eurekapd Chapter 1201 Martin Boots and Shoe Marks
Chapter 1201 Martin Boots and Shoe Marks
He paused, then added, "The edges of the marks were covered in reddish-brown soil, which is consistent with the soil on the body's trousers. The marks also follow the same direction as the car tire tracks, extending from the mountain road to the open space and then turning towards the brick kiln. This indicates that in addition to the car, other vehicles have also been here."
Xiao Yang carefully extracted the tire tracks using rubbing paper. As his fingertips brushed against the soil, he noticed several messy footprints next to the tracks. "Size 42 casual shoe prints, stride length 70 centimeters, stride width 17 centimeters," he observed with a magnifying glass. "The edges of the shoe prints are blurred and partially covered by the tire tracks, suggesting they were left by a motorcycle driver. The driver may have lingered in the open area after getting off the motorcycle and may have had contact with the people in the car."
The two followed the tire tracks towards the mountain road, which was rugged and covered with gravel and weeds, with the tire tracks appearing intermittently. Beside a steep slope, Xiao Sun's tire track light illuminated fresh scratches on the ground: "There are tire friction marks here, about 50 centimeters long and 0.5 centimeters deep," he analyzed. "They were probably left by a vehicle going too fast uphill, causing the tires to slip. Judging from the shape of the tracks, both cars and motorcycles could have slipped here, indicating that the drivers might have been flustered or had poor visibility due to darkness."
Moving to the woods north of the brick kiln, Xiao Yang found a new clue next to a pine tree. There was a fresh impact mark on the trunk, about 15 centimeters in diameter, with the bark peeled off, revealing the wood underneath. "There are black paint chips around the edge of the impact mark," he said, scraping off the chips with tweezers and putting them in an evidence bag. "They need to be sent to the lab for testing to see if they match the composition of the plastic fragments from the car bumper. If they do, it means the car hit this tree, probably due to improper operation while reversing or turning."
Xiao Sun made his discovery in a ravine deep in the woods. The ravine was about 2 meters deep and 1 meter wide, with a pile of dead branches and fallen leaves at the bottom. He used a branch to clear away the leaves, revealing reddish-brown soil on the ground. In the soil, a set of size 43 Martin boot prints was clearly visible—perfectly matching the characteristics of the suspect's shoe prints previously found in the brick kiln. "The boot prints have a stride length of 75 centimeters, a stride width of 18 centimeters, and a stride angle of 4 degrees outward," Xiao Sun said after measuring. "The edges of the boot prints are covered with dead leaf debris, indicating that the suspect had entered the ravine, perhaps to discard something or observe the surrounding environment."
In the pile of fallen leaves next to the boot print, Xiao Sun also found a piece of dark blue fabric with torn edges. "The fabric is a cotton blend, which is the same material as the deceased's work jacket," he handed the piece to Xiao Yang. "It may have been torn off when the deceased was fighting with the suspect, or it may have been left when the jacket got caught on a tree branch while the suspect was moving the body."
The two continued their investigation deeper into the woods. Near an abandoned hunter's hut, Xiao Yang discovered more tire tracks. "Two sets of car tire tracks match the characteristics of the tire tracks in the clearing," he pointed to the ground. "Next to the tire tracks are several sets of size 43 Martin boot tracks, arranged in a ring, indicating that the suspect had stayed here for a considerable time, possibly waiting for the victim or planning a route to dispose of the body." The wooden door of the hut was ajar. Xiao Yang carefully pushed it open. The interior was covered in dust, and no fresh traces were found on the floor. Only a few expired bottles of mineral water and discarded packaging bags were piled in the corner, presumably left by previous hunters and unrelated to the case.
“We’re finding more and more traces now, but they’re all scattered and haven’t formed a complete chain of evidence.” Xiao Yang wiped the sweat from his brow and sat down on the stone steps outside the hut. Xiao Sun sat down as well, flipping through the investigation records: “Tire tracks, Martin boot prints, fabric fragments, paint chips—these clues all point to the suspect having driven a car and a motorcycle here, but we still don’t know who the suspect is, and the victim’s identity remains unconfirmed.” He paused, pointing to the fabric fragment, “This fragment is too small, without any obvious markings, so we can’t identify the victim through it; while the tire tracks can indicate the vehicle type, there’s no license plate information, making it difficult to trace.”
Xiao Yang nodded and took out the silver lighter he had found next to the body earlier: "The lighter is printed with 'Beishan Auto Repair Shop,' which is currently the only clue that might point to the deceased's identity. However, we haven't had time to investigate the auto repair shop yet, so we don't know if the deceased is related to it." He added, "Moreover, the suspect has a strong sense of counter-surveillance. No direct evidence such as fingerprints or DNA was left at the scene, only these indirect traces, which has increased the difficulty of our investigation."
At 2 PM, the two turned onto the mountain road east of the brick kiln, the main passage to the village below. The road was narrow, only wide enough for one car to pass at a time, and the soil was hardened by long-term vehicle traffic. Xiao Sun's footprint light illuminated a set of blurry shoe prints on the road: "Size 41 athletic shoe prints, consistent with the deceased's shoe print characteristics," he measured with a ruler, "Stride length 65 centimeters, 3 centimeters shorter than the shoe prints inside the brick kiln, indicating the deceased may have been fatigued or under duress, resulting in an unsteady gait." Next to the shoe prints were a few drops of light brown liquid. Xiao Yang tested them with a test strip and frowned: "Positive reaction, suspected bloodstains, but we need a lab to confirm if they belong to the deceased."
Near a bend in the mountain road, Xiao Yang found a piece of black plastic, similar in material to the bumper fragment he had previously found in an open area. “The fragment has obvious impact marks on its edges,” he said, piecing the fragment together with the previous one. “Although they don’t match perfectly, the material is the same—polypropylene plastic, commonly found in the bumpers of Volkswagen Lavida sedans, further confirming that the suspect was likely driving a Volkswagen Lavida.”
The two continued their investigation downwards, and about 1 kilometer from the village at the foot of the mountain, the tire tracks and footprints suddenly disappeared. "The road surface here has turned into concrete, and the traces have been destroyed," Xiao Sun shook his head helplessly. "The suspect may have changed to another vehicle here, or walked down the mountain, so we can't continue the pursuit."
傍晚 5 点，小杨和小孙结束扩大勘查，带着提取的 12 份新证据返回砖窑现场 —— 包括 3 组车轮印拓片、2 块塑料碎片、1 片布料碎片、1 份疑似血迹样本、1 份油漆碎屑样本和 4 组鞋印拓片。技术人员将这些证据分类装箱，准备送往刑侦支队实验室。
“Although more traces have been found, they all need to be tested in the lab to confirm the connection,” Xiao Yang said, looking at the box full of evidence with a hint of weariness in his voice. “For example, whether the fabric fragments came from the deceased’s coat, whether the paint chips match the car bumper, and whether the suspected bloodstains belong to the deceased. These all need further verification. At present, there are no indicative clues.”