eurekapd Chapter 1422 Discoveries from the Surrounding Area, Suspected Clues
Chapter 1422 Discoveries from the Surrounding Area, Suspected Clues
"Xiao Sun, there's a set of blurry footprints here!" When they reached the sidewalk about 15 meters from the waterfront platform, Xiao Yang stopped and pointed to a relatively dry area on the ground. Xiao Sun immediately turned off the recording equipment and went closer to take a look.
The footprint was located at the junction of the granite paving stones. Due to the smooth surface of the stones, the footprint only left slight dust marks, and the edges were not very clear. Xiao Yang took out silver magnetic powder and a wool brush, lightly dipped a small amount of powder, and slowly brushed the footprint area in a clockwise direction. As the powder adhered, the outline of the footprint gradually appeared: "The shoe size is initially judged to be size 42, the shoe type is casual leather shoes, the tread pattern is a dotted pattern, the pattern density is relatively high, the degree of wear is moderate, and it is speculated to be an old shoe that is frequently worn."
Because the footprint carrier was a smooth tile and the ground was slightly damp, plaster casting extraction was not possible. Xiao Yang took out trace extraction tape, cut it to a size that matched the footprint, gently covered the footprint surface, pressed it evenly with his fingers, and slowly peeled it off, transferring the footprint completely onto the tape. "Marked as 'Level 3 Footprint Sample No. 1'," Xiao Yang said, placing the extracted tape sample into a clearly labeled evidence bag. Xiao Sun placed a site marker with the number "1" on the ground nearby and took a photo to preserve the image.
The two continued their investigation along the sidewalk towards the waterfront platform. About 10 meters from the platform, at the edge of the green belt, Xiao Yang discovered a small number of scattered black fiber fragments. "There are fiber remnants here, and they're quite fresh," Xiao Yang said. He shone a survey light on the fiber fragments to observe their shape. "The fibers are about 0.5-1 cm long, filamentous, and show no obvious signs of wear; they appear to have come from some kind of fabric." Xiao Sun immediately took out a fiber picker, gently pressed it onto the fiber fragment, and carefully removed it, placing it in an evidence bag labeled "Level 3 Fiber Sample No. 1."
At the base of a lamppost in the Level 3 investigation area, Xiao Yang discovered a slight friction mark: "There is a horizontal friction mark about 20 centimeters long and 3 centimeters wide at a height of 1.2 meters from the ground. The paint on the surface has slightly peeled off, revealing the metallic base." He used a multi-band light source, switching between different wavelengths, to illuminate the mark and found no bloodstains or fiber residue. However, he speculated that it might have been caused by friction between the suitcase and the lamppost when the suspect was moving it. The two men photographed the friction mark and extracted a small amount of the peeled paint sample.
The exploration work in the Level 3 exploration area lasted for 1 hour and 10 minutes, during which one footprint sample, one fiber sample, and one paint sample were collected. 98 photos of the site were taken, and food was recorded for 22 minutes. Afterwards, the two entered the Level 2 exploration area, focusing on the land area within 20 meters of the waterfront platform, including the steps, green belt, and the platform itself.
The steps in the secondary exploration area were made of concrete with a small amount of moss on the surface, and the humidity was high due to its proximity to water. Xiao Yang carefully shone a survey light on the steps and discovered a relatively clear set of footprints on the third step: "Shoe size 43, athletic shoe type, grid pattern on the tread, grid side length about 1 cm, the tread pattern on the outer forefoot is severely worn, suggesting the owner of the footprints had a habit of walking with their toes pointing outwards." This set of footprints was completely different from the casual leather shoe footprints found in the tertiary area, indicating that at least two different people had been active in the vicinity of the site.
Xiao Sun immediately took out the footprint plaster casting kit and used cardboard to create a protective ring about 5 centimeters high around the footprint to prevent plaster liquid from overflowing. Then, he thoroughly mixed plaster powder and water in a measuring cup at a 1:1.5 ratio and slowly poured the mixture into the footprint, ensuring the plaster liquid filled every detail of the footprint, including the grooves of the pattern and the outline of the edges. "The plaster will take about 45 minutes to solidify. Mark this spot as 'Level 2 Footprint Point 1' and continue surveying other areas," Xiao Sun wrote the number on the marker and inserted it into the soil next to the steps.
On the ground of the waterfront platform, Xiao Yang discovered several messy trampling marks and what appeared to be drag marks. "There are continuous strip-shaped scratches on the platform surface, about 1.8 meters long and 3 centimeters wide. The scratches point from the edge of the platform towards the lake water, roughly matching the length of the suitcase. It is speculated that the suspect dragged the suitcase from the platform into the water." Xiao Yang used an electrostatic adsorption device to extract trace amounts of substance from the scratches and placed them in a test tube labeled "Level 2 Trace Substance Sample No. 1." He then used trace extraction tape to fix and extract the scratches.
In the green belt surrounding the waterfront platform, the weeds were quite dense. Xiao Sun carefully parted the weeds with tweezers and found a broken nylon rope: "Level 2, Relic No. 1: Nylon rope, approximately 80 cm long and 0.6 cm in diameter. One end has obvious cutting marks, and the other end shows signs of wear and dragging. The surface has a small amount of mud and water stains." Xiao Yang, after careful observation, noticed several white fibers wrapped around the rope, a different color from the black fiber sample extracted from the Level 3 area. He sealed the nylon rope and the wrapped fibers separately and labeled them clearly.
Near the edge of the platform in the green belt, Xiao Yang also found a cigarette butt: "Level 2, item number 2. The cigarette butt is a 'Chunghwa' brand. The filter has slight bite marks, the cigarette itself is completely burned, and the remaining length is about 2 centimeters. There is a small amount of dew on the surface, indicating it is relatively fresh, suggesting it was left recently." The discovery of the cigarette butt cheered the two men, as it was very likely left by the suspect when he stopped before disposing of the body. Xiao Sun used tweezers to pick up the cigarette butt and put it into a special cigarette butt extraction bag to avoid damaging the fingerprint and DNA samples.
二级勘查区域的勘查工作持续了1小时40分钟，共提取足迹样本2枚含三级1号、尼龙绳1段、烟蒂1枚、纤维样本2份含三级1号、微量物质样本1份、油漆样本1份，拍摄现场照片156张，录制视频35分钟。此时，二级1号足迹的石膏模型已凝固，小孙小心取出，用保鲜膜包裹好放入物证箱。两人稍作休整，准备进入核心的一级勘查区域——皮箱漂浮水域及周边5米水域、亲水平台边缘。
The primary investigation area is the core and most complex part of the entire scene, involving the investigation of the water area and the suitcase and body. Li Ming specifically mobilized water rescue team members to assist in the water area investigation. The water rescue team members, wearing life-saving gear, boarded a small salvage boat and conducted underwater exploration and retrieval within a 5-meter radius of the floating suitcase, searching for any other body parts, murder tools, or items left behind by the suspect.