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

Chapter 1469 Comprehensive Inspection

Next, Zhang Lin conducted a comprehensive examination of the deceased's digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems, finding no abnormalities or injuries. "The deceased's reproductive system was normal, ruling out indirect clues suggesting a murder stemming from a romantic dispute. Furthermore, the deceased had no implants, such as pacemakers or fracture fixation plates, making it impossible to identify them through implant serial numbers."

He picked up the deceased's teeth and examined them with a flashlight: "The teeth have moderate wear, consistent with the characteristics of a male aged 40 to 45. There are no signs of cavities or fillings, and no special crowns or braces. The identity cannot be confirmed through dental records. We will extract tooth samples for dentin DNA testing to supplement the DNA sample database."

While assisting with sample processing, Xiaolin asked, "Professor Zhang, based on the current autopsy findings, what is the approximate time of death range? The initial assessment at the scene was between 11 PM last night and 1 AM this morning. Do you have a more precise estimate now?"

Zhang Lin sorted through the autopsy data, pondered for a moment: "Considering the rigor mortis, livor mortis, corneal opacity, and the digestion of the stomach contents, the deceased's last meal was approximately 5 hours before the incident. Assuming the meat residue in the stomach contents was moderately digested, the estimated time of the last meal was between 6 and 7 pm last night. Therefore, the time of death should be between 11 pm last night and 1 am this morning, which is consistent with the initial assessment at the scene."

He further explained, "The degree of corneal opacity also corroborates this. Currently, the deceased's cornea is slightly opaque, and the pupil is still discernible. Combined with the ambient temperature, this is consistent with the characteristics of 12 to 15 hours after death. If the autopsy took place at 2 PM today, then the time of death would be approximately between 11 PM last night and 1 AM this morning, with an error margin of no more than one hour. A final confirmation will be made based on the results of subsequent pathological and toxicological examinations."

"Can we confirm that the ligature mark on the neck was caused by the thin wire found at the scene?" Kobayashi pressed, as this was a crucial question connecting the scene investigation and the autopsy.

Zhang Lin took out photos of the thin wire evidence collected at the scene and compared it with the ligature groove on the victim's neck: "The thin wire collected at the scene has a diameter of 0.3 centimeters, which basically matches the width of the ligature groove. Moreover, the surface of the wire has slight wear marks, which is consistent with the epidermal abrasion pattern at the edge of the ligature groove. We will then compare the wire sample with the skin tissue sample from the ligature groove to test whether there is any skin tissue or blood residue on the surface of the wire, and at the same time check whether there is any metal residue of the wire in the ligature groove. If they match, we can confirm that this wire is the murder weapon."

He paused, then added, "Furthermore, the wire is sharp at both ends. Considering the damage at the overlapping area of ​​the ligature groove, it cannot be ruled out that the perpetrator tightened the wire at both ends when strangling the victim, causing the damage to the ligature groove to worsen. However, we cannot yet determine how the wire was used, whether it was a single strand strangulation or a double strand strangulation. We need to further analyze the wire length and the traces at the scene."

The autopsy lasted nearly three hours. Zhang Lin and Xiao Lin conducted a comprehensive and systematic dissection of the body, extracting dozens of samples, including skin, muscles, internal organs, blood, hair, and nails, which were sent to the pathology, toxicology, trace evidence, and DNA testing departments. Afterward, the two began organizing the autopsy records, cleaning the autopsy table, and classifying and archiving the samples and evidence.

"Teacher Zhang, all the samples have been sent for testing, and the preliminary autopsy results have been compiled. Should we report to Captain Li next?" Xiao Lin wiped the sweat from his forehead, his voice tinged with exhaustion. Several hours of intense autopsy work had taken a heavy toll on his physical and mental strength.

Zhang Lin took off his mask, his face showing a hint of fatigue, but his eyes remained clear: "Well, once we've compiled the preliminary autopsy report, we'll go to the Criminal Investigation Division to report to Captain Li. Although the autopsy results have further clarified the cause and time of death, there have been no new breakthroughs regarding the victim's identity or leads on the suspect."

At 5 PM, Zhang Lin and Xiao Lin arrived at the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division with the preliminary autopsy report. At that moment, Li Ming, Xiao Yang, and Xiao Sun were in the office reviewing the case; the table was covered with case files, evidence photos, and investigation records, and the atmosphere was tense. Seeing Zhang Lin and Xiao Lin enter, Li Ming immediately stood up: "Forensic Doctor Zhang, the autopsy results are in?"

"Captain Li, the preliminary autopsy results are in. I'd like to report them to you." Zhang Lin placed the autopsy report on the table and gestured for Xiao Lin to open the relevant documents. "After a systematic autopsy, the cause of death has been determined: the victim died from mechanical asphyxiation caused by strangulation with a thin metal wire. The time of death was precisely pinpointed to between 11 p.m. last night and midnight, with an error margin of no more than one hour."

Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun immediately gathered around, listening intently. Zhang Lin continued, "The deceased had a horizontal circular ligature groove around his neck, 0.32 cm wide and 0.7 to 0.8 cm deep, with clean edges and no obvious scratches from struggling. The skin around the ligature groove showed slight epidermal abrasion and subcutaneous bruising, consistent with the characteristics of strangulation with a thin metal wire. The thin iron wire extracted from the scene has a diameter of 0.3 cm, which closely matches the width of the ligature groove. Currently, skin tissue samples from the ligature groove and the iron wire sample have been extracted for comparison to confirm whether they are from the same murder weapon."

"Judging from the shape of the burial trench, the perpetrator exerted force evenly and continuously during the attack. Given that the perpetrator was of similar height to the victim, it is highly likely that the attack occurred suddenly from behind while the victim was standing, leaving the victim no time to resist, resulting in a swift death," Zhang Lin added. "There were no other external injuries on the body, no signs of binding or resistance, no foreign objects under the fingernails, and no other lesions or injuries to the internal organs. This rules out other causes of death such as poisoning, craniocerebral injury, and chest or abdominal injuries, as well as the possibility of a combination of causes of death."

Li Ming frowned: "The time and cause of death are clear, but what about the identity of the deceased? Have any clues been found through autopsy that could confirm the identity? For example, implants, special lesions, dental records, etc."

Zhang Lin shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice: "Currently, we haven't found any clues that can directly confirm the deceased's identity. There were no implants in the deceased's body, and the teeth showed no signs of fillings, braces, or other special treatments. The wear and tear is consistent with that of a male aged 40 to 45, but we cannot trace the source through dental records. There were no specific medical conditions or lesions throughout the body, so we cannot identify the deceased through medical history. We have extracted DNA samples, hair samples, and oral swabs from the deceased, and have supplemented them into the national DNA database and the missing persons database, but there are no comparison results yet."

Xiao Sun hurriedly asked, "Forensic Doctor Zhang, did the stomach contents test reveal any abnormalities? For example, any unusual foods that could point to the deceased's eating habits or activity range?"

"The stomach contents mainly consisted of rice, vegetable fiber, and a small amount of meat residue, all common foods with no particular regional characteristics or dietary habits," Zhang Lin replied. "The last time the deceased ate was between 6 and 7 p.m. last night, suggesting that he ate at a regular restaurant, snack bar, or private residence before the incident, making it difficult to narrow down his activity range. In addition, samples of the stomach contents, blood, and internal organs have been sent for toxicology testing. The results are not yet available, but the possibility of acute poisoning has been ruled out, although we need to wait for the final report for confirmation."