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

Chapter 853 Case Analysis, Confirming the Victim's Identity

“Pay close attention to the color and texture of the muscles,” Zhang Lin told her assistant. “The muscles here are dark in color and soft in texture, which is consistent with the changes that occur some time after death.” During the autopsy, Zhang Lin found multiple fractures in the victim’s ribs, with sharp fracture ends. “These rib fractures were likely caused by a strong external impact, perhaps the murderer struck the victim’s chest violently during the crime.”

Next, Zhang Lin began examining the deceased's internal organs. She first opened the chest cavity and removed the heart. "Multiple bleeding points were visible on the surface of the heart, and the myocardial tissue showed some damage, which may be related to cardiac dysfunction caused by the violence the deceased suffered before death." She placed the heart in a container nearby, preparing for more detailed pathological analysis. Following this, Zhang Lin removed the lungs and carefully observed their surface and internal structure. "The lungs showed signs of congestion, and some alveoli were ruptured, which may indicate that the deceased's respiratory function was affected during the attack."

During the abdominal examination, Zhang Lin discovered a clear rupture in the deceased's liver, with irregular edges. "This rupture in the liver is likely one of the important causes of the massive bleeding," she said. She continued examining other internal organs, finding almost no food residue in the stomach and minimal digestive material in the intestines. "Judging from the condition of the stomach and intestines, the deceased had eaten very little in the period leading up to death, which coincides with our previous estimate of the time of death."

Zhang Lin then focused her attention on the deceased's neck. She carefully separated the neck muscles, exposing the trachea and esophagus. "There was a small amount of bloody discharge in the trachea, and no obvious damage was found in the esophagus. However, a laceration was found at a major blood vessel in the neck, which may be one of the direct causes of death." Zhang Lin carefully examined the cervical spine structure and found a slight misalignment. "The misalignment of the cervical spine may have compressed the nerves and blood vessels in the neck, further aggravating the deceased's injuries."

The autopsy lasted for several hours, during which Zhang Lin and her assistants remained highly focused. Every discovery and every detail was meticulously recorded.

The next morning, as the first rays of dawn touched the city's streets and alleys, Qin Chuan rushed from the Municipal Public Security Bureau to the Criminal Investigation Detachment. His expression was grave, his steps hurried, fully aware of the complexity and urgency of this murder case at the grape plantation. The atmosphere in the Criminal Investigation Detachment's conference room was oppressive and tense; Li Ming, Zhang Lin, and other key personnel involved in the investigation were already waiting there.

Li Ming stood up first, saluted Qin Chuan, and began to report on the scene investigation. "Director Qin, after careful investigation and analysis of the scene, we have made some important discoveries. Two sets of different footprints were found in the vicinity of the scene. One set is larger, with a stride of about 75 centimeters, and is preliminarily identified as male footprints; the other set is smaller, with a stride of about 60 centimeters, and may be female footprints. We have taken detailed measurements and recorded the depth of the footprints, the pattern of the shoe soles, etc., and are currently comparing them in the database, hoping to find matching shoe print information to determine the suspect's identity."

As Li Ming spoke, he displayed photos and related data of the footprints at the scene on the projector. "In addition, we also found some hair and fibrous material at the scene, which has been sent to the laboratory for testing. Preliminary analysis of the hair shows that some of the hair does not belong to the deceased; it may have been left by the suspect. The composition of the fibrous material is quite complex, and we are conducting further analysis to see if we can find any clues related to the suspect's clothing or murder weapon."

Qin Chuan listened attentively, occasionally jotting down key information in his notebook. He then looked at Zhang Lin, signaling her to report the autopsy results. Zhang Lin cleared her throat and said seriously, "Director Qin, the autopsy revealed several important clues. Although there were no obvious open wounds on the deceased's head, there was a large hematoma under the scalp, suggesting a violent impact to the head before death. Multiple rib fractures were found in the chest, with sharp bone ends, presumably caused by a powerful external impact, possibly from the perpetrator."

“During the examination of the internal organs,” Zhang Lin continued, “there were multiple bleeding points on the surface of the heart, indicating damage to the myocardial tissue; there was congestion in the lungs, with some alveoli ruptured; the liver had a clear rupture with irregular edges, which is very likely one of the important reasons for the massive bleeding in the deceased. In addition, there was almost no food residue in the stomach, and little digestive matter in the intestines. Combined with the overall degree of decomposition of the body, we further determined that the deceased had eaten very little in the period before death, and the time of death was probably between one week and ten days ago.”

At this point in the report, Zhang Lin paused slightly, then said with a grave expression, "Most importantly, the deceased had a laceration near a major blood vessel in his neck, and his cervical vertebrae were also slightly dislocated. This is very likely the direct cause of death. Currently, we have conducted more in-depth pathological analysis on various tissue samples from the body, hoping to obtain more clues."

After listening to Zhang Lin's report, Qin Chuan nodded and then inquired about the progress of the identification comparison. The officer in charge of the identification work stood up and said somewhat dejectedly, "Chief Qin, our progress is not going well. Through DNA testing, no relevant information was found in the missing persons database. We then started by examining the body's physical characteristics and clothing, comparing them one by one with the 15 recently reported missing persons, but unfortunately, there were still no matches. The identification of the deceased is currently at a standstill, but we will not give up and are trying to broaden the scope of the investigation."

After a moment of contemplation, Qin Chuan said, “Comrades, although the case is currently facing difficulties, don’t be discouraged. We have already obtained many important clues, which are the result of everyone’s hard work. Next, Li Ming, you arrange for the police to continue to expand the search area around the scene, interview nearby residents, and see if anyone saw any suspicious persons or unusual situations during the time of the incident. For clues such as hair, fibers, and footprints found at the scene, we must speed up the comparison process and strive to identify the suspect as soon as possible.”

“Zhang Lin,” Qin Chuan said, looking at the forensic doctor, “the autopsy work needs to be continued, digging out more clues from the deceased’s body tissues, leaving no detail overlooked. At the same time, we need to strengthen cooperation with the technical departments and use advanced technologies to analyze the existing clues. As for the identification of the deceased, we cannot limit ourselves to the current investigation methods. We need to expand the search area, not just the missing persons in this city, but also contact the police in surrounding cities, share information, and investigate people who have recently gone missing in those cities. In addition, we should release relevant information about the deceased through the media and mobilize the public; perhaps we can find key clues.”