Chapter 73 Missing Girl Case (Part 2) Identity of the Deceased
Han Jianye also found it very strange. Why did the murderer drag the deceased to the mountain and hang him?
This method of killing is rarely heard of.
At present, we still need to confirm the identity of the deceased. Who is she?
What was the murderer's motive for killing and how many people were involved in the crime?
They are all still unknown.
Ye Bai followed Liao Wei and others, following the clues of finding shoes.
On the way down the mountain, they unexpectedly found several shoe prints sunk deep into the mud. After careful measurement, they found that the length of these shoe prints reached 29 cm. It was inferred that the murderer was probably wearing size 43 to 44 shoes.
Although the mountain road has been washed by rain, you can still vaguely see traces of human friction on the ground.
"Found it!" Qi Xiaolei's excited shout came from the front. She was standing next to a flat shoe, carefully taking photos for evidence.
Ye Bai continued walking down the mountain. He noticed that the road was covered with many obvious dents. These dents were oval in shape, obviously left by wheels.
"This should be the route the murderer drove here and reversed out." As he analyzed, he outlined the trajectory of the murderer's actions in his mind.
Su Wan also contacted other people and found an important clue. "Captain Han, our people called and said that the deceased looked very similar to the missing girl Huang Xiantian who was reported to the South District Police Station yesterday. She was 21 years old and worked at a grilled fish restaurant."
"Has the person who reported the case gone to identify the body?"
“I’ve already notified you.”
Han Jianye looked up at the sky. It was raining heavily outside, so they began to retreat into the tent to take shelter from the rain.
During a brief lull in the rain, the team held an emergency case analysis meeting in the tent.
Han Jianye held a ballpoint pen in his hand and began to sort out the information he had so far: "It has been confirmed that the deceased is a woman, whose identity has yet to be further confirmed. The cause of death was strangulation from being hung on a tree. There were multiple resistance scars on her body. It is estimated that she was killed between 10 and 12 last night."
Next, Ye Bai reported on the progress of their investigation: "According to our investigation, the deceased was most likely dragged up the mountain by the murderer last night. If I am not mistaken, the deceased was still alive before being taken up the mountain.
This can be seen from the deceased's shoes. The deceased resisted while being dragged, and there are signs of wear on the heels and toes of his shoes.
In addition, we found signs of wheel crushes on another mountain road at the foot of the mountain. That road diverged from the route we took up the mountain, but after a bend it led to a road down the mountain. This may be a key clue to tracking the murderer's driving route. ”
Liao Wei added: "We found several concave shoe prints near the pair of flat shoes, and speculated that the murderer might be an adult male wearing size 43-44 shoes."
Han Jianye hummed. It was hard not to find the deceased's cell phone and other personal belongings at the scene. He suspected that they were taken away by the murderer. He said, "Let's rest for a while. When the rain stops, we will evacuate overnight."
In the dense forest, mosquitoes seemed to be particularly fond of the dim light in the tent, and they kept flying around.
Qi Xiaolei stood on Ye Bai's left side, tilted her head slightly, leaned on his arm, and whispered softly: "It's raining so hard, could it be that Yiping went to her father to ask for money again?"
Liao Wei stood on Ye Bai's right side, also resting his head on Ye Bai's shoulder, and responded: "But Yiping didn't get the money that night, instead she was beaten badly by her father!"
Ye Bai stood in the middle, staring at the big tree in front of him, lost in thought.
He couldn't understand why the murderer would go to so much trouble, travel through mountains and rivers, and even go to the trouble of hanging the victim on a tree.
Han Jianye was also thinking about the same puzzle. He was confused about the murderer's method of killing, but he was sure that the murderer had either come here to scout the area beforehand or was a local villager who was familiar with the terrain.
At this time, his gaze turned to the three people cuddling together, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He had never seen Qi Xiaolei and Liao Wei so close to others. It seemed that Ye Bai was not only loved by Yuan Bao, but also quite popular.
When I thought about his reaction in the morning, I knew he was playing dumb. His true nature is revealed once he drinks. He is a man who throws tantrums and is completely different from the serious person he is now.
Thinking of this, he scratched the red mark under his collarbone unconsciously. He discovered it when he woke up in the morning. It must be the work of a poisonous mosquito. Although he had applied ointment, it was still itchy and uncomfortable.
The heavy rain continued until late at night. They didn't even have dinner. They decided to return overnight when the rain stopped for a while.
The mountain road became slippery and difficult to walk on due to the rain. Everyone was tense and supported each other as they went down the mountain carefully.
Their car stopped at the foot of the mountain. Their shoes were soaked, but fortunately they were wearing raincoats, otherwise they would probably catch a cold in the mountains.
When they finally got back in the car, they felt as if they were reborn. Even the discomfort they had felt during the day's ride became insignificant after experiencing the hardships of going down the mountain.
On the way back, Han Jianye received a message that the identity of the deceased had been confirmed. It was Huang Xiantian who had been missing for a day and a night.
It is said that she works and lives in the city with her sister, so it is puzzling why she appeared in the mountains 20 kilometers away.
Ye Bai raised a question: "Could it be an acquaintance who committed the crime? Or perhaps the murder was caused by emotional entanglement?"
Qi Xiaolei said sympathetically: "It's so tragic. She died alone in the mountains on a rainy night."
When they returned to the police station late at night, Mai Shaozhen had already completed the autopsy overnight and provided a report.
Han Jianye quickly glanced over the key points of the report: "The deceased was not sexually assaulted, the food in the stomach and duodenum had been emptied, there were multiple abrasions on the body caused by dragging, and no abnormalities were found in the toxicology test. The cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation caused by strangulation."
He put down the information in his hand heavily and began to construct the logic chain of the case: "The murderer didn't violate the deceased, so it was not rape. If it was a robbery, the deceased didn't look very wealthy. Considering that the deceased had been missing for a day and a night, and the food in her stomach had been emptied, she was most likely kidnapped, locked in a vehicle or a hidden place, and eventually taken to the mountains and forests in the suburbs and brutally killed. It is very likely that the crime was committed by an acquaintance, and it was either a revenge killing or a murder of love."
Then, he turned to Liao Wei and issued a specific action order: "After daybreak, you are responsible for accessing all road surveillance leading to Anming Village, and pay special attention to suspicious vehicles, especially vans."
"Understood, Captain Han." Liao Wei responded concisely.
At this time, Su Wan came over and said, "The deceased's sister Huang Xianyin is waiting outside the police station. Perhaps she can provide some valuable information."
Han Jianye nodded and sorted out the information. "Let's go and hear what she says."