The crackdown on organized crime began with the arrest of the mother-in-law.

Chapter 891 Following the Clues, Autopsy

The villager thought for a moment and said, "It must have been about seven days ago, around nine or ten o'clock at night. The truck was blue, and I think there was a company name written on it, but I couldn't see it clearly."

Li Ming patted the villager on the shoulder: "Thank you for the clue, it's very important to us. If you remember anything else, please contact us immediately."

After seeing the villagers off, Li Ming said to everyone, "It seems we're on the right track. This case is very likely related to that truck. Continue to intensify the investigation; we must find that truck and the people in it."

Aside from tire tracks, there were no other valuable clues at the crime scene. It's certain that the mine was not the primary crime scene but rather the location where the perpetrator disposed of the body. The on-site investigation yielded little progress.

The body was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Detachment of Dongchuan City Public Security Bureau that afternoon.

Forensic pathologist Zhang Lin began the autopsy on the body.

On the autopsy table, a swollen and deformed corpse lay silently. The pervasive smell of formaldehyde mingled with the stench of death, making the entire space incredibly oppressive. Zhang Lin, dressed in protective clothing, a mask, and gloves, focused and calmly carried out the pre-dissection preparations with the assistance of her assistant.

"Prepare the craniotomy saw." Zhang Lin's voice was low but firm, and her assistant quickly handed her the instruments. Craniotomy is a crucial step in the autopsy, essential for determining the cause of death and whether the deceased suffered brain damage before death. Holding the craniotomy saw, Zhang Lin marked the location on the deceased's head, started the saw, and the sharp buzzing sound instantly broke the silence as the saw teeth cut into the skull, raising fine bone fragments. As the round skull was carefully removed, the exposed brain tissue was revealed. Zhang Lin carefully observed it, gently manipulating it with tweezers to check for bleeding, bruising, or other signs of injury. "No obvious external force injury to the brain was observed. The meninges are intact, the brain tissue has a normal color, and there are no bleeding points," Zhang Lin verbally reported her observations to the officer taking notes beside her as she operated.

After completing the craniotomy, Zhang Lin moved on to the chest cavity. She picked up a scalpel and, with precision and efficiency, cut along the center of the deceased's chest, from below the neck to the xiphoid process, exposing the ribs. "Rib shears," an assistant handed her the tools. Zhang Lin skillfully cut the ribs and opened the chest cavity. Inside, the lungs were swollen, grayish in color, and filled with putrid gas. Zhang Lin gently squeezed the lungs, carefully examining the trachea and bronchi. "No foreign objects in the trachea, but a few pinpoint hemorrhages on the surface of the lungs, indicating preliminary signs of asphyxiation." She removed the lungs and placed them on a tray, preparing for more detailed biopsies.

Next came the abdominal dissection. The scalpel fell again, and Zhang Lin opened the abdominal cavity along the midline. The intestines were bloated from putrefaction, emitting a pungent odor. Zhang Lin did not flinch, carefully examining the liver, spleen, stomach, and other organs. "The liver is normal in texture, with no obvious lesions; the spleen is normal in color, with no rupture or bleeding; the stomach is empty, almost completely emptied, with very little food residue." Based on the degree of digestion of the stomach contents, Zhang Lin had a preliminary estimate of the time of death. She carefully extracted some organ tissues, preparing for pathological section analysis to further determine if there were any potential lesions or other abnormalities in the organs.

During the autopsy, Zhang Lin also noticed a tattoo on the deceased's back. It was a vibrant but somewhat faded rose, tattooed below the left scapula. "Make a note of this: the deceased has a tattoo on his back, a rose, approximately 5 centimeters in diameter. The tattoo is quite old, showing obvious fading; a preliminary assessment suggests it's at least 3 to 5 years old," Zhang Lin told the officers. The tattoo might be a key clue in identifying the deceased, she thought.

Zhang Lin then focused her examination on the deceased's neck. There was a clear ligature mark on the neck, dark red in color, about 1.5 centimeters wide, encircling the neck. She carefully used tweezers to part the skin at the ligature mark to examine the subcutaneous tissue and muscle. "There is significant subcutaneous bleeding and muscle lacerations. Combined with the pinpoint hemorrhages in the lungs, it can be basically determined that the cause of death was asphyxiation, most likely caused by strangulation with a rope or similar weapon," Zhang Lin said with a certainty.

After several hours of meticulous autopsy and analysis, Zhang Lin removed her gloves, let out a long sigh, and said to Li Ming, who was waiting for the results beside her, "Captain Li, based on the degree of decomposition of the body, the digestion of the stomach contents, and a comprehensive analysis of various tests, we have basically determined that the deceased died about 7 days ago. The deceased was between 28 and 30 years old, the cause of death was asphyxiation, and the murder weapon is presumed to be a rope. The tattoo on the back may help us identify the deceased."

Li Ming nodded slightly, his brow furrowed: "Good, Forensic Doctor Zhang, thank you so much. This is crucial for solving the case. Are there any other valuable clues on the deceased?"

Zhang Lin pondered for a moment and said, "The deceased's fingernails showed slight wear, suggesting she had engaged in manual labor, but it wasn't serious. Also, judging from the wear on her teeth and her oral hygiene, her living conditions were probably average, and she didn't have a habit of regularly seeing a dentist. These are the clues we can find so far. I'll let you know when the pathology results are available."

Li Ming thanked Zhang Lin and left the forensic laboratory, his mind filled with complex emotions. The identity of the deceased, why she was murdered, and who the killer was—these questions weighed heavily on his mind. But now, with the crucial information provided by the forensic pathologist, the direction of the investigation was gradually becoming clearer. Li Ming quickly gathered his officers and deployed the next steps of the investigation: "Comrades, according to the forensic report, the deceased died seven days ago and was strangled. Our next focus should be on investigating women aged 28 to 30 who went missing in Nanwan Town and the surrounding area during the time of the incident, especially those with tattoos. At the same time, continue to investigate the truck clues and try to find the blue truck and its occupants as soon as possible. Everyone, stay focused! We must solve this case and give the deceased justice!"

Night fell over Dongchuan City, but the Criminal Investigation Division was brightly lit. Qin Chuan, travel-worn, rushed back and went straight into the conference room. Li Ming was already waiting there. Upon seeing Qin Chuan enter, he immediately stood up and reported, "Chief Qin, the identity of the deceased has not yet been confirmed. We compared her to three missing women aged 28 to 30 in Dongchuan City recently, but none of them match the deceased. Now, we plan to conduct a more in-depth investigation based on the tattoo on the deceased's back."

Qin Chuan nodded, his expression grave: "Tell me the details of the tattoo." Li Ming turned on the projector, and a close-up of the faded rose tattoo on the deceased's back was displayed on the screen.