Chapter 26 The Three-Point Investigation Method: Determine the Nature, Determine the Scope, Determine the Characteristics
Soon after, Jiang Ling, who had gotten up early, received a call from Yuan Yi.
"After a night of interrogation, Xie Jiayan and the others gave the same story: neither of them admitted to killing the five children. They only said that they sent the seriously ill child back to the countryside for treatment. As for which countryside and where it was located, it was all nonsense!"
"Ying Songmao said you have a very impressive technique called geographic profiling. Could you use this technique to find their burial site?"
Jiang Ling nodded without hesitation: "Yes."
I was just wondering how to join the anti-trafficking team, and this is like a dream come true!
When it comes to the burial site, no one knows better than Jiang Ling.
In her previous life, in 1995, the hideout of the Hawk gang was raided. The ringleader and Xie Jiayan escaped, and Xiao Wei's body was dug up in the backyard of a farmhouse on the outskirts of Xinchang County.
Yuan Yi thought he would hear the answer "I'll try," but Jiang Ling replied directly with an absolute "Yes," which made him involuntarily exclaim "Huh?"
He then added, "Can it really be found through geography?"
Jiang Ling nodded again: "Yes."
Yuan Yi was overjoyed and suddenly increased the volume, making Jiang Ling's ears hurt. She quickly moved the phone further away.
"Great! Here's what we'll do: I'll write an application to temporarily transfer you to our anti-trafficking team. You can go back to the police station after this case is closed. Don't worry, we'll apply for an award for you once the case is solved, and you won't be shortchanged on work benefits, bonuses, or subsidies."
Jiang Ling didn't stand on ceremony: "I'm bringing people with me."
Yuan Yi asked, "Who?"
Jiang Ling looked at Li Zhenliang, who had been staring intently at her: "You've met him before, Li Zhenliang."
Yuan Yi: "Okay! You two come over now."
As soon as Jiang Ling hung up the phone, Li Zhenliang excitedly came over: "You're taking me to the Municipal Public Security Bureau to participate in a major anti-trafficking case? You're a great brother!"
Finding the right partner is indeed very important; Jiang Ling can carry me to new heights!
Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei were both a little envious, and punched Li Zhenliang lightly: "You're so lucky to be able to participate in a major case at the Municipal Bureau." This kind of temporary secondment is definitely a glorious achievement on your resume, it's really great.
Jiang Ling glanced at them and said, "If there's a chance, I'll bring you along next time."
With 32 years of work experience, she certainly knows the importance of a team.
Overseas psychological profiling teams typically consist of five people: a lead profiler, a behavior analyst, a physical evidence expert, a data liaison, and an information officer.
Even a hero needs three helpers, so Jiang Ling plans to start building his own team right now.
Liu Haoran is a police academy graduate, outgoing, and good at communication. He is very suitable to be the data liaison officer, as he is well-suited for tasks such as on-site investigation, field research and evidence collection, file retrieval, and liaison with the technical team.
Zhou Wei is a retired soldier with strong discipline, observation skills, and action ability. He can be appointed as an information officer to perform tasks such as surveillance, wiretapping, and tracking, and to collect information on the characteristics of various criminals.
Li Zhenliang has a gentle personality and stable emotions, making him a suitable assistant. He is responsible for field coordination, temporary evidence collection, and initial data screening. With proper training, he can become an excellent behavioral analyst.
As for myself, I am naturally the case director—the chief profiler who deduces the killer's psychological motives and personality traits from details of the crime scene.
As for forensic experts...
Isn't Ying Songmao readily available?
Upon hearing Jiang Ling's words, Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei became visibly excited. They exchanged a glance, their eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.
"Okay, Xiao Jiang, you must remember to take us with you next time."
"Don't worry, we will cooperate fully."
Jiang Ling nodded slightly: "Okay."
She picked up a sex education picture book she had half-finished from her desk: "I only finished half of this picture book, so you two can finish the rest."
Liu Haoran obediently took it, but the tips of his ears turned slightly red: "...I'm afraid I won't do it well."
Zhou Wei hesitated a bit: "The two of us, is that okay?"
Jiang Ling said, "We've already discussed the importance of sex education and awareness campaigns. I've outlined the chapter content; you just need to supplement the content with illustrations and text according to the framework. This is a task assigned by the Municipal Bureau, and you'll be credited later. If we win an award, you'll definitely get a share."
Jiang Ling understood this perfectly: if you want a horse to run, you have to feed it.
Sure enough, Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei responded loudly, "Yes! We guarantee to complete the mission."
Li Zhenliang took his notebook and pen and left the police station with Jiang Ling.
Xiaowei and Xiaoyong stood at the door, watching their departing figures with pitiful eyes, waving their little hands and calling out, "Auntie, Uncle Li, come back soon!"
Hearing those soft, childlike voices, Jiang Ling felt a pang of tenderness in her heart. She didn't dare turn around, but raised her right hand and waved, "Stay with Lao Wei, don't run off."
Li Zhenliang often interacts with his daughter and knows how to make the children happy. He turns around with a smile and waves, saying, "Sweetie, we're going to catch bad guys. You wait at the station. We'll buy you candy when we get back."
Xiao Wei and Xiao Yong shouted in unison, "Good!"
That "okay" was like a warm breeze and sweet candy. Even after walking a long way, Jiang Ling still had a smile on her lips and gentle eyes.
Upon entering the anti-trafficking team's office, Jiang Ling's expression turned serious.
Yuan Yi gestured for her to sit down and then asked Zhou Jinliang to pour some hot water: "This is Zhou Jinliang, who is in charge of this case. You can just call him Xiao Liang."
Next, he began to introduce the other people.
"Old Wang, Wang Xuechang."
"Gangzi, Liao Gang."
...
Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang took the hot water and greeted each of the criminal police officers involved in the case.
Li Zhenliang had a big smile on his face, but he was a little reserved. After all, it was a new environment and he was meeting all new faces.
Jiang Ling remained calm.
She worked in the public security system for 32 years. Although the work in the archives was relatively "homebound," it still required interacting with colleagues who came to retrieve case files. Apart from a very few bad apples, most criminal police officers were focused on their careers and deeply engraved the seven words "People's Police for the People" in their hearts.
We're all good comrades, brought together for the same case, so what's there to be reserved about?
After the introductions, Yuan Yi asked Zhou Jinliang to show the interrogation transcript to Jiang Ling: "Team Leader Ying said your geography sketching skills are excellent. Can you find the children's burial site based on their confession?"
The people below looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion.
There are few women in the Criminal Investigation Detachment, and they rarely go out on fieldwork. Suddenly, Jiang Ling, who was seconded from the police station, appeared. I thought she had some kind of superhuman abilities, but I didn't expect her to be a pretty young girl.
It's not that I'm sexist, it's just that the nature of our jobs is different.
Criminal investigators face vicious criminals every day, the arrest process is fraught with danger, they often have to travel, and they might even have to live a life of hardship. How can women be made to suffer like that? What kind of protection of the vulnerable is that!
Jiang Ling could see everyone's doubts.
Since she said "I can" in front of Yuan Yi, she must show off her skills today.
Jiang Ling did not immediately look at the trafficker's statement, but began to ask questions.
"What are the educational levels of the three men and three women?"
“Xie Jiayan attended primary school, but the rest of them are illiterate.”
What is the most common surname?
"Sink".
"How many people have the surname Chen in total?"
"Three."
"Where is Shen Sanzhuang from?"
"Dahuai Village, Qingshi Town, Xinchang County".
"Are those three human traffickers surnamed Shen all from the same place?"
Zhou Jin nodded: "Yes, they are all from Dahuai Village, Qingshi Town, Xinchang County. They come from the same place."
Jiang Ling pondered for a moment, then turned to another question: "Shen Xiaomei said that five children died. Did she personally witness the children's deaths?"
Yuan Yi interjected: "I asked her about it later, and she said that Shen Dazhuang and the others were unwilling to spend money to treat the children. Those five children were on the verge of death and would definitely not live long."
Jiang Ling gestured to Li Zhenliang to push the whiteboard that was placed in the corner of the anti-trafficking team over.
Li Zhenliang was very cooperative.
Jiang Ling picked up a blue marker from the groove at the bottom of the whiteboard, wrote down the nine characters "Dahuai Village, Qingshi Town, Xinchang County," and drew a thick black line: "The burial site is right here."
Yuan Yi slapped his thigh: "Actually, I had the same idea, but I lack relevant evidence. I contacted the Dahuai Village Police Station today and asked them to investigate Shen Sanzhuang and his group in the village. I estimate we won't have any news until tomorrow at the earliest."
Based on his years of experience in combating human trafficking, Yuan Yi has come to realize that these traffickers are a well-organized, premeditated group with a complete trafficking chain. However, the five individuals are currently tight-lipped and avoiding key questions.
Unlike later generations, police in various regions do not yet have a nationwide network for household registration information and criminal records, where one only needs to enter their ID number online to see everything. In other cases, one has to issue a notice for assistance or make a phone call to inquire.
If there's no scope for the investigation, who should be notified in the request for assistance? Which police station should be contacted? This workload would exhaust all the police officers.
Jiang Ling didn't rush to explain how she could confirm the burial site. Instead, she asked Zhou Jinliang, "Did you find out what the gang's name is?"
Zhou Jinliang shook his head: "I did ask, but they all said they don't have a name, they're just people who gather together with their children to beg."
Wang Xuechang added, "They don't admit to trafficking; they only say they bought the children from their parents. We found out that each child's parents signed a foster care agreement, so the evidence is quite complete."
Liao Gang gritted his teeth and said, "They are really well prepared. We are verifying the information and waiting for confirmation from the police over there."
Zhou Jinliang sighed, "This is the first time I've encountered such an organized child abduction gang. It's really difficult to deal with. I'm afraid all this information is fabricated. If we can't find anything, they'll insist that the other child's parents lied to us. Right now, apart from Xiaowei, we haven't been able to get any useful information about the other children."
Jiang Ling sneered: "Where there are people, there is a world of intrigue. They can't be a monolithic entity. I heard from Xiao Wei that Xie Jiayan disappears for three to five days every now and then. I guess she has contact with her superiors. I think she's eloquent and can lie without batting an eye. She's quite good at suppressing Shen Sanzhuang, so Shen Sanzhuang must be resentful. We might as well use this as a breakthrough to pry open Shen Sanzhuang's mouth."
Zhou Jinliang looked at Wang Xuechang.
Wang Xuechang immediately stood up: "Okay, then I will interrogate Shen Sanzhuang again."
Liao Gang also stood up: "Let's say that Xie Jiayan confessed that he was the leader, which would make his crime even more serious. Let's try to trick him first."
Jiang Ling nodded and reminded him, "Ask them the name of their gang, and put that question among a bunch of easy questions so they don't have time to react."
Wang Xuechang and Liao Gang were both familiar with this method, and they smiled and said, "Okay!"
Name?
gender?
Place of origin?
Education level?
Where is your permanent residence?
What is the name of the gang?
First, lull the other party into a false sense of security with simple questions, then suddenly throw out a crucial question, and while the other party is off guard, easily obtain the real answer.
After Wang Xuechang and Liao Gang left, Yuan Yi asked Jiang Ling, "Why are you so concerned about the team name?"
Of course, Jiang Ling couldn't say that she knew the gang leader's name was Shen Tianyao. Asking for the name "Yaozi" was to pinpoint Shen Tianyao's identity.
"It is clear that this is an organized and premeditated human trafficking gang, and the six suspects we have apprehended are very likely just the tip of the iceberg."
"The fact that the other party was able to quickly transfer five sick children shows that they have vehicles and can easily deploy them."
"The fact that a group of five illiterate people and one person with only a primary school education could forge household registration information, fabricate children's medical records, and even prepare foster care agreements shows that their leader is highly educated and very influential in the local area."
"Hmm." Yuan Yi had a flash of inspiration. "Having a car makes deployment easier? The other side might even have a convoy!"
Jiang Ling smiled slightly: "Yes!" Then she wrote the words "team" on the whiteboard.
Zhou Jinliang also got excited: "Highly educated and influential in the local area? Then this person's job must involve frequent dealings with government agencies. If we can find out where he's from, it should be easier to investigate."
Li Zhenliang had been silent and in the background, but now, feeling the excitement of everyone's discussion, he gradually broke free of his restraint and spoke up boldly: "This person is most likely related to Shen Sanzhuang, otherwise why are there so many people from Dahuai Village with the surname Shen in the team?"
Jiang Ling wrote a large character “沉” on the whiteboard.
"This person's surname is Shen. His hometown is Dahuai Village or a nearby village in Qingshi Town, Xinchang County. He has some education, at least a high school diploma. He can manage a fleet of vehicles, frequently deals with government agencies, and has a good reputation."
Zhou Jinliang stood up abruptly: "Then what are we waiting for? Investigate immediately!"
Jiang Ling raised her hand and pressed it down: "Don't rush."
Yuan Yi glared at Zhou Jinliang: "What's the panic?" You're a veteran detective, how come you're still acting like a greenhorn? Your composure is even worse than Jiang Ling's, a newbie who's only been working for half a year.
Zhou Jinliang said, "How can we not panic? Xiao Jiang just said that this is a gang! A big gang! They must still have a lot of trafficked children in their hands. Every day we delay is another day of suffering and another day of danger."
Since she had to wait for the results of Wang Xuechang's interrogation anyway, Jiang Ling began using her criminal profiling techniques.
The first step is the three-pronged approach.
Define its nature, scope, and character.
Jiang Ling had no intention of hiding anything or letting his apprentice starve him. He turned around and wrote "Three Determinations - Determine the nature, determine the scope, determine the character" on the whiteboard.
Jiang Ling said, "Criminal psychological profiling usually begins with these three methods of investigation."
Don't underestimate these simple nine characters. The "Three-Fixed Investigation Method" is the result of countless criminal investigation practices and was also the theme of the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Criminal Psychological Profiling Association and the Seminar on Behavioral Evidence Analysis.
Determine the nature of the crime and analyze the motive;
Define the scope and indicate the direction of the investigation;
Define facial features and create criminal psychological profiles.
“Tell me more about it in detail~” Yuan Yi knew his stuff. As soon as he heard about the “three-fixed investigation method”, his eyes lit up. He leaned forward and excitedly directed Zhou Jinliang: “Hurry up and take out your notebooks to write this down.”
Although Jiang Ling had no experience in lecturing, she loved reading, thinking, and had a good memory, so she could easily talk about the three-point investigation method.
"Determining the nature of the crime means analyzing the motive. Let's start with that."
"This case involves child trafficking, and most of these crimes are driven by exorbitant profits, accounting for about 70%. Currently, the price for a boy is basically 3,000 yuan, which is equivalent to a year's salary for an urban resident and can buy a house in a county town."
Zhou Jinliang took out his notebook and took notes carefully, nodding as he wrote: "Yes, most of the human traffickers we arrested were doing it for huge profits."
Jiang Ling continued, "The second type of criminal motive is demand chain transmission. Traditional clan concepts create a buyer's market. In some areas, it's for the purpose of continuing the family line, and in other areas, it's for the purpose of raising children to provide for old age. Under this criminal motive, boys are the main targets of trafficking."
Zhou Jinliang nodded again: "That's right. The children we rescued in Hewei Township a while ago were all bought by families without sons to carry on the family line."
Jiang Ling said, "The third type of criminal motive is revenge against society."
She clearly remembers a case in western Hunan in 1995 where the trafficker abducted 12 children to "bury" her own child after the child died; and a case in Chongqing in 2001 where the trafficker was an infertile woman who abducted girls and abused them to imitate the role of a mother.
Speaking of this, Yuan Yi frowned: "Since our anti-trafficking team was established, we have also encountered a similar case. A villager's only son died young, and out of jealousy, he abducted and sold the three sons of his neighbor. However, these kinds of cases are easy to solve; we just need to trace them along social connections."
The thought of the fourth type of child abduction weighed heavily on Jiang Ling's mind.
This category involves organ trafficking. According to the ledgers of a criminal gang busted in a provincial capital city in 1998, a healthy child's heart was priced at 150,000 yuan, and a pair of corneas at 20,000 yuan. These all required live harvesting, an extremely cruel act. However, organ transplant technology is still immature, and an organ trafficking market has not yet formed.
Jiang Ling chose to skip this fourth type.
"So... which category should we classify this child abduction case we have in our hands?"
Zhou Jinliang subconsciously raised his hand: "The first type, driven by exorbitant profits."
Jiang Ling nodded in affirmation: "Yes."
Zhou Jinliang only realized this when he lowered his hand. "Oh dear!" he thought. "The policewoman speaking in front of me is much younger than me. Why am I acting like I'm meeting a teacher? Raising my hand to answer? Ugh!"
Jiang Ling seemed oblivious to Zhou Jinliang's frustration: "The primary motivation is still profiteering. As far as I know, a healthy child earns about 20 or 30 yuan a day, but after being deliberately disabled, they can earn 100 or 200 yuan a day by taking advantage of passersby's sympathy."
The anti-trafficking team was established in 1990. Zhou Jinliang and Yuan Yi worked on anti-trafficking for three years, rescuing many trafficked women and children, and also knew the general market rate in this industry.
However, this was the first time they had encountered abducted children begging.
Upon hearing that they could earn one or two hundred yuan a day, their mouths dropped open. Unbelievable! That's almost half a month's salary for just one child! If a couple takes care of three children, and each child earns at least a hundred yuan, wouldn't that be ten thousand yuan a month?
I knew that doing this kind of business could be very profitable, but I never imagined it would be this profitable.
"Tap, tap, tap—"
Just as Yuan Yi was reflecting on this, someone gently knocked on the door.
Yuan Yi stood up and welcomed the visitors in: "Songmao, Xiao Chen, what brings you here?"
Ying Songmao pointed to the whiteboard with the words "Three-Fixed Investigation Method" written on it: "Jiang Ling is giving a lecture, so we've come over to learn from him."
Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang saluted simultaneously: "Yes, sir!"
Ying Songmao quickly waved his hand: "No need to be so formal. I'm just here to listen in. Jiang Ling, please continue."
Jiang Ling didn't mince words and continued, "Abducted children are imprisoned for long periods without being paid. They're only fed leftovers to keep them alive. Most criminal gangs disguise themselves as fathers and sons or mothers and daughters to evade police checks. You can calculate how much Xie Jiayan and Shen Sanzhuang, this couple who control three children, earn each month."
Zhou Jinliang had already calculated it once and immediately answered, "Ten thousand!"
Li Zhenliang, who had been standing next to the whiteboard providing teaching aids to Jiang Ling and writing down keywords at her prompting, felt that the anti-trafficking brigade office had become a classroom, with Jiang Ling as the main lecturer.
He looked around and secretly wondered: Could it be that I've become a teaching assistant too?
Yuan Yi could hardly bear to watch Zhou Jinliang's enthusiastic responses. It was over; Jiang Ling had only spoken for half an hour, and Zhou Jinliang had already become her obedient student.
Jiang Ling's expression remained unchanged: "Yes, the cost is extremely low and the profit is very high, but buying and selling people is a one-off deal. This kind of trafficking is a long-term operation, which increases the risk and places higher demands on the gang's control capabilities."
She pointed to the words "defined range".
"The leader of this gang is very clever. He can provide Xie Jiayan and others with fake household registration certificates and medical records, and he must take a cut of the bodies he is responsible for disposing of."
"To become a member of a gang, the leader must have special control methods."
“Starting from this point, we can pinpoint the direction of our investigation.”
Yuan Yi reacted quickly and immediately thought of something: "There should be a cut, but the exact percentage is unclear for now. Didn't you just say that Xiao Wei mentioned Xie Jiayan disappears for three to five days every month? She must be going to make offerings."
Zhou Jinliang also stood up excitedly: "In every couple, there is one person with the surname Shen. This is a way for the other party to control them."
He suddenly frowned and asked, "Strange, why wasn't it someone surnamed Shen who offered sacrifices, but Xie Jiayan instead?"
Li Zhenliang was also caught up in the atmosphere of the discussion, and quickly joined in, setting aside his initial reserve: "Xie Jiayan might have a special relationship with the leader, for example..."
Zhou Jinliang and Li Zhenliang exclaimed in unison: "Mistress!"
As soon as the words left their mouths, their eyes met, and they burst into laughter at the same time.
A smile appeared in Jiang Ling's eyes. Based on the information everyone has deduced so far, the facial makeup of Shen Tianyao, the leader of the Hawk's gang, is already taking shape.
"Great!" Jiang Ling exclaimed loudly and tapped the whiteboard.
"Next, we can define the scope."
"In order to make it easier to control their subordinates, the gang's activities should not extend beyond our Hunan Province."
"Xie Jiayan and others were arrested in Yancheng. The three gangsters surnamed Shen from Dahuai Village belong to Qingshi Town. The gang leader is most likely active in Qingshi Town, Xinchang County, Yancheng."
At this point, even Yuan Yi was somewhat impressed by Jiang Ling's familiarity with the administrative divisions of Yancheng City: "Little Jiang, are you very familiar with Qing Shi Town?"
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Ahhh, finally we've gotten to the Three-Fixed Investigation Method!
Here's an extra chapter. Have a great weekend everyone!
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