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

Chapter 1374 On-site Investigation in the Cornfield

Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun immediately donned their investigation suits, shoe covers, gloves, and masks, and carrying equipment such as a total station, footprint light, electrostatic attractor, and evidence bags, entered the cordoned-off area. Xiao Sun first conducted a macroscopic survey of the surrounding environment, using the total station to measure the geographical coordinates of the scene: 34°21′35″N, 118°56′22″E, altitude 42 meters. "Team Leader Yang, the area around the scene is a continuous cornfield. The corn is growing well, with plants about 1.8 meters tall, row spacing of 0.6 meters, and plant spacing of 0.3 meters," Xiao Sun reported while recording. "From the field path to the center of the scene, there is a clear trampling mark, about 0.8 meters wide, suspected to be formed by the overlapping footprints of the complainant and the deceased, which needs further differentiation."

Xiao Yang focused on observing the overall situation at the scene. The body was lying face down, head turned to the left, arms hanging naturally at the sides, legs bent, and feet pointing east towards the cornfield. There were obvious crushing marks on the corn stalks beneath the body, forming an irregular depression approximately 1.2 meters by 0.8 meters. "Notice the corn stalks around the body; there are several fresh break marks, with neat, slanted edges, suggesting they were broken by external force when the body fell or during the crime," Xiao Yang said, gently picking up a broken corn stalk with forensic pliers. "The breakage should have occurred within the last 24 hours, as there are no signs of wilting or discoloration at the break point."

After determining the approximate area for investigation, Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun began a detailed search of the scene, following the principle of "static investigation first, then dynamic investigation." Xiao Sun took out a footprint light and slowly moved along the trampling marks and the perimeter of the central scene. The light cast clear shadows on the muddy ground. "Team Leader Yang, we've found a set of footprints that appear to belong to the deceased!" About 3 meters from the body, Xiao Sun found a clear footprint in the muddy ground. "The footprint is from a rubber-soled shoe, size 42. There are obvious wavy patterns on the forefoot, and wear marks on the outer side of the heel. The stride length is about 75 centimeters, the stride width is about 20 centimeters, and the gait is stable. It is presumably left by the deceased while walking."

Xiao Yang immediately stepped forward and used a ruler to measure and record the footprint. At the same time, he used a digital camera to take photos of the footprint from different angles, including its original location, surrounding environment, and detailed features. "Extract this footprint and fix it with plaster," Xiao Yang instructed. "Be careful to pour it slowly to avoid damaging the original shape of the footprint." Xiao Sun then took out plaster powder and mixing tools, built a simple enclosure around the footprint, and slowly poured the mixed plaster into the footprint, waiting for it to solidify.

During the continued investigation, Xiao Sun discovered another set of different footprints about 5 meters west of the body. "These footprints are different from the ones we just found. They are size 41 shoes, with a grid pattern on the forefoot and severe wear on the inside of the heel. The stride length is about 80 centimeters, the stride width is about 18 centimeters, and the gait is slightly pigeon-toed." Xiao Sun shone a footprint light on the surface of the footprints. "There are a few pieces of corn leaves on the surface of the footprints, and the edges are slightly deformed. It is speculated that they were left by the suspect, but due to the muddy field, the details of the footprints are not well preserved."

After carefully observing the footprints, Xiao Yang analyzed: "Judging from the distribution of the footprints, the suspect likely entered the scene from the west side of the cornfield, stopped about 5 meters from the victim, and then approached the victim to commit the crime. There is a clear overlap between these footprints and the victim's footprints, indicating that the two had contact at the scene. In addition, the footprints are quite deep, with obvious pressure points on the forefoot, suggesting that the suspect weighs between 65 and 70 kilograms and is around 30 to 40 years old." Subsequently, he arranged for Xiao Sun to perform plaster injection extraction on these suspect footprints as well, and at the same time, used an electrostatic adsorption device to adsorb the ground around the footprints, looking for any remaining hair or fibers.

During the on-site investigation, Xiao Yang focused on examining the area surrounding the body. The body was dressed in a blue overalls shirt and black trousers, with multiple mud stains on the clothing and minor tears at the collar and cuffs of the shirt. "Notice the ground to the right of the body; there's a piece of corn on the ground with fresh bite marks," Xiao Yang said, pointing to the corn on the ground about one meter to the right of the body. "The husk of the corn has been torn, suggesting it was dropped by the deceased before death or during the crime." Xiao Sun immediately sealed the corn on the ground in an evidence bag, marking the location and time of retrieval.

Then, Xiao Yang used an investigation light to illuminate the corn stalks and ground around the body, looking for possible tools or traces of the crime. About two meters north of the body's head, he found a small amount of black fibers, about 0.5-1 centimeters long, attached to the leaves of the corn stalk. "Use tweezers to extract these fibers and put them in an evidence bag," Xiao Yang instructed. "Be careful not to touch them directly with your hands during extraction to avoid contamination." Xiao Sun carefully used sterile tweezers to pick up the fibers and placed them in a labeled evidence bag, the label indicating the extraction location, time, and person who extracted them.

During further investigation, Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun found a metal button in the soil beneath the body. The button was about 2 centimeters in diameter, round, with wear marks on the surface, and was brass in color. "This button isn't from the victim's clothing. The buttons on the victim's clothing are made of plastic and are black in color," Xiao Yang said. He picked up the button and examined it carefully. "The button has a few scratches on the surface and slight deformation at the edges, suggesting it may have fallen from the suspect's clothing or is a part from the crime scene." Xiao Sun immediately sealed and extracted the button, while examining its surface with a magnifying glass, trying to find fingerprints or other traces. However, due to the rough surface and the dirt on the button, no obvious fingerprints were found.

During the on-site investigation, Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun also focused on checking the entrances and exits of the cornfield. The Wangjia Village cornfield has three entrances and exits, located on the east, south, and west sides. The east entrance connects to the village road, while the south and west entrances connect to other farmland. Xiao Sun meticulously examined the ground at the three entrances and exits. On the ground at the west entrance, he found footprints identical to those of the suspect at the central scene, with the footprints pointing outwards from the cornfield. "This indicates that the suspect fled the scene through the west entrance after committing the crime," Xiao Sun reported. "The west entrance connects to a peanut field, where the soil is relatively dry, and the footprints gradually disappear at the edge of the peanut field."

Xiao Yang then inspected the corn stalks around the entrance and found several fresh wiping marks on the corn stalks near the west entrance.