The crackdown on organized crime began with the arrest of the mother-in-law.

Chapter 1479 Surrounding Investigation Clues

Xiao Yang continued his investigation in the surrounding area and found a scattered cigarette butt about two meters away from the fallen weeds. "There's a cigarette butt here, with the filter facing the river. There's not much tobacco left, so it must have been discarded after smoking."

The two men conducted a preliminary examination of the cigarette butt. It was from a regular flue-cured cigarette, with a filter length of 3 centimeters. There were slight fingerprint residues on the surface, and no obvious crushing marks on the bottom, indicating that the person who discarded it was rather casual. "We will collect fingerprints and saliva residue from the cigarette butt and send them to the laboratory for testing. We will also record the brand and specifications of the cigarette butt to investigate whether it is related to the deceased or the perpetrator." Xiao Yang placed the cigarette butt in a special evidence bag and marked it. The two then continued to advance towards the riverbank, reaching the core investigation area—the reed beds and surrounding shallows where the body was found.

The riverbank was a shallow area with a water depth of about 0.5 meters. The water was murky and covered with a thick layer of silt and aquatic plants. The body was curled up in the reeds, with the upper body above the water and the lower body covered by silt and aquatic plants. Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun first examined the area around the reeds, not rushing to approach the body to avoid disturbing the surrounding traces. "The core area has complex terrain and a lot of silt, so traces are easily covered by water flow and silt. We should focus on checking the edges of the reeds, the surface of the silt in the shallows, and the traces on the surrounding rocks." Xiao Yang held a survey lamp, shining it on the surface of the silt around the reeds, carefully observing every detail.

Soon, Xiao Sun discovered a relatively clear set of footprints in the silt at the eastern edge of the reeds. "Brother Yang, there's a complete set of footprints here. The silt surface is well preserved, with no signs of water erosion." The two quickly approached and crouched down to examine them. The footprints belonged to an adult male, size 43 shoes, with rubber soles, a diamond-patterned tread pattern, a tread depth of 0.4 cm, and a footprint length of 28 cm. The forefoot pressure was heavy, while the heel pressure was light. Preliminary assessment indicated that the footprint owner was approximately 178-182 cm tall, of slender build, and had a forward-leaning center of gravity when walking.

"The footprint edges are intact, with no signs of slippage, indicating that the walking was relatively steady and not a hasty escape." Xiao Yang used a measuring tape to measure various data of the footprint and recorded them one by one in the examination book. "There are also accompanying traces of the footprint in the silt, and there is obvious compression deformation at the toe area, indicating that the owner of the footprint may have been wearing old shoes, with moderate wear on the soles." Xiao Sun then used plaster to fix and extract the footprint. Because the silt is soft, he first laid a layer of thin paper around the footprint, and then slowly poured in plaster slurry to ensure that the plaster slurry adhered tightly to the silt and to avoid damaging the details of the footprint due to the expansion of the plaster as it solidified.

While waiting for the plaster to harden, the two continued their investigation along the edge of the reeds. About three meters from the first set of footprints, they discovered another set of female footprints. "These footprints are smaller, size 37, with rubber soles and fine stripes on the tread. They are 23 centimeters long, with even pressure distribution. Preliminary assessment suggests they belong to an adult female, approximately 160-163 centimeters tall and of medium build," Xiao Yang measured and analyzed the footprints. "These footprints follow the same direction as the male footprints, both pointing towards the location of the body, and the two sets of footprints are close together, raising the possibility that two people were traveling together."

After photographing and securing the woman's footprints, Xiao Sun attempted to extract trace amounts of material around the footprints using an electrostatic precipitator. In the mud around the footprints, he discovered a small amount of black fibrous material. "The extracted black fibers were initially identified as cotton or synthetic fibers, possibly from clothing or the tools used in the crime. They were sealed and sent to the lab for component analysis," Xiao Sun explained. He placed the fibrous material in a trace evidence bag and marked it. Subsequently, the two examined the rocks around the reeds and found what appeared to be scratches on the surface of a large bluestone.

"There are two parallel scratches on the bluestone surface, 5 cm and 6 cm long respectively, with a depth of 0.1-0.2 cm and relatively neat edges. The preliminary judgment is that they were formed by a sharp object, and it cannot be ruled out that they were left by the murder weapon." Xiao Yang shone the scratches with an investigation light and carefully observed them. "There are no rust or oxidation marks around the scratches, so they should have been formed recently. Wipe the surface of the scratches with an alcohol swab to extract any possible metal residue." Xiao Sun followed the instructions, gently wiping the scratches with an alcohol swab, and then put the swab into an evidence bag and sealed it for preservation.

By this time, the plaster had completely solidified. The two carefully removed the plaster model from the mud, gently rinsed the surface mud with clean water to reveal the complete footprint pattern, and then placed it in a special protective box. Next, the two gradually approached the location of the body, conducting a detailed examination of the surrounding mud and reeds. The body was curled up deep in the reeds, wearing a dark jacket on the upper body and jeans on the lower body. The clothing was soaked in mud and clung to the body. There were obvious tears on the chest of the jacket, with irregular edges, suggesting it was cut by a sharp object.

"Initial observation shows that the deceased had a wound on his chest. Combined with the torn clothing, it is determined that he died from a stab wound to the chest. The exact number and depth of the wounds need to be further examined. The body will not be disturbed at the scene for the time being to avoid damaging the traces around the wounds." Xiao Yang said to Xiao Sun while observing, and at the same time took photos of the body's posture and the damage to the clothing to preserve the evidence. "Focus on examining the mud around the body to check for bloodstains, knife residue, or other personal belongings."

Xiao Sun crouched down and gently parted the weeds around the body with tweezers, carefully examining the surface of the silt. In the silt beneath the body's hand, he found a metal button. "There's a metal button here, about 2 centimeters in diameter, made of brass. The surface shows signs of wear, and there are simple patterns on it. It's not a button from the deceased's clothing." The two conducted a preliminary examination of the button. There were obvious stitching remnants on the back, indicating it had come from clothing. There was no blood on the button, but a small amount of silt adhered to it. "We'll extract the button and send it to the lab for testing to check for fingerprints or skin tissue residue. We'll also compare it to the deceased's clothing to confirm the button's origin."

During the continued investigation, Xiao Sun discovered a few dark red spots, suspected to be bloodstains, on a reed stalk to the left of the body. "Dark red spots on the reed stalk, suspected bloodstains, conduct a preliminary test immediately." Xiao Sun took out benzidine reagent and, following the operating procedure, used a cotton swab to apply the reagent and gently wipe the dark red spots. The spots quickly turned blue, confirming the spots were bloodstains. "Extract bloodstain samples, and simultaneously extract surrounding reed stalks to check for other bloodstains. Mark the distance and angle of the bloodstains from the body, and analyze the cause of the bloodstain formation."