Free Web NovelChapter 294: Chapter 288: Residue under the Fingernails_1
Zhou Ning whirled around and saw Mr. Zhao rushing over with an evidence bag in his hand.
Upon approaching, Zhou Ning took a glance at the evidence bag and spotted something dark inside that seemed like bloodstains, but the object had several protruding parts with tears. After a closer inspection, Zhou Ning abruptly looked up.
"A latex glove? Where did you find it?"
Mr. Zhao pointed to a huge barrel near the west wall of the courtyard and said,
"Following the footprints, I investigated towards the south and found two battered half-waste oil barrels filled with a lot of kindling and branches. Removing the wood and branches, I saw this torn latex glove at the bottom. The glove had cuts near the base of the little finger and a wad of paper, probably used to wipe blood. I’ve packed it up."
Zhou Ning shook the latex glove, and as it unfolded inside the bag, the base of the little finger was indeed sliced open, but the area was completely stained with black blood.
"Great, check if the person sending the evidence has left. Bring this directly for testing when he returns. Even if there are no bloodstains on the cut area, the inside of the latex glove should still retain sweat and skin flakes. With luck, we might find the murderer’s DNA. Have Mrs. Cui sample it carefully for comparison."
Mr. Zhao chuckled.
"I’ve already made the call. Mr. Bai is on his way back. I’ll call Mrs. Cui in a bit, but I remember the dagger sticking out of the victim’s back had a guard. How could it have cut the glove?"
Zhou Ning found the picture of the murder weapon and examined it closely.
"There is indeed a guard, but it’s less than a centimeter wide. If the force of the stabbing was too much, it wouldn’t stop the hand from sliding down, or if the guard wasn’t smooth, it could have torn the glove. If we can detect bloodstains, this evidence would be perfect."
Xu Dayuan waved his hand dismissively.
"Enough talk, let’s eat first, then proceed with the second autopsy."
...
An hour later, the group returned to Hai’an City Criminal Police Team headquarters.
Zhou Ning had a quick meal before heading to the forensic autopsy room. Hai’an’s facilities couldn’t compare to those in Qidong and Rudong City. Although it was also set up within the police team’s area, space was very limited, and there was no recording equipment.
Liu Yongxin had the scanning equipment installed that morning and connected to the system software. Zhou Ning’s preferred LED light was also set up, placed to one side.
Bai Hua asked many questions, curious about the new equipment. Zhou Ning did not withhold information, explaining the software’s application in autopsies, as the main goal of the city bureau’s initiative to clear up backlog cases was also to promote software usage to enhance the investigative capabilities of the various branch and county bureaus.
The body of the child was the first to be brought in, with the state of preservation still good, showing no significant decay from repeated freezing. Zhou Ning circled the body, meticulously observing from head to toe.
Zhu Xingxing, assisting Xia Momo, conducted an X-ray scan of the body, from operating the machine to utilizing the images, quietly explaining the process to Bai Hua.
On the other side, Zhou Ning cross-referenced the autopsy report and found that Bai Hua’s examination had been meticulous, even not overlooking the boy’s peri-anal inspection. DNA collections were also made from the mouth, nose, and neck, but no special findings surfaced. However, several fibers were found in the victim’s bronchi.
"Doctor Bai, do you think the victim, Wang Jiahan, suffered mechanical asphyxiation from something like a cushion or a soft knitted object blocking their breath, and was then thrown into the water of the pickle jar?"
Bai Hua nodded.
"At the scene of the investigation, we found a 60-centimeter diameter plush pillow. The fibers extracted from the inside matched those found in the victim’s bronchi. Also, we found a pale yellow liquid residue on the plush pillow, DNA comparison confirmed it belonged to the victim, Wang Jiahan."
Zhou Ning hummed in acknowledgment. Bai Hua’s examination was indeed thorough; finding fibers in the bronchi is something most people would not detail.
Reviewing the section on nail extraction testing, Zhou Ning glanced over it to find that the victim’s nails had been cut off neatly at the edges, yet nothing significant was discovered here.
Zhu Xingxing and the others surrounded the table, and while they found it strange that Zhou Ning had yet to begin the dissection, nobody interrupted his observation.
When examining Wang Jiahan’s toes, Zhou Ning gestured to Zhu Xingxing behind him, who promptly moved the LED light closer, grasping the armature. Zhou Ning leaned in close to the victim’s toenails. In the groove of the second toe on the left foot, there appeared to be residue.
Mr. Zhao had sharp eyes and spotted the remains too, quickly moving in with a camera. Bai Hua hurried over as Zhou Ning delicately scraped with a pair of curved tweezers, extracting a small amount of dark brown substance that seemed to contain an extremely fine hair.
Zhu Xingxing handed over a collection box. Zhou Ning immediately tossed the tweezers to her and then picked up another pair of tweezers to check the other toes, but found nothing this time. Turning around, Zhou Ning trimmed off all toenails at the edges to preserve samples.
Bai Hua felt slightly embarrassed, unable to identify the discovered extraction material at first glance.
"Is this a bloodstain?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"It looks more like skin residue. The incident occurred during summer; metabolism is rapid, many people shower every day, but thorough skin cleaning is not always guaranteed. Send it for testing; we’ll know what it is after the examination."
Having said that, he moved back to the side of the autopsy table and signaled Mr. Zhao to start recounting for the video recording. Zhou Ning carefully inspected all the organs already dissected as well as their various states.
Bai Hua watched his actions, listened to his analysis and judgment, and completely shed the disdain he’d initially shown at the case analysis meeting.
After completing this, Zhou Ning stepped back, and Zhu Xingxing quickly took his place to clean and stitch up the body. Once finished, Mr. Zhao turned off the recording system.
Zhou Ning then spoke:
"The victim was only two years old, and their reaction would be different from that of an adult. When startled or uncomfortable, their instinctive response would be to kick and flail with their arms and legs. And being August, even if they were sleeping under a thin quilt, it is quite likely that they kicked off the covers. Therefore, mark these samples and make sure to clearly communicate the extraction requirements to Mrs. Cui."
As they were speaking, the body of Ho Dongmei was brought in. Zhou Ning walked over and noticed that from the front, there was only a very small wound between the third and fourth ribs. It appeared that the dagger had been plunged in deeply, piercing right through the body.
"Is the weapon here, or is it being preserved in the evidence room?"
"We need a second autopsy, so I’ve had the evidence brought over here, it’s right in this room."
As he spoke, Bai Hua walked over to one side, picked up an evidence bag, and it was possible to see the shape of the dagger without opening the bag.
Taking advantage of the moment, Zhou Ning glanced at Bai Hua’s autopsy report. Indeed, just like the other victim, the dissection was very detailed. A congested trail on the back caught Zhou Ning’s attention, prompting him to look twice.
Mr. Qu took the bag and quickly provided the measurements after a careful examination.
"The total length of the dagger is 26.6 centimeters, with the guard to handle base measuring 9.2 centimeters, blade length 17.4 centimeters, widest part of the blade 4.26 centimeters, single-edged, with a serrated section 4.2 centimeters from the bottom of the blade, and a blood groove along the side."
Zhou Ning measured the distance from the victim’s back to the front of the chest, which was 17.7 centimeters. If the victim was lying face down, with the chest compressed after being stabbed, it would indeed be possible to pierce through from the front.
Under Zhou Ning’s guidance, several people stepped forward, turned the body over, and now the wound was fully exposed, looking even more horrific from the back.
"Let’s scan first, and then we’ll analyze. Scan in this state to see if there’s any damage to the ribs or thoracic vertebrae between the third and fourth ribs."
Zhu Xingxing and the others got to work, and shortly, the three-dimensional image emerged. Momo enlarged the image, and indeed, at the junction between the third and fourth ribs, there was a bone fracture, albeit very slight.
After looking at the image, Zhou Ning closed his eyes briefly. It was clear from the image that the dagger was stabbed in vertically. Judging from where the gloves were cut, the murderer must have been chasing the victim from behind, grasping the dagger in a backhanded grip. The stab to the victim’s back came after the victim had fallen or had been brought down by the murderer.
However, the precision of the stab location was too exact. Even a professional would not be able to guarantee they could find the space between the third and fourth ribs in a moving state and pierce the heart with one thrust.
"The wound between the third and fourth ribs on the front of the victim’s chest is 1.1 centimeters long, which is at a right angle and vertical to the entry point on the back. The dagger was inserted horizontally between the third and fourth ribs."
Mr. Zhao, with his chubby face, exclaimed in surprise from under the camera:
"That precise?"
Zhou Ning did not answer, but proceeded with Zhu Xingxing and the others to carefully examine the victim’s body surface, turning the body over again. They found abrasions on the knees, elbows, wrists, and jaw.
On the victim’s back, right above the kidney area, there was a faint reddish bruise that looked like a footprint, but it was very faint.
"It seems the victim was kicked down from behind by the murderer, who then pounced on them and stabbed them through the heart, rendering the victim powerless and unable to cry for help instantly."
Zhou Ning glanced at Liu Yongxin, who was measuring.
"Shoe print length is 29.5 centimeters. Mr. Zhao, take a photo and let Mr. Qu process it. I think I can see some pattern marks."
Doctor Bai approached to examine the mark on the victim’s back more closely.
"During the previous autopsy, this mark wasn’t as clear; it was just a faint dark red with blurred edges, and I didn’t realize it was the print of a kick."
Zhou Ning smiled, which was something he had meant to mention just a moment ago.
"Don’t be discouraged, Doctor Bai. Often times, such bruises aren’t visible during the initial autopsy. It’s only after the body is frozen and then thawed that these marks become clearer. My teachers used to do autopsies in the morgue without these facilities; this conclusion is based on their experience."
Liu Yongxin nodded.
"Conditions were tough in the past; we’ve encountered all sorts of things."
Their words seemed to reassure Bai Hua. Zhou Ning continued:
"It looks like the murderer’s shoe size is between 43 and 44. Has Mr. Qu arrived?"
Momo raised her hand. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
"No need to look for him, I can do it. Mr. Zhao, send it to me, and I’ll adjust the contrast of the image for you right now."
Mr. Zhao hurried over and transmitted the photo to Momo. Momo worked swiftly on the computer, magically enhancing the image. In a short while, the mark became a stark brown color, making the pattern even more distinct.
Mr. Zhao also found the shoe print photo collected from the dirt. Momo applied the same method, comparing both images side by side. Seeing the pattern, Zhou Ning nodded vigorously.
"It’s the same person."
