've checked, it's less than a year earlier than your Li Huimin case, about 16 years ago? We have a lot of information on this case, the key is that we have an eyewitness who saw a stranger come out of the stairwell that day, and soon after, the building caught fire... It's a pity we haven't been able to find him..."