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

Chapter 1235 Forensic Doctor vs. Chapter

Zhang Lin urgently needs: "He suffered a blunt force attack before his death, resulting in a head hematoma and skin defects on his neck. Fragments of the perpetrator's skin tissue were found under his fingernails. His body was buried in farmland with a hoe or shovel. The suspect is about 180-185cm tall, wearing size 43 leather shoes, driving a farm tricycle with longitudinally treaded tires, and may have been carrying black cotton clothing with fibers consistent with those found at the scene. He also has a smoking habit, and cigarette butts were found at the crime scene."

"What directions can these conclusions provide for the investigation?" Xiao Lin asked, organizing the autopsy report. Zhang Lin thought for a moment: "First, the time of death is determined to be the evening of August 12th. Investigators can focus on this time period and search for missing persons in surrounding villages and towns, with a focus on men aged 35-45 and 175-180cm tall. Second, the killer's characteristics are very clear: height, shoe size, means of transportation, smoking habits, and clothing material. These can narrow down the scope of the investigation. In addition, the skin tissue fragments under the victim's fingernails, if a complete DNA profile is extracted, can directly identify the killer. This is the most crucial evidence."

He paused, then continued, "Furthermore, the skin loss on the neck and the hematoma on the head indicate that the murderer's methods were rather brutal, suggesting a deep conflict with the victim, and that the crime was not random. Moreover, the fact that the murderer was skilled in using a farm tricycle and knew to bury the body in a remote field suggests that he was very familiar with the surrounding environment and was likely a resident of a nearby village or town."

When the body was resealed and sent to the cold storage, Zhang Lin took off his gas mask, his face covered in sweat. He looked at the autopsy report on the table; every conclusion had been based on meticulous observation and rigorous analysis. In particular, the determination of the time of death of the decomposing body combined multiple dimensions such as surface putrefaction, changes in internal organs, environmental factors, and temperature changes to ensure the accuracy of the results.

"Send these clues to Captain Li immediately, especially the time of death and the killer's characteristics, so they can adjust the direction of the investigation," Zhang Lin said to Xiao Lin. "In addition, prioritize testing the skin tissue fragments under the fingernails and try to extract the killer's DNA as soon as possible; this is the key to solving the case."

Xiao Lin nodded, took the autopsy report, and quickly walked out of the autopsy room. Zhang Lin looked at the night outside the window, knowing in his heart that this autopsy report not only determined the time and cause of death, but also provided a clear direction for the investigation—as long as the investigation was carried out around these clues, the murderer would eventually be found, allowing this unidentified body to rest in peace and ensuring that justice would not be absent.

At this moment, in the conference room of the Criminal Investigation Detachment, Li Ming was holding the preliminary autopsy report sent by Zhang Lin, discussing the next steps of the investigation plan with Xiao Wang, Xiao Yang, and others. "The time of death is confirmed to be the evening of August 12th, and the characteristics of the murderer are clear," Li Ming pointed to the key information on the report, "Xiao Wang, you lead the team to investigate men in the surrounding villages and towns who have farm tricycles and whose height and shoe size match the description of the deceased, focusing on the evening of August 12th; Xiao Yang, you are responsible for following up on the DNA test results, and report immediately as soon as there is any news; Xiao Zhou, continue to investigate the missing persons, focusing on matching the characteristics of the deceased."

As night deepened, the lights of the Criminal Investigation Division remained bright, and an investigative operation centered on the autopsy findings had quietly begun. Zhang Lin was still in the autopsy room, carefully examining skin tissue fragments under a microscope. He knew that every tiny discovery could be the key to uncovering the truth of the case and could expose the murderer hiding in the shadows.

The village of Lijiazhuang was shrouded in a light mist at dawn, the fresh scent of earth mingling with the aroma of cornfields. Following Li Ming's instructions, Xiao Zhou, along with his teammate Xiao Chen, went door-to-door, visiting villagers and checking for missing persons from around August 12th, using the forensic description of the deceased as male, 35-45 years old, and 175-180cm tall. Xiao Wang had previously ruled out Zhang Laosan as a suspect, and the clues from Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun's on-site investigation were still being tested. Confirming the deceased's identity was crucial to breaking the case.

"Officer Zhang, based on the characteristics you described, it seems like no one in our village has gone missing recently." Village Party Secretary Li walked with the two along the village road, counting the villagers on his fingers. "Most of the young and middle-aged people have gone out to work. Those who stay at home are mostly the elderly and children. I haven't heard of anyone going missing."

Xiao Zhou didn't give up; she decided to look for clues in the villagers' daily conversations. When she reached the small shop at the west end of the village, several middle-aged women were chatting. Seeing Xiao Zhou in her police uniform, they all stopped talking. "Ladies, excuse me, I'd like to ask you something," Xiao Zhou said with a smile, handing them a glass of water. "Have you heard anything lately about anyone in the village who went out to work and hasn't contacted home, or hasn't shown up for several days?"

One of the older women, wearing a blue cotton shirt, thought for a moment and said, "If we're talking about people we haven't been in contact with, Li Baoren seems to be one. He said 10 days ago that he was going to work on a construction site in a neighboring city. He even came to my place to buy two packs of cigarettes before he left. But his wife was talking to me yesterday, saying that she couldn't get through to him on the phone these past few days, and he wasn't replying to her WeChat messages. She doesn't know what happened to him."

"Li Baoren? How old is he? How tall is he?" Xiao Zhou immediately asked, his pen already ready to take notes. The old woman recalled, "He's 40 years old this year, quite tall, probably over 1.75 meters. He usually makes a living by doing odd jobs in the village and occasionally going out to do short-term work. He's a very honest person and has never argued with anyone."

Another woman nearby added, "Before he left, he told my husband that he was going to work for an acquaintance and would earn a lot of money. He also said he would buy new clothes for his wife and children when he came back. Who knew he would disappear without a trace? His wife is almost crying with worry."

Xiao Zhou felt a chill. Li Baoren's age and height closely matched the characteristics of the deceased as deduced by the forensic doctor, and the time of his disappearance, about 10 days ago, around August 14, was close to the time of the deceased's death, which was the evening of August 12 to the early morning of August 13. It was very likely that Li Baoren was murdered on his way to work, and his family thought he had just lost contact and did not realize that something had happened.

"Where does Li Baoren live? Let's go talk to his wife." Xiao Zhou immediately decided to go to Li Baoren's house to verify the situation. Led by the village secretary, the three arrived at the door of a low brick house. There were strange objects drying in the yard, and a middle-aged woman was sitting on the threshold, staring blankly with anxiety in her eyes.

"Shufen, this is Officer Zhang from the Criminal Investigation Division. He's here to inquire about Baoren," the village secretary called out softly. Li Baoren's wife, Wang Shufen, looked up and saw Xiao Zhou. Her eyes instantly reddened. "Officer Zhang, do you have any news about Baoren? I haven't been able to reach him by phone for the past few days. I'm really worried something has happened to him."

Xiao Zhou handed over a tissue and comforted her, "Sister, don't worry. Tell us about what happened before Li Baoren left. He left on August 14th? Do you know which construction site he went to and which acquaintance he went with?"