Chapter 34 Shen Yitong
Missing case?
Sun Xianbing and Yu Jing, who had just investigated a missing case, looked at each other and asked the same question in unison.
"How long have you been missing?"
"How come nothing was found?"
Boss Hu spread out his hands, obviously feeling helpless.
"Just last week, she didn't come to work on Monday, and her colleagues looked for her everywhere. Her family said she didn't go home over the weekend, and the people in the dormitory next door said she didn't come back to live after get off work on Friday. The couple realized something was wrong and quickly called the police.
People from the police station came to investigate, but they didn't find anything useful after searching for a long time. Teacher Shen went to the police station every day and begged them to investigate the case seriously, but the police said they would notify him when they had any news and asked him not to come over and ask questions all day long.
A few days ago, the police said they found her resignation letter and a letter left for her parents. They finally concluded that she ran away from home and closed the case. ”
Today is Wednesday. Teacher Shen’s daughter was confirmed missing last Monday. The last time she was seen was last Friday. She has been missing for 12 days.
Running away from home?
Xia Mufan felt that there was something fishy about this matter.
A girl who holds a public office in a workplace just disappeared like that, and the final conclusion is that she ran away from home?
It is the 1990s, and there are many ways to communicate. The company has telephones and individuals have pagers. There are leaders and colleagues at work, and friends and family after get off work. How could Teacher Shen's daughter just give up all her social relationships and leave quietly, and no one could contact her?
Sun Xianbing snorted and complained to Xia Mufan in a low voice, "It's the Xinzhang Town Police Station again! They didn't find out anything about my aunt's disappearance before, and now a living person is missing, and they have closed the case so hastily again."
Yu Jing frowned: "Have you checked the communication records of Teacher Shen's daughter? Who did she contact before she disappeared? Does she have any enemies or lovers?"
When Boss Hu heard this, his eyes widened and he slapped his thigh: "Can you check these things? I heard that the comrades at the police station just took a notebook and asked Shen Yitong's colleagues and family members, and after a few days they said that she ran away from home and asked the family members to go back and wait for news."
Sun Xianbing became more and more angry as he listened: "There must be a trigger for running away from home, right? The other party is already 30 years old, has worked for many years, and is mentally normal. How could he suddenly give up his job and run away from home?"
Boss Hu shook his head repeatedly in an exaggerated manner: "I don't think she ran away from home either. I know that girl Shen Yitong. She has been shy and well-behaved since she was a child. Although she doesn't like to talk, she is very likable with a smile. After graduating from college, she could have gone to a big city to work, but because she was worried about her parents, she stayed in the town to work. She is a rare filial child. How could she run away without saying hello?"
He paused, swallowed his saliva and continued to express his opinion: "Besides, the town government has been raising wages since 1993, and has raised them three times in a row. The benefits are getting better every year. The work is leisurely and close to home, and housing is allocated. Why would you quit such a good job?"
Finally, Boss Hu gave his conclusion: "Anyway, not to mention that Teacher Shen doesn't believe it, even I, a small restaurant owner, feel that something is wrong. I don't know how the police station came to this conclusion. Who knows if there is any problem!"
Yu Jing asked: "Then, has the police station completed the information collection? Has it posted a missing person notice? Has it sent a letter of assistance to the Public Security Bureau?"
Boss Hu had no idea about this and just shook his head in confusion.
Yu Jing and Sun Xianbing looked at each other and sighed at the same time.
They have worked in the police station for many years and are very experienced.
The handling of missing adult cases like this requires at least three steps in the process.
The first step is to collect information.
The police require family members to provide basic information about the missing person, including name, age, recent photo, accent, individual characteristics and their number and location, such as scars, moles, birthmarks, etc. And further understand the clothing the other person was wearing when he or she disappeared, collect daily necessities of the missing person such as toothbrushes, shoes and socks, etc., and collect blood samples from parents, brothers and sisters and other immediate family members.
The second step is for family members to place missing person notices in newspapers, radio stations, and television stations.
The third step is for the public security organs to visit the place of disappearance and the surrounding residents to inquire whether there were any unusual circumstances on that day. If there is a destination, send someone or send a letter of cooperation to the public security agency at the destination to request assistance in the investigation.
Now the Criminal Investigation Technology Center of the Provincial Department has built a missing persons information system, and DNA technology is gradually maturing. All information can be registered first, and a missing persons assistance notice can be issued within the public security system.
During the twelve days since his disappearance, the Criminal Investigation Brigade has not received any news from the Xinzhang Town Police Station, which shows that they are not serious about this case.
Sun Xianbing couldn't help but spit: "Bullshit Xinzhang Town Police Station!"
Xia Mufan narrowed his eyes and said nothing.
When investigating his mother's disappearance, Xia Mufan dealt with Xiao Zhenwei, the director of Xinzhang Town Police Station, and it could be seen that he was a smooth person. When I was in school, I went to the police station to inquire about my mother's case, but Chief Xiao refused to even see me. Later, she came to him again as part of the serious crime team. He was very enthusiastic and not only accompanied her to Wupi Village in person, but also found Hao Gang, who had handled the case before, to cooperate with her in the work.
What kind of leader you have, what kind of soldiers you get.
I'm afraid the people at Xinzhang Town Police Station have long been accustomed to choosing dishes based on their taste.
Teacher Shen is just a retired teacher with no social background, and his family are all honest people, so they did not take the issue of Shen Yitong's disappearance seriously. With the idea that less trouble is worse than more, they did not report it to the Criminal Investigation Brigade at all. They just made a random investigation, declared that the child had run away from home, and asked the family members to go home and wait for news.
The more Xu Shumei listened, the more anxious she became.
Running away from home? A single woman who runs away from home and does not contact anyone is most likely to be abducted.
Xu Shumei had experienced the pain of being abducted, so her heart ached when she heard about women going missing. The missing girl is the daughter of her mentor, and Xu Shumei is unwilling to sit idly by.
Xu Shumei held Xia Mufan's hand, her eyes full of pleading: "Help Teacher Shen, find a way to help him. When I was studying, if Teacher Shen's family made something delicious, they would always ask Teacher Zhou to secretly send it to me. Teacher Shen and Teacher Zhou are both very good people. Now that they are in trouble, we should help them if we can, okay?"
Facing his mother's tearful eyes, Xia Mufan nodded and said, "Okay, let's ask about the situation first."
Cases of missing women are indeed heart-wrenching.
If she ran away from home, we must find out the reason for leaving and determine her destination, then issue a joint investigation notice to the police at the destination to find her as soon as possible and persuade her to return home.
If he had not run away from home, then time is life. Twelve days have passed now. Given the efficiency of the Xinzhang Town Police Station, this would probably remain an unsolved case.
As they were talking, the restaurant owner saw an old man staggering towards the door from the corner of his eye, and he hurried to the door and shouted at the top of his voice: "Teacher Shen, Teacher Shen——"
Shen Hongyun was hanging his head, and when he heard someone shouting, he subconsciously raised his head.
Boss Hu ran over and pulled his arm: "Teacher Shen, come in for a moment."
Shen Hongyun smiled bitterly and waved his hands: "It's Xiao Hu, I've eaten."
Boss Hu was very persistent and dragged Shen Hongyun to the restaurant, saying as he dragged him: "Teacher Shen, I found someone to help you, come quickly."
Shen Hongyun passively came in front of Xu Shumei, and when he saw them, his eyes dimmed. He didn't want his former students to see him in such an awkward state, so he tried hard to break free from Boss Hu's hand.
Seeing the old man being stubborn, Boss Hu quickly explained: "Teacher Shen, Xiao Xia is a police officer now, why don't you ask her to help."
Xu Shumei knew that Teacher Shen was a tough person who was unwilling to accept sympathy and pity from others, so she stood up and said softly, "Teacher, one person's plan is short, two people's plan is long. Please talk to us, and let's work together to find Tongtong as soon as possible."
Hearing Xu Shumei mention her daughter's nickname again, Shen Hongyun felt a pain in his heart. He could no longer maintain his outward strength. His legs went weak and he almost fell.
Xu Shumei hurriedly helped Shen Hongyun sit down.
Sun Xianbing reacted quickly and brought some hot tea to Shen Hongyun, "Teacher, have some tea."
Xu Shumei knew Teacher Shen's temper and did not hesitate to expose her shortcomings: "Teacher Shen, I didn't tell you the truth at the beginning. You haven't seen me for so many years, it's not because of anything else, it's because I was kidnapped."
Shen Hongyun exclaimed, "Ah!" and asked anxiously, "How are you? Why is this happening?"
Xu Shumei sat next to the teacher and handed the hot tea to Shen Hongyun: "Teacher, drink some tea, take a breath, and listen to me slowly."
Xu Shumei had a gentle temperament. Just a few simple words from her made Shen Hongyun let down his guard. He obediently took the hot tea in his hand and took a few sips.
After drinking the hot tea, Shen Hongyun's pale face finally showed some color.
Xu Shumei said, "Teacher, do you know that I was abducted to a small mountain valley in Y Province sixteen years ago? My family went to the police station to report the case, but there were no clues. In the end, the case was closed as missing, and the registration was cancelled two years later. I was considered dead."
Missing case closed? This made Shen Hongyun's heart shrink.
Now his daughter Shen Yitong is also missing. Was she also abducted? He looked at Xu Shumei anxiously: "Then what? How did you come back!"
Xu Shumei looked at Xia Mufan, her eyes full of pride: "This is my daughter. She works at the Hui City Public Security Bureau. She insisted on reopening the old case and investigated with her colleagues. Finally, she found important clues and rescued me."
Shen Hongyun continued to ask: "What kind of clue is it?"
Xu Shumei looked at Xia Mufan, who answered for her: "On the day my mother disappeared, a luxury car appeared in the town. It was based on this clue that we traced to Xing City and found the driver. Only then did we follow the clues and find the person."
Sun Xianbing added: "Any abnormal situation before and after the disappearance may become an important clue for tracking down the person. As long as we are careful and attentive, we will definitely be able to find the person."
As if a person groping in the dark suddenly found a guiding light, Shen Hongyun's gaze shifted from Xia Muchan to Sun Xianbing, Yu Jing, and then back to Xu Shumei. His lips trembled a little, and after a long while he said with difficulty: "Then, please, please help me."
Having been a teacher for so long, Shen Hongyun is accustomed to helping others, but never willing to ask for help. Now he has mustered up all his courage to ask students for help for his daughter.
Seeing the embarrassed look on the face of his former respected teacher, Xia Mufan felt sad and nodded solemnly: "Okay."
Shen Hongyun thanked him repeatedly, and Boss Hu urged him, "Teacher Shen, please don't waste time. Tell Xiaoxia what you know, and then we can discuss what to do next."
Shen Hongyun has been running back and forth between the hospital and the police station for some time and is already exhausted.
In the hospital, his wife Zhou Luanfeng had suffered a stroke and her mouth was crooked. When she saw him, she asked anxiously: Have you found Tongtong? She became more and more anxious day by day, and her physical recovery was not optimistic.
The police at the police station were polite to him at first, but their attitude became increasingly cold after two days of investigation. After they found the resignation letter and the note, they directly concluded that he had run away from home. When they saw him, they started to play Tai Chi: Go back and wait for news, we will notify you when there is one.
The town government leader also said coldly that if Shen Yitong did not come back to work after a month, she would be dismissed from her public office. Shen Hongyun said all the nice things he could, but they just acted in a businesslike manner and said that although Shen Yitong had submitted a letter of resignation to the leadership, the organization was still studying it and had not agreed to it, nor had they gone through any procedures. Now that she has left her job without permission, the impact is very bad. Giving her a one-month buffer period is already very considerate.
Shen Hongyun is just a retired Chinese teacher who has been working on the podium for a long time. He turns a deaf ear to the world outside and focuses on reading the books of sages. Although he has many students all over the world, social resources are limited, so when encountering difficulties, he just follows the normal procedures.
The police told him to go back and wait for news, but he didn't dare to rush. The town government leaders handled their affairs impartially, which made him feel extremely honored. I can only go to the police station to ask before delivering lunch to my husband every day, hoping to hear news from my daughter as soon as possible.
However, almost half a month had passed, and his daughter Shen Yitong was like a drop of water that had evaporated, with no news at all. Shen Hongyun was so anxious that his mouth was full of blisters, but he could do nothing.
The appearance of Xu Shuyun brought him a glimmer of hope.
He was deeply impressed by this student because there was a kind of spirituality in Xu Shumei's writing, which made him appreciate her talent. But she didn't continue her studies in the end, which made him sigh for a long time at home.
If she could be found after being missing for sixteen years, then my daughter could definitely be found after being missing for twelve days.
Shen Hongyun's voice was hoarse as he slowly recounted the circumstances surrounding his daughter's disappearance.
Shen Hongyun has only one daughter, Shen Yitong, who is pretty, well-behaved and sensible. After graduating from college, she was assigned to work in the town government and now works as a clerk in the Propaganda Department.
Like his father, Shen Yitong has no ambition and no interest in being an official. He usually does his job conscientiously and has a casual relationship with his colleagues.
Xinzhang Town is only this big, and Shen Yitong's workplace is not far from the town's middle school, so she seldom lives in the workplace dormitory. She goes home after get off work, eats and lives at home, and the family of three lives happily together.
As their daughter grew older, Shen Yitong had never been in a relationship and had no plans to get married, which made Shen Hongyun and his wife a little anxious. They urged her several times, but to no avail.
During the Spring Festival, Zhou Luanfeng invited a single teacher to her home, hoping to find a date for her daughter. Unexpectedly, Shen Yitong was very disgusted and hid in the dormitory, refusing to come home. Later, Zhou Luanfeng couldn't bear it anymore and took the initiative to call Shen Yitong to go home for two days on the weekend.
Just one week before her daughter disappeared, Shen Hongyun and her daughter had a fierce argument. Shen Yitong lost her temper for the first time and said: Don’t push me anymore! I packed my things and went to the company dormitory, and haven't made a single phone call since then.
When he said this, tears welled up in Shen Hongyun's eyes and a layer of mist covered his glasses. He reached out his hand tremblingly, took off his glasses and wiped them, and when he put them on again, he had already forced back his tears.
Shen Hongyun blamed himself and his face turned pale. "I should have respected my daughter's wishes and shouldn't have urged her to get married. If Tongtong came home every day, she wouldn't have disappeared. If I hadn't quarreled with Tongtong, or if I took the initiative to call her and apologize, she wouldn't have run away from home. Blame me! Blame me! Teacher Zhou wanted to visit her dormitory on Saturday, but I stopped her. Why did I force her at that time?"
Xu Shumei couldn't bear it and comforted him, "Teacher, don't think like that. The most important thing now is to find Tongtong. Teacher Zhou has been hospitalized, so you must take care of yourself."
Shen Hongyun sighed and nodded.
Xia Mufan signaled Sun Xianbing to take out his notebook and prepare to take notes.
Sun Xianbing cooperated with her tacitly, put the notebook on the dining table and held the pen in his hand.
Xia Mushige asked: "On what specific day was he found missing?"
Shen Hongyun had asked this question countless times at the police station, and he answered it quickly: "April 15th was a Monday, and Tongtong did not go to work as usual. The unit leader called our school to inquire, and then I knew that Tongtong was missing. Later, the police station comrades asked the colleague who lived next door to Tongtong, and he said that Tongtong did not come back on Friday night, and they thought she had gone home."
Xia Mufan asked: "Does the colleague who lives next door to Shen Yitong have a good relationship with her? How can she be sure that Shen Yitong did not return to the dormitory on the weekend?"
Shen Hongyun: "My daughter doesn't like to talk, and her relationships with her colleagues are average. The dormitory she lives in is the kind with a single-sided corridor, one per person, and the toilet and shower area are at both ends of the corridor. If Tongtong is at home, there will always be people who see people coming and going."
Xia Mushige asked: "Did the police check the dormitory? Did they find anything unusual?"
Shen Hongyun nodded: "Yes, the police station went to the dormitory to check and took pictures. They said they didn't find anything, it's normal."
"No signs of a struggle? No signs of strangers visiting? No strange books, diaries, or letters found?"
Xia Mufan asked a lot of questions in one breath, and Shen Hongyun kept shaking his head.
Xia Mushige: "Who was the last person to see your daughter?"
Shen Hongyun: "A colleague from the Publicity Department."
Xia Mushige: "Then she was last seen on April 12th. It is now the 24th, so she has been missing for 12 days."
Shen Hongyun nodded, his eyes full of anxiety: "Yes, it has been almost half a month, and there is no news at all! I don't have a telephone at home, but Teacher Wan's house across the street has one. Every time I hear a knock on the door, I hope it's her calling to tell me that she just went out to relax and is now ready to come back."
Xia Mufan asked again: "Did the colleagues in the Propaganda Department see her leave the town government office building?"
Shen Hongyun frowned: "Should be, right?"
Xia Mushige: "How far is her workplace from her dormitory?"
Shen Hongyun: "Not far away, just next to the office building, a few dozen meters away."
Xia Mufan asked: "During the time your daughter was missing, have you received any strange letters or phone calls?"
Shen Hongyun shook his head: "No, I have been paying attention, but there is no news. Teacher Zhou and I don't have pagers, we are not used to using them. We are both retired. Apart from buying groceries and taking walks, we are at home most of the time. Tongtong contacts us either by calling the next-door number or by visiting us directly at home."
Xia Mushige asked: "Did she meet anyone she knew on her way home from get off work? Did anyone see which direction she went? Was there a car accident nearby? Did any strangers appear?"
Shen Hongyun shook his head: "I don't know, but the comrades at the police station must have investigated it."
Boss Hu interrupted, "There was no car accident. From the 12th to the 15th, everything was going smoothly in our town. I've opened this restaurant for seven or eight years. It's facing the main road in town, so I know what's going on."
Xia Mufan pursed his lips, his eyes a little dim.
Shen Hongyun keenly sensed Xia Mufan's changes and looked at her nervously: "What's wrong? Is there anything wrong?"
Xia Mushige shook his head and quickly calmed down: "It's okay."
When he said it was okay, he was actually just trying to comfort Shen Hongyun out of his fatherly heart.
In fact, as he learned about the situation now, Xia Mufan felt increasingly heavy-hearted.
Because of his mother's disappearance, Xia Mufan paid special attention to missing persons cases. He reviewed countless files while in college and gradually formed a unique set of judgment criteria.
There are two types of missing persons: one is due to active factors, such as going out to work, doing business, and making friends; the other is due to passive factors, such as traffic accidents, murder, and abduction.
Shen Yitong is in a stable mental state, has a stable job, stable income and a stable family, and is a "four-stable" person. This type of people is different from migrant workers who have no fixed place to live and work everywhere to make a living. They are rational, mature and have ties. Once an unexplained disappearance occurs, even if no body is found, the possibility of murder is very high.
Although Shen Yitong had quarreled with her family, it can be seen that she has a deep relationship with her parents and there is no reason for her to suddenly leave home without informing her family. Although Shen Yitong did not hold any official position in the unit, the income from the town government was stable and the work was not leisurely, so it was impossible for her to leave her job without going through the resignation procedures.
Shen Yitong has been missing for twelve days, and there is a high probability that she is no longer alive.
Xia Mufan hoped very much that Shen Yitong really just ran away from home in a momentary impulse.
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