The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

Chapter 862 - 453: This Is an Important Crime Marker

Ten minutes later, Director Hou slowly turned around and asked, "The investigation direction earlier should be fine. Do you see any other areas worth further scrutiny at the scene? Are there any details we might have overlooked?"Upon hearing this, Jiang An looked around once more.

His gaze meticulously swept across every inch of the floor and every corner, a serious expression on his face.

Moments later, he responded in a deep voice, "Director Hou, this scene is indeed heavily altered, with significant destruction."

"Too much time has passed, and possibly due to inadequate protection in the initial stages, many critical pieces of evidence have become blurred and unclear."

"If we purely consider the current state, we can at most draw a basic positional result map. Acquiring more breakthrough clues is indeed very challenging."

"However, I believe I need to review the complete set of photographic documentation taken during the scene examination more carefully."

"These firsthand image records often contain details that are easily overlooked."

Director Hou nodded slightly, tapping his fingers unconsciously on the investigation notebook, "This is a good approach."

"Utilizing existing technological methods to deeply explore original materials is certainly a direction worth trying."

"After all, under the current circumstances, we cannot miss any opportunity to recreate the scene."

Suddenly, Jiang An turned to Mr. Qin, "Mr. Qin, there’s an important question that needs confirmation—where is the body currently stored?"

Mr. Qin replied, "Since this case has remained unsolved, the family is very emotional and has strongly demanded that we preserve the body intact."

"The situation is indeed quite unique... So, the body is still stored in a special cold cabinet at the city’s morgue."

Upon hearing this, Director Hou couldn’t help but show a look of surprise.

As a veteran detective who has handled numerous difficult cases across the province, he’s fully aware of the conventional processing procedures for such long-term unsolved cases.

Normally, after a forensic scientist completes a comprehensive autopsy and extracts all necessary biological samples, considering practical factors such as funds and storage conditions, the body is typically handled properly.

After all, long-term professional cold storage incurs significant costs, and this spending often leaves the investigative unit in a difficult situation.

He immediately inquired, "Mr. Qin, the prolonged storage costs can’t be a small amount. Is this expense borne by the family?"

"Oh, how could the family be willing to bear that?"

Mr. Qin smiled wryly, shaking his head, "There has been a lot of accumulated dissatisfaction from them due to the lack of progress in the case."

"Under these circumstances, we can only front the payment from the case funds."

"To be honest, this expense is indeed troublesome. Now, the morgue’s body storage fees are quite high; just the daily cold storage fee for one body is 150 yuan. It’s practically more expensive than a room in a star-rated hotel."

"Luckily, because our unit has a long-term cooperation agreement with the morgue, we enjoy a significant discount."

Mr. Qin added, "But even so, the pressure of these ongoing expenses is not insignificant."

"However, conversely, precisely because we’ve maintained intact storage conditions, this body now still holds the value for a renewed forensic examination, which may be a blessing in disguise."

Upon hearing this, Jiang An slightly raised the corners of his mouth, showing a composed smile, "From a forensic perspective, bodies are always the most honest, least deceitful ’witnesses.’

"They record the traces of life’s final moments and conceal the key clues to solving the case."

"Moreover, I myself come from a forensic background, so I’m familiar with the autopsy table."

"I want to personally take a look at the body; perhaps I can discover some overlooked details."

Upon hearing this, Director Hou quickly patted his forehead, suddenly smiled, and said, "Oh! Yes, yes, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I almost forgot."

"Mr. Jiang, you’ve climbed your way from a forensic post to a detective team leader position step by step; this track record is remarkable!"

"Transitioning from a technical role to investigative command, understanding both technology and practical combat, is truly exceptional, hahaha!"

Jiang An nodded slightly, replying humbly, "Director Hou, you’re too kind."

"Criminal investigation and forensics are two facets of the same coin. We are both moving forward through constant learning and exploration."

"Forensics guides the investigation, and the investigation, in turn, promotes the advancement of forensic science. Both are indispensable."

As they spoke, the three men quickly headed towards the parking lot, driving to Qinzhou City’s morgue.

Forty minutes later, the vehicle slowly pulled up in front of the morgue.

Due to the close cooperation between the detective unit and the morgue, the staff was already quite familiar with their vehicle.

As soon as the car stopped, a morgue management personnel approached and asked familiarly, "Mr. Qin, performing another autopsy today?"

"But, there doesn’t seem to be any new case these past couple of days?"

Mr. Qin smiled and waved, half-jokingly responding, "Ah, friend, don’t say such things carelessly; don’t jinx it!"

"We’re here today to examine an old corpse, the body from the case from four years ago—Wang Xiu’s remains, you should recall it, right?"

The administrator hesitated for a moment, looking slightly surprised, "Four years ago, Wang Xiu’s one?"

"Now you’re pulling it out? That body’s been stored for quite some time now..."

"Yes, could you arrange it?"

"Alright, but the body’s been frozen for a long time."

"If you want to perform an autopsy now, won’t it be difficult?"

Mr. Qin looked at Jiang An, who took over and said, "That’s okay, pull it out first."

"We can observe while waiting for it to thaw. Some traces need to be seen precisely in a semi-thawed state."