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

Chapter 805 Forensic Examination, Gathering of Clues

As night deepened, the investigation of the crime scene came to a temporary halt, and the body was transported to the forensic identification center. Qin Chuan and Li Ming rushed there without stopping, anxiously awaiting the forensic examination results, which would be a crucial turning point in solving the case.

Inside the autopsy room, the stark white light shone unreservedly onto the autopsy table, where forensic pathologist Zhang Lin, dressed in a white coat, was already busy at work. Her eyes were focused, her brow slightly furrowed, and her tools moved methodically across the corpse, each movement precise and practiced, as if engaging in a silent dialogue with the deceased. Qin Chuan and Li Ming entered the autopsy room, and the pungent smell of chemicals immediately assaulted their senses, mixed with an indescribable tension, making the entire space feel exceptionally oppressive.

"Forensic Doctor Zhang, how is the situation?" Qin Chuan broke the silence first, his eyes revealing urgency and expectation, and he unconsciously took a step forward.

Zhang Lin stopped what she was doing, looked up, adjusted her glasses, and said seriously, "The preliminary external examination is complete, and some findings are quite noteworthy." She gently pointed to the wound on the corpse's chest. "This fatal stab wound is about 3 centimeters wide and reaches the heart. The murder weapon should be a single-edged knife with a blade at least 15 centimeters long and a very sharp edge. Judging from the angle of the wound, the murderer applied force from top to bottom, which suggests that the murderer was likely taller than the victim or in a relatively high position at the time of the crime." As she spoke, she picked up a mock knife and slowly and precisely demonstrated the murderer's movements in the air.

Li Ming leaned closer to examine the wound, his brow furrowed, his gaze fixed on the fatal gash, as if trying to discern the killer's features: "Is it possible to determine the killer's dominant hand?"

Zhang Lin nodded, picked up the simulated knife again, and explained while gesturing, "Judging from the direction of the cut and the distribution of force, the murderer is most likely right-handed. The left edge of the wound is slightly neater than the right. This is because when the knife is held in the right hand and stabbed from top to bottom, the right side of the blade encounters greater resistance, resulting in a relatively rougher right side of the wound." Her tone was firm, and every word seemed to add an important piece to the puzzle of solving the case.

Next, Zhang Lin opened the deceased's eyelids and carefully shone a strong flashlight on them. Under the light, a few hemorrhages on the deceased's conjunctiva were clearly visible. "The deceased's conjunctiva had a few hemorrhages, which is one of the signs of suffocation. Combined with the congestion in the lungs, I speculate that the deceased may have experienced a brief period of suffocation before being stabbed in the heart. Perhaps the murderer covered his mouth and nose with their hand, or used other methods to restrict his breathing." As she spoke, she opened the deceased's chest cavity to show the congestion in the lungs.

Qin Chuan stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Does this match what we found at the scene before? There were no obvious signs of a struggle, and no valuables were missing."

Zhang Lin replied thoughtfully, "Based on the scene and the autopsy results, the murderer likely approached the victim premeditatedly. They first subdued the victim in some way, such as by covering their mouth and nose to temporarily incapacitate them, and then fatally stabbed them in the heart. Furthermore, the murderer cleaned the scene to some extent, taking the murder weapon and wiping away any traces that might have been left behind, indicating a certain level of counter-surveillance ability." She narrowed her eyes slightly, seemingly reconstructing the scene of the crime in her mind.

Zhang Lin then began examining the deceased's stomach. She carefully opened the stomach, her movements gentle and cautious, as if afraid of destroying crucial clues. She removed a portion of the contents and placed it in a sample container, saying, "We need to analyze the stomach contents. This will help us determine the time and type of food the deceased last ate. By comparing this with the time of death, we can further refine the timeframe. Preliminary observation shows that the stomach contents are relatively intact, with low levels of digestion, indicating that the deceased was murdered shortly after eating."

While awaiting the results of the stomach contents analysis, Zhang Lin continued her meticulous examination of the body. Using a magnifying glass, she carefully examined the deceased's wrists and ankles, scrutinizing every minute detail. Finally, she discovered some fine bruises, linear in shape, barely noticeable and easily missed without close inspection. "These bruises are likely marks left from being bound with ropes. Although subtle, they confirm the deceased was bound before death," Zhang Lin said, her voice tinged with excitement, for this was a crucial new clue.

Li Ming frowned and said angrily, "This murderer is too cunning. He cleaned up the scene so thoroughly. If it weren't for Zhang the forensic doctor's meticulousness, these crucial clues would have been overlooked."

At that moment, the lab assistant rushed in and handed Zhang Lin a preliminary lab report. Zhang Lin took the report, her eyes quickly scanning each line, her expression focused and serious. After reading it carefully, she looked up and said, "The results of the stomach contents analysis are in. The deceased last ate about one to two hours before the incident, and the food consisted mainly of rice and some vegetables. This matches our previous estimate of the time of death as between 3 and 5 pm. If we can determine where the deceased ate that day, we might find more clues."

Qin Chuan immediately turned to Li Ming and said, "Immediately arrange for someone to investigate the deceased's whereabouts that day, focusing on which restaurants he visited or who he dined with in the one to two hours before the incident." His tone was decisive and carried an undeniable authority.

Li Ming received the order and quickly left. Inside the autopsy room, Zhang Lin continued her work. She conducted a more in-depth analysis of the deceased's blood, testing for drug residue. She placed the blood sample into various sophisticated instruments, her eyes fixed on the data changes on the screens. After careful testing, she finally discovered trace amounts of sleeping pills in the deceased's blood.

“That explains it,” Zhang Lin said excitedly. “The murderer may have added sleeping pills to the victim’s food or drink beforehand, and then carried out the next step after the victim was incapacitated by the drugs. This explains why there were no obvious signs of a struggle at the scene, and why the victim was killed without any warning.”

Qin Chuan nodded slightly, his thoughts gradually becoming clearer: "It seems we need to start with the people who knew the deceased, especially those who had access to his food. The murderer knew the deceased's habits and whereabouts very well, so he must have been someone close to him."

As the forensic investigation progressed, more and more clues surfaced. These clues, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, gradually pieced together the general outline of the case. Although the truth was not yet fully revealed, Qin Chuan and his team were getting closer and closer to the murderer. Each new discovery strengthened their resolve to solve the case; they knew that only by bringing the murderer to justice could they comfort the souls of the deceased and maintain the peace of the city.

In the subsequent investigation, they will thoroughly investigate the deceased's social relationships based on the clues provided by the forensic experts, leaving no suspicious detail unchecked.