National Forensic Doctor-Chapter 880 - 818 Precision Strike

"Captain Jiang, we’ve now confirmed 17 local missing persons matching the profile of males around thirty years old and about 1.7 meters tall. Are we dispatching someone to visit them directly?" Lei Xin asked bluntly, seemingly unconcerned with his superior’s rank.

He mentioned the results of the investigations by the detectives. These 17 individuals are now key subjects for inquiry. Following the principle of house calls for serious cases and phone calls for minor ones, further meticulous investigation, including possible second home visits, was inevitably susceptible to alerting the suspects. At this juncture, it was all about the evidence at hand.

In cases like this, a cautious approach dictates that one should have at least some information before progressing to the next step. Ideally, the visits would be targeted, bringing in those who fit the criteria. Otherwise, the creation of a murder suspect profile could very likely result from false impressions, and upon a second encounter with the police, there’s a risk of them fleeing suddenly.

Liu Jinghui chuckled and said, "You’ve set quite a broad range of conditions there."

Lei Xin managed an awkward smile, "Doesn’t seem like we have a lot of people to look at."

Liu Jinghui said, "Our victim died and was dumped six years ago; ordinarily, if someone doesn’t return home for the Chinese New Year, the family should report them missing, two years is too broad. Let’s start with one year, that should be ample."

As he spoke, he turned to Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan nodded and said, "Let’s go with 37 years old then; if you’re worried, expanding the range by one year either way should suffice."

"So, one year would mean at the time of the incident, the victim was between 36 and 38 years old, biological age? That’s quite tight, isn’t it?" Lei Xin was somewhat uneasy, his main concern being that casting a wider net wouldn’t hurt and would simply involve investigating a few more people.

Jiang Yuan smiled and replied, "Actually, that’s enough. If you’re worried, we can expand it a bit, using 37 years as a basis."

"In that case, I’ll relax it to a three-year range, because some people consider their age in full years. Additionally, I’ll make a separate list with a one-year fluctuation," Lei Xin said, instructing a detective at a nearby desk to make a new list.

He verbally agreed to abide by the directive, but internally, he meant to comply; however, the answer given by Jiang Yuan seemed too restrictive. It was like ordering a tractor online for farm work only to open the package and find a Lamborghini tractor inside—not that it’s bad or undesirable, just somewhat baffling.

The instructor signaled to Niu Tang and then smiled at Jiang Yuan, saying, "All 17 people could be checked actually. If we filter too narrowly, the staff below will have nothing left to do..."

Liu Jinghui said, "All 17 people are locals who have disappeared. If we don’t find anything, and we have to check neighboring areas, even looking into a broader range of migrating populations, being strict can be advantageous."

"That’s also true. Checking the surrounding populace would result in a larger number," the instructor finally took a serious tone.

Liu Jinghui smiled briefly without further comment.

Liu Jinghui, unlike Jiang Yuan, couldn’t rely solely on solid technical prowess. In his experiences touring the province, he often took the route of investigation by complementing what was missing, especially in earlier years. Investigating cases actually required consideration of external influences, some establishments, districts, and individuals, might be difficult to probe into, or at least would need to be relegated to later, a decision that local heads of the criminal police wouldn’t explain nor needed to.

There was no need for reticence on this matter. There was a time when Chinese people thought of Europe and America as paragons of judicial fairness, feeling inferior about their own investigations being subject to political influence. Nowadays, with a broader understanding, it’s clear that the notion of equality before the law is something Europe and America haven’t achieved.

With Liu Jinghui’s way of thinking, since Jiang Yuan’s expertise was trustworthy, drawing a bigger circle than necessary would be a disadvantage, particularly when it linked to other privileged entities; the smaller the circle drawn, the easier the communication. Just like the 37-year-old line, if it involved military personnel, it would be relatively easy to investigate because there would be very few people. But if the line was drawn to the broader range of thirty-somethings, then the scope required for investigation would be significantly larger.

This was exactly why individuals like Beijing’s head of the Criminal Police Brigade, Tao Lu, including Qi Changye and others, were so fond of Jiang Yuan—it was largely due to his precise and concise approach, which reduced many conflicts outside of the investigation.

Of course, this was a nuance that a district political commissioner might struggle to appreciate.

As they conversed, a new list was printed out, whittling down 17 names to just 4, with one name bolded.

Licking his lips, Lei Xin said, "With just 4 people left, if we follow what Captain Jiang suggested, with a standard of 37 years old plus or minus one year, then within the current timeframe, we have just one missing person."

This was the population missing within the jurisdiction of Qinghe City, which did not include counties and townships below it, such as Ningtai County, which administratively belongs to Qinghe City.

Furthermore, the issue of migrating populations was significant; many people might come to Qinghe City to work, travel, or visit relatives. When their contacts discover they are missing, they might report it in their own area without clear knowledge of which city or route the missing person had taken. This was one reason why it was difficult to locate many missing people.

But as far as the current investigative strategy was concerned, the few had already prepared to first look into the population within the jurisdiction. Hence, this sole missing individual seemed particularly conspicuous.

"Then let’s start by checking these four people. I’ll personally lead the team to the 37-year-old victim’s family to inquire," Lei Xin swiftly made arrangements.

"Rural area on the outskirts of the city, right? I’ll come along too," Jiang Yuan checked the distance and felt that it would be about an hour’s drive.

Lei Xin was momentarily taken aback but then nodded without hesitation, "That would be excellent, it’s reassuring to have Captain Jiang with us."

Saying this, he silently doubled the number of officers departing and casually borrowed two more vehicles from the adjoining detective team.

Niu Tang followed without hesitation as well.

The presence of a forensic doctor at a crime scene was quite normal, of course, showing up when there wasn’t a dead body was still a rarity for him.

Once in the car, Liu Jinghui asked Jiang Yuan, "Is the age really that strictly defined?"

Jiang Yuan acknowledged with a "Hmm" and replied, "Basically, yes."

"Chief Medical Examiner Niu had it wrong, didn’t he?" Liu Jinghui was curious, now that the car only held Mu Zhiyang, Wang Chuanxing, Jiang Yuan, and himself, the four of them, it made asking questions more relaxed.

Jiang Yuan replied, "Forensic anthropology is relatively complex. I’ve examined the other bones, and the conclusions are consistent."

Because there was an error in estimating the age of the body, Jiang Yuan had carefully differentiated it. Although he had explained to Niu Tang that the issue lay in the estimation of age through the pubic symphysis, in reality, Jiang Yuan had also inferred the age through other bones beyond the pubic symphysis.

Skull and teeth, sternum and ribs, vertebral bones, limbs, and even finger and toe bones can all be used to determine age, and this can be further refined, such as estimating age through the sternum based on indentations, protrusions, and textures.

By combining these bones, Jiang Yuan derived a more or less consistent age for the body. Allowing a variance of plus or minus one year was quite sufficient.

During the earlier discussion on the body’s age, Jiang Yuan did not discuss this with Niu Tang because the pubic symphysis is the easiest part to estimate age in anthropology. Pointing out the problem directly was a more straightforward solution. To prattle on about other parts... the basics are covered in textbooks, teaching the details isn’t something to go on about.

Having had a long time to perfect his skills, Jiang Yuan had a clear understanding of which techniques were easier to explain and which did not need explanation at all.

Liu Jinghui didn’t understand all this and simply nodded quietly. He didn’t need to know the forensic details, but he did need to know the limits of Jiang Yuan’s abilities, which was obviously helpful for deduction.

The car drove for 40 minutes and stopped by a county road.

A two-story village committee building with walls covered in various slogans and a garden planted with flowers and plants resembled the front of a workplace building from the year 2000.

The detectives who had arrived earlier had already called over the village cadres and the village secretary, waiting for the full team to arrive before acting on their orders.

At this time, Jiang Yuan followed Lei Xin and the others towards the destination.

Mu Zhiyang, wearing a stab-proof vest and carrying a small transparent round shield on his left hand, with a heavy tactical belt around his waist, silently followed Jiang Yuan.

With more than a dozen detectives in their company, along with the village committee’s people, the entourage could be described as imposing.

"The missing person here is called Fang Delu, matching the age, last known to have been working in Qinghe City," Lei Xin began to explain. "His wife has divorced, and he has a son who went to Changyang City with his mother." Lei Xin continued, "Both of Fang Delu’s parents have passed away. The report was filed by his older brother, Fang Defu. Fang Defu is three years older than Fang Delu, 46 this year. We’re going to his house now."

As they walked, Liu Jinghui asked, "Defu, Delu, does the victim have any other siblings?"

"There’s a younger brother, the third child, Fang Deshou. Fang Deshou is around 35 or 36 years old this year, only 29 six years ago. He doesn’t live in the village; after getting married, he opened a store in Qinghe City," Lei Xin studied the data along the way.

Liu Jinghui nodded, "Do you know the exact address?"

"Some people have gone to inquire; they’ve already reached the place, and I’ve told them to start at the same time," Lei Xin was a seasoned detective, and at this point, his proficiency was evident.

Ahead, the village cadres tried to knock on the door but were held back, a few detectives ran to the back, and then Lei Xin started knocking.

An ordinary inquiry wouldn’t be this complicated, but since the squad leader and Jiang Yuan both came, everyone took great care with the details.

The door opened.

Fang Defu, 46, opened the door, saw a crowd of police officers, and first frowned, "Didn’t the police come by already?"

"Are you Fang Defu?" Lei Xin stepped forward to ask.

"Yes." Fang Defu asked, "Did you find my brother?"

Lei Xin didn’t respond but asked instead, "Regarding your brother’s disappearance, we have a few questions to ask you."

"Haven’t you asked all those already..."

"There are a few detailed questions we need to ask you. What were you doing two weeks before you reported the case?"

"Me? Why do you ask me?" Fang Defu didn’t directly answer but chose to ask first.

Lei Xin smiled, as a veteran detective, he felt a certain kinship with those who would question back or repeat queries upon being asked, so he took out a cigarette and handed it to Fang Defu, "Don’t rush, take your time, have a cigarette."

Fang Defu took the cigarette, holding it adeptly between shaking fingers, causing the cigarette’s tip to wobble erratically.

The cigarette swayed, and Fang Defu panicked, attempting to steady it, but it uncontrollably fell to the ground.

Several detectives on site showed a mix of scornful and helpless smiles.

Liu Jinghui glanced at Jiang Yuan, then turned back to the large group of detectives, let out a helpless sigh - the enemies of deduction were not only surveillance footage but also criminals with poor psychological strength!