Binjiang Police Affairs

Chapter 1472: Chapter 258: Human Life Hangs in the Balance! (Part 2)

"At that time, did you request assistance from colleagues on the shore to encircle and block him?"

"We requested assistance, the Changzhou Police Bureau and Development Zone Branch were very helpful, but unfortunately he escaped in the middle of the night, and we didn’t catch him."

"Do you have his ID information?"

"We have it, Gui Xiang is leading the team staking out his hometown."

"Where’s his hometown?"

"Yungang City’s Yunguan County."

Jiang Youwei took a few puffs of his cigarette and added, "Since the case isn’t complex, the City Bureau didn’t get involved. Director Wang helped us out a lot this time, helped contact Mayor Yu, and Yunguan County Police Bureau is paying great attention, not only providing collaboration but also organizing efforts to help us investigate the suspect’s social relations."

Han Yu pursued further, "Have they found any leads?"

"Director Han, you came back just in time. An hour ago, colleagues from Yunguan Police Bureau discovered that the suspect is likely hiding at his brother-in-law’s home. Liu Guixiang and Chen Ming have already gone over there, and they’ll arrest him as soon as he appears."

"Only two people going?"

"Not just them, an intern police Xiao Gu who was assigned to our team a month ago also went over, along with the driver Old Wu, totaling four people."

"So now we’re just waiting for Liu Guixiang’s news?"

Jiang Youwei was about to speak when Han Yu’s phone suddenly rang.

He took it out and glanced at the caller ID; it was Director Yu calling!

Han Yu grinned, quickly pressing the call button, "Mayor Yu, this is Han Yu. You’re so busy with work, how do you have time to call me?"

Yu Xiangqian was on his way to a City Committee meeting, smiling at the street view outside as he asked, "Salted Fish, you’re now the Deputy Director of Criminal Investigations, why aren’t you paying attention to your branch’s criminal cases?"

"I’ve only been back from a business trip for a few days and today is my first day back at work."

"So, you don’t know the situation?"

"I just found out there’s a major criminal case in our jurisdiction, and the suspect seems to be from your area."

"Here’s some good news for you; I just received a report that the suspect you want to catch has surfaced! That guy isn’t hiding at his brother-in-law’s place but at a junior high school classmate’s. That classmate has a car repair shop in the city, and the suspect is currently there helping out."

"That’s great, thank you, Director Yu!"

"No need to thank me; I’ve already sent investigators from the Criminal Investigation Team over and notified Xiao Liu."

There’s no need to thank Director Yu for sure. Han Yu thought for a moment, furrowing his brows, and said, "Director Yu, the crew member knocked overboard by the suspect is missing and there’s no trace of life or death; they might have been washed out to sea long ago. It’s been twelve days since the incident, and the chance of survival is nearly zero. Can we ascertain that the fallen crew member is deceased, and does this case count as a homicide? I’m not very familiar with the details."

You only know how to repair ships, sail, and handle firefighting; it’s normal not to understand these things.

Moreover, a person’s energy is limited and they can’t master everything.

Yu Xiangqian doesn’t think Han Yu is unqualified as a Deputy Director of Criminal Investigations and patiently explained, "Firstly, legally, no matter how long a person is missing, the law would not declare them deceased. Only missing persons unaccounted for four years or due to an accident for two years, with relevant agencies proving the individual’s impossibility to survive, can those with vested interests in civil responsibility apply to declare them deceased."

Once bitten by a snake, be wary of ropes for ten years!

The Water Fire Rescue Team recently caused a huge blunder with fire accident responsibility determination, and Han Yu doesn’t want to make another big mistake due to this case. He exchanged a glance with Jiang Youwei, who shared the same concern, and tightly gripping his phone, he asked, "Specifically for our case?"

"You don’t know how to proceed because whether the person died or not is crucial, it directly affects how the case is classified."

"Yes, we’re having a headache over this right now."

"Your case differs from an ordinary homicide; it occurred on the river. Is there a possibility of survival for the victim who fell overboard? The absence of a victim’s body, which is direct evidence, heavily influences how to determine and sentence the case."

Yu Xiangqian paused and continued, "There are more fishing boats here in Yungang than in Binjiang; similar cases have happened at sea. You can refer to similar cases; when lacking direct evidence, conduct comprehensive external evidence gathering, supplementing from the rescue process, external environment at the time of the incident, and scene environment within view. By combining various pieces of evidence, deduce that in such harsh conditions, the fallen crew member has no chance of surviving."

Han Yu asked softly, "Without a body, can we prosecute for attempted murder?"

"You can, but you need comprehensive evidence gathering to form a closed-loop of evidence."

Handling such cases comes with risks.

Yu Xiangqian doesn’t want Han Yu to stumble over this case, so he thought for a moment and continued, "But conditions on the river differ from those at sea, especially in Changzhou Waters. Though said to be at the Yangtze River Tail, it’s still several kilometers from the true estuary, and not far downstream, the Yangtze River splits."

With your understanding of waterways, currents, and tides, you can analyze how long it would take for a drowned victim’s body to be washed from the incident site out to sea. Also, have a forensic scientist analyze whether a body sunk to the bottom of the river would float up.

How many ships pass through the North Branch daily, and how many vessels travel through the main and subsidiary waterways of the South Branch? What’s the likelihood of those crew members discovering the body? In any case, you can’t rule out the possibility that the fallen crew member is not dead but hiding on shore pretending to be."

Must admit, Director Yu’s words make sense.

Unidentified bodies drifting downstream reach Binjiang Waters and can float for over a hundred kilometers; that’s due to fewer ships traveling the upper stream, reducing the chance of the crew seeing the floating body.