National Forensic Doctor-Chapter 1168 - 1098: Burning a Corpse by the Lake

"Captain Jiang. Speaking of footprints, on our side..."

"Captain Jiang!"

"Jiang... there are just too many cases with footprints."

The Criminal Police Brigade is fundamentally different from grassroots frontline police units. Officers in the Criminal Police Brigade typically embody a blend of three traits: high-level education, superior human capability, and obstinate determination. The only thing that can unite them is technology.

Dai Mingsheng was momentarily in a daze.

Even though today’s "onsite meeting" cum "review meeting" was organized by him, he had not anticipated it turning out like this.

Especially witnessing a few highly capable and obstinate members, who usually held him in disdain, now clamoring for "Captain Jiang" or even "Jiang." For a moment, Dai Mingsheng felt a bit sentimental.

He could only console himself that this was due to him hosting two meetings together, elevating the atmosphere.

Although he thought that, Jiang Yuan’s welcomed presence truly resembled the stars in Lanyue City Film and Television City. And these elite personnel, each offering up old cases, trying to captivate Jiang Yuan’s attention...

Dai Mingsheng picked up his tea cup, wiped the rim with the lid, sighed silently, and thought, this time, I can’t give Huang Qiangmin too much leeway.

Jiang Yuan’s mood was also good; this was the detective team he was familiar with.

Or rather, whenever he arrived at a brand new detective team, the team inevitably transformed into the way he was familiar with.

"Jiang, take a look at this case." A young detective walked directly to the front, plugged a USB into the computer, quickly launched a PPT, and said, "This is a case we’re currently working on, but we’re stuck. There are many footprints at the scene; could you take a look?"

This was highly inappropriate behavior, but since the meeting room was already in chaos and considering the young detective was Wei Shikan, Dai Mingsheng graciously smiled.

Some young people are really driven by passion, like Wei Shikan. If he were chasing power, there’d be no reason for him to join the police force; the young might not understand it, but their families certainly do. Those who dive headlong into solving cases, wanting to be like Sherlock Holmes, usually maintain a basic level of respect towards Dai Mingsheng.

Dai Mingsheng saw no issue with it. When he visited the Wei Family, Wei Shikan knew to help by fetching slippers, showing he understood the bigger picture.

When a youngster comes over to present a PPT after a meeting, there’s really no fault; he’s just passionate about his work.

Compared to the chaotic shouting below, the PPT on the screen was obviously more captivating. Jiang Yuan naturally looked over.

"This case was discovered a month ago. The location was in the reeds by East Creek Lake. The discoverers were a team of 18 people on an outing. It was a Saturday; they drove six SUVs along a trail and then drove to the lake. After the vehicles couldn’t drive further, they camped by the lake. Someone then discovered burn marks by the lake, followed by a scorched skull, prompting them to call the police." Wei Shikan’s PPT seemed prepared for an internal briefing, though appearing quite new, the text was very detailed inside.

Especially when the crime scene photos were shown, Jiang Yuan was also a bit drawn in.

"It’s burned very thoroughly; the skull is partly burned away. Were the remaining parts preserved?" Jiang Yuan signaled Wei Shikan to pause, asking while observing the photos.

Wei Shikan, with his thick eyebrows and bright eyes, not yet 25, responded brightly, "About a third was preserved. These are the photos from the scene; once brought back, some of the bones crumbled and broke."

Dai Mingsheng coughed twice. Issues like these are typically discussed in a small circle, as airing them in public can be embarrassing.

Jiang Yuan observed carefully for a while, nodded, and said, "In this case, skull reconstruction is extremely difficult."

"But there are indeed a great many footprints left around the area." Seeing Jiang Yuan’s interest, Wei Shikan quickly showed him more photos, all of the footprints surrounding the fire site, with some footprints even stepping in the middle of it.

Dai Mingsheng had to remind Jiang Yuan, "Most of the footprints have been proven to belong to the members of the outing team that called in the report. Additionally, some footprints belong to our investigation personnel."

"Because it was so thoroughly burned, at first, they only thought someone had set fire to the reeds, and walked around the area playing. Later, when they found a human skull, they hurriedly called their colleagues over, and some even walked in to take a closer look, with others taking photos and videos..." Wei Shikan clarified.

"Considering the thoroughness of the burn, it’s very likely that an accelerant was used. Has it been confirmed what it was?"

"Gasoline," Wei Shikan answered with a straightforward response.

The human body naturally contains fat in high amounts; men without visible abs generally have over 20% body fat, those with a belly go over 30%. Women with abs also have a fat content of about 20%, those slightly curvier go up to 30%. In contrast, a pig’s fat content is less than 30%, and a sheep’s just over 20%.

Thus, with the help of an accelerant, a human body can be burned very thoroughly. Conversely, without an accelerant, cremating a human thigh bone or skull until it turns to ashes is quite challenging. This is why crematoriums often use diesel or natural gas to aid combustion.

"Show some more photos," Jiang Yuan expressed some interest in the case. A case unsolved for a month had a high potential to turn into a cold case, so it was no wonder the young detective was anxious.

Wei Shikan responded excitedly, taking the remote to hand it over for Jiang Yuan to operate, then himself took over the computer, opened a folder, and showed more photos to Jiang Yuan on the spot.

While looking at Jiang Yuan viewing the images, Wei Shikan commented, "The crime scene is very close to East Creek Lake, and the water level hasn’t changed much recently. A lot of footprints were left near the reeds. I think if we can analyze all these footprints, like in the Li Yaoji case, and find someone who wasn’t supposed to be there but left footprints, maybe the case could be solved."

Hearing this, Dai Mingsheng rubbed his forehead and hurriedly said, "Wei Shikan, are you teaching Captain Jiang how to do his job?"

"No, I’m just discussing it with Jiang."

"Old Jian," Dai Mingsheng directly called out to Jian Louyuan, the captain of Unit 1.

He couldn’t discipline the young detective Wei Shikan of Unit 1, but he could certainly handle the captain, couldn’t he?

Jian Louyuan took over with a playful senior smile, then, to Wei Shikan, said, "Xiao Wei, your approach isn’t incorrect, but there’s a small problem."

"Go ahead," Wei Shikan was more polite to his unit captain, given how often he backed him up; one had to have some conscience.

Jian Louyuan awkwardly smiled at Jiang Yuan and Liu Jinghui, then continued, "It’s a good idea to compare footprints. We do have many from the crime scene, but who are we comparing these footprints with? At the very least, shouldn’t we define a range of suspects first?"

"This..." Wei Shikan, although passionate, seemed at a loss when trying to solve it.

Jian Louyuan sighed and, slightly embarrassed, said to Jiang Yuan, "Captain Jiang, I am ashamed to admit that this case has yet to identify the victim. Of course, if you can deduce some clues from the footprints, it would greatly aid our investigation."

"Victims," Jiang Yuan corrected.

"Victims?" Jian Louyuan was puzzled.

"It’s ’victims,’" Jiang Yuan tapped on the screen of Wei Shikan’s laptop and said, "Based on the bone fragments recovered, there are both male and female remains, so at least two victims."

"But there’s only one skull," Wei Shikan exclaimed in surprise.

"We just discussed that only a third of the skull remains," Jiang Yuan replied indifferently. "The rest of the skull may have been incinerated or taken away by the killer early on. Hmm... I’ll take on this case."

After speaking, Jiang Yuan looked toward Dai Mingsheng and said, "Dai Zhi, if you’re not opposed, I’ll call Commissioner Huang over to coordinate with you."

"Go ahead," Dai Mingsheng’s resolve stiffened.