National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 739 - 682: Direction of Investigation

Chapter 739: Chapter 682: Direction of Investigation

When Jiang Yuan mentioned dividing the case, Tao Lu was already conquered.

For cases like this suspected serial murder, the squadron and even the sub-bureau spare no cost in their investigations. In Zhengguang Sub-bureau, organizing a search involving over a thousand people, as rarely seen in Shannan Province, was not a problem at all.

It wasn’t even necessary to invoke the level of a cold murder case; for a common murder or any of the eight major types of serious crimes, organizing a search involving a thousand people is very common. To make Tao Lu or the bureau chief hesitate, it had to involve at least three thousand people.

How much funding would it take to organize a search with three thousand people? Those who often get married could imagine, organizing a three-thousand-person wedding banquet without accepting gift money would cost at least that number.

Conducting such a search over several days was akin to hosting weddings for several successive days...

Therefore, after such thorough searching, any bit of a clue was incredibly valuable.

Just the skill for Jiang Yuan to find a clue from the case files was enough for Tao Lu to make a decision, not to mention his previous distinguished record.

The "Rain-Soaked Corpse Case" task force was quickly set up without much fanfare, still mainly comprising Liu Cheng and Cui Qishan’s two squads. Tao Lu considered Jiang Yuan’s familiarity with Liu Cheng, and the detectives from both squads were also somewhat familiar with Jiang Yuan.

Being a detective is highly reliant on relationships; with a certain degree of trust, work definitely becomes much easier.

The next day.

Tao Lu presided over a case analysis meeting and said in front of all the detectives, "In our last case, two murderers were arrested one after another, and the overall progress of the case was very smooth. This was a highly complex case involving multiple victims, including Chinese both from our country and abroad, with the nature of a serial murder involving acts like abandoning and burying corpses. The investigation process was outstanding, and the bureau chief has already commended everyone... However..."

Tao Lu said, "In the final stages of this case, some unexpected events occurred, this... was mainly due to miscalculations in my decision-making, no need to worry."

Before the crowd could react, Tao Lu continued, "The celebration banquet will have to be postponed, partly due to the determination of responsibility and partly because the two murderers are connected to many cases. We need a significant amount of evidence to be secured, so we have to wait here a bit... But the case does not wait for people!"

Tao Lu looked at everyone and said, "This time, Captain Jiang Yuan has chosen a highly challenging case. The Rain-Soaked Corpse Case. If solved, it would provide great comfort to the victims and their families and would also be an excellent opportunity for our squadron to demonstrate our combat prowess... Um, next, the floor is given to Jiang Yuan..."

Hearing this, Jiang Yuan stood up, smiled at everyone, took the remote for the projector, clicked a few times, then said, "The Rain-Soaked Corpse Case is a rather strange one..."

Liu Cheng and the others sat up straight, not because Jiang Yuan’s description of the case was that strange, but because Jiang Yuan himself was fascinating enough.

"The Rain-Soaked Corpse Case consists of four incidents. The evidence gathered is relatively scarce. The murderer knows how to clean up the crime scene and has a certain level of expertise..." When Jiang Yuan spoke of professional ability, it had to be at least a level 2 skill in crime scene cleanup.

This had already gone beyond merely wiping floors or pouring cleansers. The meticulousness of the cleanup, the order, the objects involved—all were very important; otherwise, extra actions would only leave more clues for the police.

Jiang Yuan didn’t continue on the previous investigative direction but instead said, "The identities of all four bodies are clear, and there is a lack of intersection in their social relationships. However, during my review of the case files, I discovered that Victim Three, the corpse from the third case, had noticeable differences compared to the other three incidents."

Jiang Yuan casually clicked the remote, displaying several photos. Some were of the bloated, deformed corpse from the first case, as well as others found earlier but had likewise changed in appearance.

Jiang Yuan repeated the analysis he had given Tao Lu in more detail and then said, "Some anomalies with Victim Three’s corpse are illogical. Especially with the presence of Victim Four, the murderer changed their weapon, the location of the stab wounds, even the force used. These changes are abnormal. For now, I am inclined to think that Victim Three’s case was an act of imitation."

"If the details of the Rain-Soaked Corpse Case were not disclosed, how could it have been imitated?" Liu Cheng couldn’t help but ask as he heard this.

Jiang Yuan nodded and said, "But it wasn’t strictly confidential, and although the case seems complicated, it actually is highly feasible. To commit a murder on a rainy day, using a dagger, then tightly wrapping the body before abandoning it, while meticulously cleaning the scene..."

"It sounds easy but is hard to execute," Liu Cheng slowly said. "One must have experience in killing, experience in cleaning a crime scene, and also be skilled with using a dagger..."

The more he spoke, the grimmer his expression became. If one considered it from this angle, there was a significant possibility that a law enforcement officer committed the crime. Such incidents were not unheard of. For example, the Old American police periodically had various scandals erupt.

Jiang Yuan didn’t dwell on these matters, simply saying, "My suggestion is to split the case into two parts. One part is the third case, to be considered independently on the basis of imitation. The other part is the first, second, and fourth cases, to reconsider their connections. Currently, we should concentrate our efforts and prioritize the third case."

"If the third case is an imitative crime, even solving it wouldn’t mean the ’Rainy Day Decay Case’ is solved," someone reminded in a low voice.

"The imitator of the third case might provide us with a breakthrough in understanding the overall Rainy Day Decay Case," Jiang Yuan paused, then continued, "Of course, a direct breakthrough in the Rainy Day Decay Case is also possible. It is just a matter of priority."

Jiang Yuan’s investigative approach was always straightforward and direct. If one were to say he had any special techniques, they were based on his latest findings.

Yet, it must be said, such investigative thinking was hard to fault, and naturally, Liu Cheng and the others had no objections.

Tao Lu asked, "Jiang Yuan, will you arrange the work?"

"You do it. I plan to stay in the lab today," Jiang Yuan said, then explained, "For a moved body, when the primary scene has not yet been determined, Legal Botany can still be very useful."

For such an absolutely difficult case that occurred in Beijing, Jiang Yuan hadn’t considered conventional approaches from the start.

Crime scene investigation, footprint analysis, and similar skills were not rare in Beijing. Experts at level 3 or level 4 were not uncommon, and when a special taskforce needed them, they were readily found.

In other words, to solve cold cases that prior experts could not, using such skills would at least require a level 5 expert, and even that might not be very effective — the technical staff of the previous taskforce might have only had level 3 skills, but they could spend weeks or even months studying, possibly consulting higher-level experts. Even if Jiang Yuan were level 5, without dedicated research, he might not achieve any results.

However, Legal Botany was different. This niche skill was scarce, not just in Beijing but nationwide; those proficient to level 2 were extremely rare.

Most importantly, the expert group in the Rainy Day Decay Case had not tried using Legal Botany before, which gave Jiang Yuan a significant opportunity to contribute.

Tao Lu and others naturally thought of the first case Jiang Yuan rushed to handle upon arriving. They all nodded repeatedly, hoping he could replicate his past success.

Liu Cheng and the others spontaneously arranged their subordinates. With the series of cases being reopened, there was a lot to do. Furthermore, some detectives also needed to wrap up the cases they were currently handling.

Jiang Yuan went to the lab to gather pollen.

Time, location, and people — these three elements still played a crucial role in criminal cases. In the "Rainy Day Decay Case", the time could be determined, the victim’s identity was confirmed after verification from multiple sources, but the primary scene was the only missing piece.

But this time, whether Legal Botany would be effective, Jiang Yuan wasn’t entirely sure.

Compared to urban environments, Legal Botany is actually more suited to rural or wilderness settings.