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

Chapter 1261 Case Analysis Report

"Everyone's here. Report in order of your division, starting with Xiao Yang. Explain the details of the crime scene investigation thoroughly, especially any clues that could lead to the suspect or the murder weapon." Li Ming's voice broke the silence. Xiao Yang immediately stood up and projected the crime scene diagram onto the screen. The red dot of the laser pointer landed on the key traces as he spoke.

"Four core clues were collected from the scene of the sycamore grove in Dongfang Park. The first category is footprints. Below the scratches on the sycamore tree trunks, half of a size 42 men's athletic shoe print was found. The pattern was grid-like, and the edges were covered with moist soil. This was different from the footprints of other people exercising in the park in the morning. Moreover, the depth of the footprint was consistent with the force characteristics of a person weighing about 70 kilograms, and it was speculated that it was left by the suspect. In the weeds to the left of the deck chair, a faint drag mark was also found. It was about 1 meter long and pointed from the entrance of the grove to the deck chair. The width of the mark was similar to the width of Li Baowei's shoulders. It may be the mark of the suspect dragging the unconscious Li Baowei to the deck chair."

Xiao Yang switched to the next photo, which showed a metal wire and a marked fallen leaf: "The second type is the remains. A 2-centimeter-long silver metal wire was extracted from the soil under the deck chair. The surface was rust-free. Preliminary testing showed that it was a thin iron wire used for decoration, which is consistent with the material of the decoration tools carried by Li Baowei. It is speculated that it fell off after his tool bag was damaged, or was dropped during the struggle with the suspect. In addition, there is a light brown mark on the fallen leaf on the right side of the deck chair. The test showed that it contained oil and protein components, which matched the composition of the braised pork that Li Baowei ate in his last meal. It is possible that he accidentally got food residue on his clothes while eating, and the food residue adhered to the fallen leaf."

"The third category is environmental traces. There are five messy scratches on the tree trunk, ranging from 5 to 8 centimeters in length and shallow in depth. After comparison, they are consistent with the width and curvature of Li Baowei's fingernails. Furthermore, the DNA of skin fragments extracted from the scratches matches that of Li Baowei, indicating that they are defensive marks left by Li Baowei when he struggled before his death and scratched the tree trunk with his fingernails. The fourth category is clothing residue. There are a small amount of black fibers on the collar and cuffs of Li Baowei's gray sweatshirt. After testing, they were found to be cotton, which is consistent with the material of common towels and strips of cloth. This may be the residue of a strip of material used by the suspect during the crime."

"Have you found any other items the suspect might have left behind? Like cigarette butts, water cups, or the ribbon-like object used in the crime?" Li Ming pressed. Xiao Yang shook his head: "The sycamore grove is a popular area for morning exercise, with frequent activity from exercisers, causing considerable disturbance to the scene. Apart from the above clues, we haven't found any other items clearly belonging to the suspect; the ribbon-like object used in the crime was also not found, presumably taken away by the suspect. However, we expanded our investigation area and found a black tool bag in a trash can near the east gate of the park. Li Baowei's wife confirmed that it was the one he carried when he left. The bag was missing a measuring tape and a screwdriver, which may have been taken by the suspect or lost during the struggle."

Next, Zhang Sen reported the autopsy findings. The autopsy report on the screen clearly displayed the key data: "The deceased, Li Baowei, male, 38 years old, 175 cm tall, weighing 70 kg, was determined to have died between 0:00 and 1:00 AM on the day the body was discovered, based on three dimensions. The first dimension is rigor mortis, with slight stiffness in the jaw and neck muscles and a semi-flexed elbow, indicating the early stage of rigor mortis, consistent with the characteristics of 4-6 hours after death; the second dimension is livor mortis, with dark purplish-red livor mortis appearing on the back and buttocks, which can be briefly fading upon pressure, indicating the diffusion stage, corresponding to 3-8 hours after death; the third dimension is the stomach contents, with remnants of rice, vegetables, and braised pork scraps in the stomach, indicating a semi-digested state, consistent with the family's statement that 'he ate at 6 PM.' Combined with the food digestion speed, the time of death is further determined to be 6-7 hours after the meal, i.e., between 0:00 and 1:00 AM."

"The focus should be on fatal and critical injuries. Is there any information that directly points to the weapon or the suspect?" Li Ming's finger hovered over the "Injury Analysis" page of the report. Zhang Sen switched to the injury photos and said seriously, "The fatal injury is a mechanical asphyxiation injury to the neck—there is a 0.5 cm wide band-shaped indentation on the left side of the neck. The edges of the indentation are neat, the local skin is red, and cotton fibers were extracted. The composition is consistent with the black fiber found on Xiao Yang's clothing, suggesting that the weapon used was a cotton towel or strip of cloth. There is bleeding in the neck muscles corresponding to the indentation, a slight fracture of the greater horn of the hyoid bone, and congestion of the tracheal mucosa, which are consistent with the pathological characteristics of death by asphyxiation. Moreover, the direction of force on the indentation is 'lateral compression,' indicating that the suspect attacked Li Baowei from the left side, wrapped the band around his neck, and then strangled him."

He added, "There is another minor injury to note: three small abrasions on the left palm with irregular edges. Fragments of sycamore bark were extracted from these abrasions, consistent with the composition of the tree trunk at the scene, proving that the injuries were defensive injuries sustained when the deceased rubbed against the tree trunk during a struggle. An old scar on the web of the left hand, caused by a home renovation chainsaw, is clearly visible and perfectly matches the family's description, further confirming the identity. In addition, no drug residues were detected in the stomach wall tissue, ruling out the possibility of poisoning. The deceased had no underlying medical conditions, ruling out natural death."

Xiao Zhou then reported the deceased's identity and related clues. A social relationship chart of Li Baowei appeared on the screen, with red lines highlighting "long-time clients" and "renovation disputes": "Through interviews with Li Baowei's family and the renovation company, we have identified two key pieces of information. The first is the 'long-time client' he last met—Li Baowei's wife, Liu Min, stated that two nights ago, when he went out, he said he was going to meet a 'long-time client who had introduced him to several business deals,' near Oriental Park, to 'determine the renovation plan.' The renovation company's manager, Wang, confirmed that Li Baowei did indeed have three long-term clients: Zhang Tao, who runs a building materials business; Liu Jun, who owns a restaurant; and Zhao Liang, a real estate agent. All three had introduced renovation business to Li Baowei in the past six months and had his contact information."

“The second category is potential conflicts and disputes,” Xiao Zhou paused for a moment, then pulled up the complaint records of the decoration company. “In the past three months, Li Baowei has had two decoration disputes: one was when he was decorating Liu Jun’s restaurant, Liu Jun withheld 5000 yuan of the final payment due to cracks in the walls, and the two argued at the decoration company; the other was when he was decorating Zhao Liang’s second-hand house, Zhao Liang believed that the construction period was delayed and demanded 2000 yuan in compensation, which Li Baowei refused, and the two had an unpleasant argument; only Zhang Tao has had no obvious conflicts with Li Baowei recently, and even introduced a villa decoration business to him a month ago.”

"Have you made any preliminary checks on the whereabouts of these three long-time clients? Why was Li Baowei's toolbox in the trash can at the East Gate?" Li Ming pressed, and Xiao Zhou nodded.