Diary of a Criminal Investigator

Crossing the police line, Lu Chuan directly climbed the small hill.

There were still construction machines parked at the scene, and since the body was discovered after construction, the surroundings were so damaged that it was unlikely that any traces of the suspect could be found from the crime scene perspective.

The reason Lu Chuan wanted to observe the scene was primarily to inspect the depth of the pit where the body was found.

"The pit is about one and a half meters deep. Based on the traces of soil around the pit, it’s almost certain the suspect dug it with something like a shovel. There are no signs of mechanical excavation."

Wang Gang stood by, explaining the crime scene investigation to Lu Chuan.

On this point, Lu Chuan had no other opinions.

No matter how long time and space have existed, from a forensic perspective, there are bound to be differences between the soil burying a body and the surrounding soil.

An ordinary person might not be able to tell, but an experienced crime scene detective can make a judgment.

The advanced detectives of the Tianshan District Criminal Investigation Team, whom Lu Chuan knew, were also highly experienced.

"When the body was discovered, we also found a rotten pair of string gloves inside the pit."

Wang Gang pointed inside the pit as he spoke.

"Gloves?"

Lu Chuan perked up: "On top of the body or underneath?"

"On top of the body, it seems like the murderer threw them in after digging the pit and burying the body."

Wang Gang gestured to describe the situation: "The autopsy roughly determined the time of death to be around ten years ago."

"But because it’s been such a long time, the time of death is somewhat uncertain."

Lu Chuan squatted by the pit and continued to observe: "Has the cause of death been determined?"

"Suffocation. There were no injuries on the body, but the hyoid bone was fractured, indicating death by asphyxiation."

During this week, Wang Gang and the whole Tianshan District Criminal Investigation Team had been revolving around this case, so they had figured out most of the basic information.

However, the identity of the deceased remained unknown, rendering all the clues obtained useless.

Without knowing who the deceased was, finding the suspect was even more out of reach.

The scene didn’t provide many clues. After observing and studying for a while, Lu Chuan followed Wang Gang to the Tianshan District Criminal Investigation Team.

In the autopsy room, Lu Chuan saw the body.

"Captain Lu, this is the video from when we discovered the body, along with the autopsy monitoring data."

The forensic doctor at the Tianshan District Criminal Investigation Team, named Guo Jianfeng, was about the same age and had comparable experience to Wang Changjiang.

Wearing a white coat, Guo Jianfeng stood beside the body, detailing his autopsy process to Lu Chuan.

"The deceased is female, estimated to have been between 30 and 35 years old at the time of death, with a height of 1.67 meters."

Guo Jianfeng was tall, and his voice was very resonant.

"There are no visible injuries on the body, but the deceased’s hyoid bone is fractured, with the preliminary cause of death concluded as asphyxia."

At this moment, Lu Chuan had put on a mask, donned gloves, and was also wearing a white coat, closely observing the state of the body’s surface.

"Any special findings?"

Guo Jianfeng nodded: "Yes, we found some residual components of sleeping pills in the deceased’s stomach."

"Sleeping pills?"

"Exactly, sleeping pills. Although the body has been buried underground for possibly over ten years, the components of the sleeping pills were not entirely decomposed due to the protection provided by the vacuum-sealed bag."

"Any signs of assault?"

"This..." Guo Jianfeng shook his head, "This isn’t particularly certain, given the substantial passage of time."

"Many traces are no longer detectable."

Lu Chuan nodded, choosing not to pursue further questions.

On his way here, Lu Chuan had already learned that the forensic team had collected DNA samples from the body but had found no relevant information.

Moreover, the body had been stripped of clothing before being vacuum-sealed.

There were no other adornments either, such as rings or necklaces.

"Here..."

Lu Chuan’s attention was drawn to the right arm of the body.

Guo Jianfeng also noticed: "Captain Lu, what’s the matter?"

"Has it been opened?"

"This... no."

"There’s a fracture here, open it!" Lu Chuan decided decisively.

"If it’s a common fracture, there might not be anything inside, but if it’s a serious fracture, it’s quite possible a steel plate was inserted."

Lu Chuan’s eyes were bright: "If the deceased had a steel plate inserted in life, there’s likely a medical record in the hospital."

This point...

Guo Jianfeng and Wang Gang exchanged a glance, realizing that it was indeed possible.

However...

Guo Jianfeng lifted the deceased’s arm: "How did you discover the fracture?"

"The deceased’s right arm is thicker than the left."

Lu Chuan pointed to the body: "Generally speaking, for a right-handed person, the right hand’s muscles are more developed, and the bones are more robust, but the left arm is said to be thicker than the right arm."

"But the deceased’s right arm is thicker than the left, and the skin tone is a bit lighter, indicating the possibility of a pre-death fracture."

Guo Jianfeng gave Lu Chuan a look.

It was said that Lu Chuan’s autopsy skills were not inferior to an ordinary forensic doctor’s; now it seemed that he was even better than that.

He said to open it, so open it!

In normal autopsy procedures, the limbs are not part of the routine dissection.

But the situation now was quite special.

Despite Lu Chuan’s order to open it, Guo Jianfeng was still the one handling the actual dissection.

The body had been dried out due to being sealed in the vacuum bag, so slicing it open was like cutting through leather.

Guo Jianfeng employed great care in his technique, cutting along the muscles when dissecting the limb.

This method not only conserved effort but also minimized damage to the body, making subsequent handling easier.

Slash!

With two cuts, the three of them heard a grating, screeching sound.

"There’s a steel plate!"

Guo Jianfeng’s face lit up with joy.

Wang Gang leaned in: "Really?"

"In that case, we might be able to identify the deceased."

Guo Jianfeng continued with the dissection, while Lu Chuan stepped aside to look at the vacuum bag that had enclosed the body.

As Wang Gang had mentioned, the vacuum bag encasing the body was thick; even after being buried underground for ten years, it hadn’t degraded.

The surface was merely a bit hazy.

The body had been curled up inside the bag when sealed, and the human outline was still clear to see today.

Standing beside the bag, Lu Chuan adopted a contemplative expression.

Why would the killer use a vacuum bag to enclose the body?

Killing is, in fact, quite simple.

The key lies in how the body is disposed of.

The vast majority of suspects are captured because they left traces while mishandling the body.

Using a vacuum bag for body disposal...

How did the killer come up with this method?