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

Chapter 1407 Conducting Forensic Identification

After hearing the report, Li Ming immediately made arrangements: "First, the technical department should immediately conduct a comprehensive examination of the extracted trace evidence, focusing on comparing footprint characteristics, fiber composition, hair DNA, and saliva samples from cigarette butts to try to obtain key information about the suspect; second, arrange for investigators to verify the identity of the deceased by retrieving information on missing persons and comparing fingerprint databases to determine the identity of the deceased as soon as possible; third, expand the scope of the investigation, questioning park management personnel, cleaning staff, surrounding businesses, and residents to find out if any suspicious persons entered or left the park before or after the incident, or if they saw anyone whose characteristics matched those of the deceased; fourth, conduct a thorough search of the West Suburbs Park and surrounding areas to look for possible murder tools and other overlooked trace evidence."

The deceased's body was subsequently transported back to the Criminal Investigation Division to await an autopsy to determine the cause and time of death. The scene remained cordoned off, and technical personnel were conducting a final check to ensure no trace or physical evidence was overlooked. Li Ming stood on the lawn of the West Suburbs Park, gazing at the central crime scene with unwavering determination. Although the investigation faced numerous difficulties, he firmly believed that by focusing on the crime scene and relying on physical evidence, they would find a breakthrough amidst the complex evidence and bring the suspect to justice.

As the sun set, its afterglow bathed the lawn of the West Suburbs Park, lending the once bustling park an air of solemnity. The investigators, though weary, shone with unwavering determination and resolve. They knew that solving this case required the efforts and dedication of everyone involved—from the meticulous crime scene investigation to the patient and persistent interviews and screenings, and the rigorous technical examinations—every step reflected the team's hard work. They were prepared for a protracted battle, determined to uncover the truth behind this murder and bring justice to the victim.

At 3:15 PM, the transport vehicle carrying the deceased's body smoothly entered the Criminal Investigation Division. Forensic pathologist Zhang Lin, already waiting there, dressed in a dark blue forensic autopsy gown, was checking the autopsy instruments with his assistant, Xiao Lin: "Preheat the autopsy table to 25°C. Prepare the scalpels, hemostatic forceps, tweezers, rib shears, skull saw, measuring cups, graduated rulers, tissue sampling boxes, electronic scales, as well as a post-mortem thermometer and a corneal opacity meter. All instruments must undergo three autoclave sterilization cycles to ensure no cross-contamination." Xiao Lin nodded in agreement, checking the instrument list one by one. Then, the two of them worked together to remove the body from the transport bag and place it gently on the autopsy table.

"First, conduct an external examination of the body, then proceed with a systematic autopsy, strictly adhering to the forensic autopsy operating procedures." Zhang Lin turned on the shadowless lamp in the autopsy room, the light precisely focused on the corpse. "Xiao Lin, record the basic information of the body: The deceased was male, of medium build, 172 cm tall, weighing approximately 68 kg, with an estimated age of 30-40 years old, short hair, black hair color, no obvious physical deformities, tattoos, scars, or other distinctive features, and was dressed in a white short-sleeved T-shirt, dark blue jeans, and white sneakers. The clothing was intact, with no signs of damage or tearing." Xiao Lin held a recording tablet, quickly and accurately recording the information, while simultaneously taking photos of the body from different angles to preserve the original visual data.

"First, we need to measure the body temperature, which is one of the core bases for estimating the time of death." Zhang Lin took out an electronic post-mortem thermometer, disinfected it, and inserted it about 15 centimeters into the deceased's rectum. "Rectal temperature can more accurately reflect the core temperature of the body and is less affected by the environment. The ambient temperature at the scene was 18°C, in the shade of the lawn, without direct sunlight. Considering the body was transported from the scene at 2:30 PM and arrived at 3:15 PM, taking 45 minutes, we need to allow for temperature loss error." Two minutes later, the thermometer showed the value: "31.2°C, Xiao Lin, record it."

Xiao Lin quickly took notes: "Teacher Zhang, the Henssge equation is commonly used to estimate the time of death based on rectal temperature. Considering the ambient temperature of 18°C ​​and the body weight of 68 kg, the correction factor for this equation should be 0.75. Should we do a preliminary calculation first?" Zhang Lin nodded: "Yes, but we can't rely solely on body temperature. We also need to cross-reference it with indicators such as corneal opacity, rigor mortis, and livor mortis. Let's substituting it into the formula: Time of death (hours) = 37°C - rectal temperature ÷ 0.83 x correction factor, which is 37 - 31.2 ÷ 0.83 x 0.75 ≈ 5.2 hours. However, note that the body temperature may drop slightly during transport. A conservative estimate is a transport loss of 0.3°C. After correction, the rectal temperature should be 31.5°C. Recalculating: 37 - 31.5 ÷ 0.83 x 0.75 ≈ 4.9 hours. The preliminary estimate of the time of death is approximately 5 hours before the body was discovered, which is around 1:15 AM today."

"Next, check the corneal opacity." Zhang Lin took out the corneal opacity measuring instrument and gently opened the deceased's eyelids. "Corneal opacity is divided into three degrees: Grade 1 is mild opacity, with only the periphery of the cornea showing a cloudy blur, and the pupil is still visible; Grade 2 is moderate opacity, with the entire cornea showing opacity, and the pupil is still faintly visible; Grade 3 is severe opacity, with the cornea completely milky white, and the pupil is not visible. You see, the deceased's cornea only has a slight cloudy blur at the periphery, the pupil is clearly visible, and the light reflex is absent, which is Grade 1 opacity." Xiao Lin leaned closer to observe and nodded in confirmation: "Teacher Zhang, based on the corneal opacity, the time of death should be within 6 hours, which basically matches the 5 hours estimated by the body temperature."

"Next, examine the rigor mortis and livor mortis." Zhang Lin gently pressed the deceased's jaw joint with his hand. "Since the jaw joint is not stiff and can move freely; examine the neck muscles, there are no signs of stiffness; the elbow and wrist joints of the upper limbs, and the knee and ankle joints of the lower limbs, all show no obvious rigor mortis, only the fingers and toes show slight stiffness, which is the early stage of rigor mortis." He then turned the body over to examine the livor mortis: "The body is in a prone position, and the livor mortis is mainly distributed on the chest, abdomen, and front of the limbs. The color is light purplish-red, it fades when pressed, and recovers slowly after being released. The livor mortis has not shown any signs of migration."

Xiao Lin asked doubtfully, "Professor Zhang, rigor mortis usually appears 1-3 hours after death, with livor mortis being a pale purplish-red color that fades upon pressure. This is typically a characteristic of 2-6 hours after death. Is there a discrepancy between this and the previous estimate of around 5 hours based on body temperature and corneal opacity?" Zhang Lin explained, "No, there's no discrepancy. The development of rigor mortis and livor mortis is greatly influenced by ambient temperature and the condition of the body. Lower ambient temperatures at the scene will slow down the development of rigor mortis and livor mortis. Considering all three, the time of death should be between 4-6 hours, taking the midpoint of around 5 hours, which is around 1 AM. This estimate is quite reliable. We can further confirm this by examining the degree of digestion of the stomach contents."