frightfiction Chapter 1500: Departure from Jianshe Road
Chapter 1500: Departure from Jianshe Road
The moment the call connected, his voice was still trembling as he haltingly explained the situation to the police: "Hello...hello, officers, I...I'm a sanitation worker on Jianshe Road. I found a body in the ditch on the eastern section of Jianshe Road. You...you need to come and take a look right away! It's terrifying!"
Upon receiving the emergency call, the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Detachment immediately activated its emergency response plan for major criminal cases. Deputy Detachment Chief Li Ming personally led a team of investigators, technical personnel, and forensic experts to the crime scene. Li Ming, 45 years old, has 22 years of experience in criminal investigation. He is highly experienced, meticulous, and decisive, specializing in solving various complex criminal cases. He has repeatedly succeeded in identifying suspects and solving major cases through detailed crime scene investigations and precise logical reasoning.
Upon receiving the report, Li Ming knew that crime scene investigation was crucial to solving the case, especially at such scenes of body disposal or homicide, where traces and physical evidence were often extremely fragile. Any damage to these evidence could lead to a deadlock in the investigation. Therefore, while urging the driver to speed up, he called Xiao Yang, the captain of the technical team, and solemnly instructed him: "Xiao Yang, immediately take Xiao Sun and the technical team, along with all the investigation tools, and head to the eastern section of Jianshe Road. A sanitation worker has found a male corpse in a ditch. You must get there as soon as possible, properly protect the scene, and prepare for the investigation. Absolutely no damage to the traces or physical evidence at the scene is permitted!"
"Understood, Captain Li! We've already set off with our investigation tools and are expected to arrive at the scene in ten minutes!" Xiao Yang's tone on the other end of the phone became serious. Xiao Yang, 40 years old, is the captain of the technical team of the city's criminal investigation detachment. He has been engaged in trace evidence investigation for 18 years, possessing superb skills and a meticulous mind. He excels at extracting minute trace evidence from crime scenes, and has successfully identified suspects and solved numerous major criminal cases based on a tiny fingerprint or a single hair extracted from a crime scene.
Xiao Sun, 27, is Xiao Yang's capable assistant. He has been working in trace evidence investigation for five years, is diligent and quick-witted, and although relatively inexperienced, he is meticulous and conscientious, already capable of independently completing some basic crime scene investigations. He has earned Xiao Yang's trust and high regard. Upon receiving Li Ming's instructions, Xiao Yang immediately took Xiao Sun and two other members of the technical team, carrying a full set of investigation tools including a crime scene investigation kit, camera, plaster cast fixing tools, evidence sealing bags, and flashlights, and drove swiftly to the crime scene.
At 7:00 AM sharp, Li Ming's investigation team arrived at the crime scene first. Several early risers had already gathered, mostly nearby residents and shop owners. They were gathered around the ditch, discussing the scene with expressions of shock and fear, occasionally peering into the water. After getting out of the car, Li Ming immediately instructed his team to set up a cordon, completely sealing off the crime scene and prohibiting unauthorized personnel from entering. He also assigned two team members to maintain order, calm the onlookers, and prevent them from taking photos or videos to avoid leaking case information.
"Team Leader Li, the scene has been cordoned off. The onlookers have been evacuated beyond the perimeter. No unauthorized personnel have entered the area, and there has been no disturbance of the scene." The investigation team member quickly approached Li Ming and reported the situation in a low voice. Li Ming nodded, his gaze fixed on the ditch, and said gravely, "Good. Continue to strengthen the security, closely monitor the surrounding area, and prevent anyone from approaching the cordon. Also, arrange for someone to find the sanitation worker, Li Baode, who reported the incident, and bring him aside. I need to question him later about the details of how the body was discovered."
"Understood, Captain Li!" The reconnaissance team member quickly responded and turned to arrange the relevant work. Li Ming then walked quickly to the ditch, squatted down, and carefully observed the situation at the scene, not touching anything lightly. At this time, the sky was gradually brightening, and the thin mist was gradually dissipating, making the body in the ditch clearly visible—it was a male corpse, completely submerged in murky sewage and silt, with only part of the upper body above the water. The head was covered by silt, obscuring the face, and the arms were stiffly outstretched. He was wearing a dark coat and dark trousers, the clothes soaked through by the sewage, clinging tightly to his body, and covered with silt and grime.
Li Ming carefully observed the surrounding environment of the ditch: the ditch was located between the sidewalk and the non-motorized vehicle lane on the north side of Jianshe Road, with cement guardrails on both sides, about 30 centimeters high. Outside the guardrails was the sidewalk, which was paved with paving stones, with a small amount of silt and water stains on the stones, obviously left by recent rain. Inside the guardrails was the non-motorized vehicle lane, which was flat and without obvious damage. A few vehicles passed by on the non-motorized vehicle lane, but were guided by the reconnaissance team to an area away from the scene. About 50 meters to the east of the ditch was an intersection with traffic lights and surveillance cameras. About 30 meters to the west was a small convenience store, which also had a surveillance camera at its entrance. On the ground around the ditch, there were some fallen leaves and household garbage, which were the same type of garbage that Li Baode had swept up. No obvious signs of a struggle, bloodstains, or other suspicious traces were found.
"Team Leader Li, we're here!" Just then, Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun arrived at the scene by car with members of the technical team. After getting out of the car, they immediately took their survey tools and quickly walked to Li Ming's side. Xiao Yang, wearing professional surveying clothes, gloves, and a mask, and carrying a site survey kit, said seriously, "Team Leader Li, we have brought all the surveying tools and are ready to begin site surveying at any time. Please give us your instructions."
Li Ming looked up at Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun, and said firmly, "Xiao Yang, the on-site investigation is entrusted to you. You must be meticulous and rigorous, and conduct a comprehensive investigation of the scene according to the principle of 'from far to near, from near to far,' without overlooking any detail. Focus on investigating the inside of the ditch, the guardrails around the ditch, the sidewalk, and the non-motorized vehicle lane, and collect all trace evidence from the scene, including fingerprints, footprints, hair, fibers, bloodstains, etc. At the same time, conduct a preliminary investigation of the body surface, analyze the basic characteristics of the deceased, the preliminary cause of death, and make detailed investigation records and take photos for evidence."
He paused, then continued, “Remember, you must protect the traces and physical evidence at the scene. All investigation actions must be gentle to avoid damaging the traces. During the investigation, divide the work well and each person should perform their duties. Xiao Yang, you are responsible for overall command, Xiao Sun will assist you, focusing on extracting subtle traces and physical evidence, and the other team members will be responsible for taking photos, collecting evidence, and recording the investigation situation. In addition, no items that can identify the deceased have been found at the scene, nor are there any clear clues about the suspect. Your investigation work is directly related to the progress of the case, so you must do your best.”