The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

Soon, Zhang Yean took the floor: ”Mr. Jiang, I will share some of my thoughts here briefly.”

Jiang An nodded with a smile, signaling: ”Go ahead, Sister.”

Zhang Yean spoke steadily: ”Everyone has carefully reviewed the image data from the scene, and we now have a basic understanding of the overall condition of the corpse.”

”Preliminary judgment from the state of the body indicates that the deceased was likely moved into the abandoned well after losing vital signs.”

”Particularly, the mechanical asphyxiation marks on the neck further support the possibility of ’post-mortem corpse disposal.’”

”I mainly approach from a scene investigation perspective, considering several key issues: Is the area around the abandoned well the primary crime scene?”

”If not, where might the actual crime site be?”

”You also noticed that the area is very desolate, with residents having moved out a year ago, and it’s unlikely that there are still people here for regular activities.”

”If the culprit committed the crime elsewhere and then transported the body here, they must have used some form of transportation.”

”However, the nearby road conditions are complex, and vehicles rarely pass by. If an unfamiliar vehicle appears at night or at a premeditated time, it can easily attract attention.”

”Just now, Mr. Chen’s analysis was very comprehensive, and I just want to add a few points from the perspective of the relationship between the path and the location of where the body was disposed.”

”I think it’s necessary for us to conduct a systematic investigation of the remaining scattered households and passersby near the scene.”

”Additionally, I was deeply inspired by the scene investigation expert training I attended in the Imperial City recently—the culprit might have conducted multiple reconnaissances before disposing of the body. Such premeditated actions often leave traces, warranting our focused attention during investigations.”

”Even if it’s a place he’s very familiar with, to ensure nothing goes wrong, he would repeatedly scout, confirming details.”

”Thus, I think the priority of our investigation should be to check those who frequently appeared around the scene.”

”Furthermore, considering this area is relatively remote, we cannot rule out the possibility of the suspect using transportation.”

”In such circumstances, in an area rarely visited by people, if vehicles frequently come and go or linger abnormally, it constitutes a clue worthy of high attention, and should be a key direction for investigation.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang An smiled slightly, with a tone of approval: ”Your analysis, Sister, is very reasonable. This thought process is very clear and practical.”

”Next, we’ll continue the in-depth investigation in this direction.”

He paused briefly, then asked: ”Does anyone else have any other thoughts?”

Zhang Yean smiled gently, her tone calm: ”I’ll keep it brief for now.”

Jiang An’s smile deepened, speaking sincerely: ”Sister, your recent training in the Imperial City has indeed been fruitful.”

”And clearly, the gains are very solid and greatly aid us in analyzing the current case.”

He then turned to others, his voice steady as he continued to guide: ”Is there anyone else who wishes to share their thoughts briefly?”

At this point, another officer raised a hand to indicate. Jiang An nodded signaling: ”Go ahead.”

”Mr. Jiang, concerning this case of unnatural death, both Mr. Chen and Sister Zhang Yean have already analyzed it quite comprehensively. I’ll just add a bit of my view.”

This officer spoke with a serious tone, ”The deceased had no identification, cellphone, or even money on them.”

”Coupled with the traces of violation mentioned in the autopsy, apart from typical causes we consider like emotional disputes, debt-related conflicts, or hatred leading to murder and corpse disposal, should we also consider spontaneous robbery-murder?”

He paused briefly, continuing to explain: ”In robbery-murder, some cases shift from theft to robbery.”

”If this woman happened to be nearby, and the suspect was initially only seeking fortune, yet during the robbery, to prevent exposure, decided spontaneously to murder, subsequently throwing the body into the abandoned well.”

”Is this scenario possible? I believe it is, and cannot be completely ruled out.”

Jiang An nodded earnestly after listening, responding with a steady tone: ”That indeed is a significant perspective worth noting.”

”In our previous cases, we have encountered similar situations, initially believed to be committed by acquaintances, eventually discovering it was more random robbery-murder.”

”Such cases occurring in remote locations especially cannot be overlooked.”

The officer rubbed his head embarrassingly after hearing Jiang An’s affirmation, revealing a shy yet delighted smile.

”Thank you for the encouragement, sir. What I mentioned was just some immature thoughts of mine, not sure if they’re right. If there’s anything overlooked, I hope you and fellow colleagues can provide guidance.”

Jiang An nodded slightly, with approval in his eyes, ”Having thoughts is a good start.”

”Your point is indeed valuable — we found no wallet, phone, ID, no ring on the fingers, not even a necklace around the neck on the deceased, nearly no valuable personal items.”

”This is certainly very suspicious, and robbery-murder cannot be ruled out.”

”Your perspective reminded us that moving forward we need to focus on examining whether there were similar crimes of property violation during the timeframe of the incident, or if there were violent acts with an intent to rob.”

”These property-violating actions can absolutely serve as a significant direction for our next investigation.”

Subsequently, several others in the meeting room began to express their views.

The discussion gradually intensified, though most opinions were still around existing assumptions without breakthrough new ideas emerging.

After about 50 minutes of discussion, Jiang An slowly raised his head and spoke solemnly: ”Alright, everybody.”

He glanced at his watch, ”Due to time constraints, I’ll do a brief summary of the comments we just had.”

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping through the room, and continued: ”The discussion was very lively and the thinking was quite broad.”

”Overall, aside from our regular investigative directions, some unusual possibilities were mentioned, such as robbery-murder under special circumstances, theft turning into robbery-murder, and even not ruling out scenarios where property-driven motives accompany other violent behaviors.”

”These directions all merit our further consideration.”

”However, our immediate priority is clearly establishing the identity of the deceased.”

”Only by identifying who the deceased is can we further unravel her social connections and activity trajectory, thereby zeroing in on suspects.”

He shifted his tone, becoming more weighty: ”So, next, I will assign tasks.”

Everyone instinctively picked up their pens, ready to record.

”First, draw a group specifically responsible for sorting out missing persons reports throughout the city. The timeframe shouldn’t just be confined to the past six months but expanded to within a year, placing emphasis on missing females approximately 24 years of age and around 1.6 meters tall. This work must be thorough, without any omissions.”

”Second, conduct comprehensive visits to villages and residential areas surrounding the crime scene, specifically inquiring whether there have been unfamiliar vehicles or individuals frequently appearing near the scene in the past six months.”

”Everyone should be aware that the area is relatively remote, outsiders generally wouldn’t enter without reason. If there really were suspicious people or vehicles appearing repeatedly, residents around might likely have a lasting impression.”

”This should be one of our key focuses of investigation.”

”Third, prioritise checking individuals within demolition zones, especially those with criminal records.”

”We need to carefully analyze whether there have been any abnormal movements among them recently, and if there’s potential for them to re-offend.”

”The results of this work will provide crucial basis for our subsequent judgment of the suspect.”

”Yes!”

All officers responded in unison.