Chapter 11 Case 9: Highway Ghost
The work of the forensic department of the provincial department is much busier than expected. In addition to investigating some extraordinarily large and difficult murder scenes, there are still many petition cases and administrative materials to be processed.Frequent business trips are not all for murder. We are also very cautious in the review of petition cases, because this is the channel for discovering and clearing up unjust cases.
The weather was getting cooler, and this was my first late autumn in the provincial capital. Master took me to Yunling City to review a complaint case.The case was very simple, and the unjust case was not discovered as expected.When the police station in the jurisdiction made an appointment to communicate with the petitioner, there was a sudden noise at the door.
We looked out the window at the same time, and a group of onlookers gathered at the gate of the police station.
"He must have taken my money and ran away. What time is it, and I can't get in touch?" A middle-aged man shouted, waving his arms in righteous indignation.
"How could it be, from the folks in the village." A woman in her 40s said with a sad face.
"Why not? Who doesn't know that he comes here to eat, drink, prostitute and gamble? I only have such a little money, how can I treat my illness if I take it away? No matter, take the money and return it to me, I will have surgery the day after tomorrow!" The man grabbed Women's collars don't budge.
"I don't have so much money, you see our family is so poor..." The woman wanted to cry but had no tears.
"Don't be impulsive, let go!" The police came to mediate when they saw the man wanted to beat him.
"Maybe I will contact you in a while. What are you in a hurry for? Isn't it just a few thousand dollars? As for calling the police station?" said an old man next to him who seemed to know the truth.
Such incidents are often staged in front of the police station, and the police are used to it, but I was still full of curiosity as a newcomer to the police force, and I walked out of the police station to see what happened.
Under the mediation of the police, the emotions of both sides quickly calmed down, and the middle-aged man told what happened.
It turned out that his name was Wang Qi, and he suffered from very serious gallbladder stones. He often rolled all over the floor in pain. After suffering for a while, he finally couldn't take it anymore, so he decided to take out his only 5,000 yuan savings and go to the city for surgery.The hospital where the operation was performed was introduced by Li Jiefang, a barefoot doctor in the village.This Li Jiefang is also his neighbor. He is over 50 years old this year. Because he has learned a little medical knowledge by himself, he opened a small clinic in the village to make a living.Later, the medical institutions were standardized, and Li Jiefang's small clinic became obsolete. While he secretly treated the villagers for minor ailments such as headaches and brain fever, he also served as a medical care provider for some second-tier hospitals by the way. Can get some commission from the cost of medical treatment.
As soon as Wang Qi asked him for help this time, he took him to a certain hospital in the city for treatment, and arranged for him to be admitted to the hospital for preoperative examination that day.These days, Li Jiefang can be regarded as kind and righteous. He took some money to take care of the unaccompanied Wang Qi in the hospital. Until the day before the operation, Wang Qi had to change into a hospital gown, and there was no place to put the remaining 3,000 yuan close to him. Money, considering that thieves in the hospital have been rampant recently, he entrusted Li Jiefang with safekeeping of the money.Unexpectedly, Li Jiefang disappeared that night, and his mobile phone could not be reached. Wang Qi was worried all night, and there was still no news of Li Jiefang in the morning of the next day.In a hurry, Wang Qi called Li Jiefang's wife, only to find that Li Jiefang had not returned to the village either.They are all neighbors in the neighborhood. Wang Qi naturally knows that Li Jiefang is not a check-up person at ordinary times. He has everything from food, drink, prostitution and gambling. .Li Jiefang's wife is 10 years younger than Li Jiefang, and she is often beaten and scolded by him. Now she doesn't know anything, let alone speak.
The matter sounds very simple. It should be that Li Jiefang squandered his money and hid his debts.The spectators didn't see anything new, so they rushed away.
Everything is fine with me.Complaints and visits were handled in a timely and effective manner, and the petitioners were convinced by our review conclusions.After finishing some literature work, we decided to return to the provincial capital the next morning.Master has good work and rest habits, going to bed early and getting up early.But this is a pain for those of us young people who like to stay up late to read books and play games.At 6:30 the next morning, Master knocked on the door and said that he had to hurry back to the hall and try to catch up with the morning meeting.
Sleepily, I boarded the car back to the provincial capital.Early in the morning, there were not many cars on the road, but when we drove to the outskirts of the city, we found a police car with flashing lights parked beside the road, and two traffic policemen were squatting on the ground to check a person lying on the ground.
"Stop." Master told the driver.
Master and I jumped out of the car and heard a traffic policeman calling 120: "There is a traffic accident victim opposite the fertilizer factory on Dongnan Road in the suburbs of the city. He is still breathing. Please come as soon as possible."
"What's going on?" Master asked while showing his police officer ID.
The traffic policeman was a little surprised. It was a simple traffic accident and escaped. As for the chief forensic doctor of the provincial department, did he come to ask? "Leader, someone called the police this morning, saying that a person may have been hit by a car and was lying on the side of the road. We rushed over and found that the person was still breathing. We didn't know where the injury was. We dared not move him. 120 almost there."
I walked over and took a brief look at the person lying on the ground. There was no open injury, and there was no blood at all. I walked over and tapped the carotid artery, and found that there was still a pulse.I asked: "Where is the injury? Where is it uncomfortable? What's the matter?" The man on the ground only knew how to hum.
"Have you seen your belongings?" Master asked.
"There is a bag, empty, just this ID card." The traffic police handed the ID card to Master.
Looking at the photo, it is the ID card of the man on the ground, whose name is actually the Li Jiefang who was mentioned the day before.
After a short while, the ambulance arrived. After a simple inspection, two doctors swiftly carried Li Jiefang into the ambulance, and drove away like lightning as the traffic police cars cleared the way.
"Go back to the hotel." After the master finished speaking, he glanced at me, "You don't want a girlfriend, do you? Let's leave two days late and pay attention to this so-called traffic accident."
I have no objection at all, because I am also full of curiosity about Li Jiefang's appearance by such a coincidence.
Li Jiefang was sent to the hospital, where examination revealed a skull fracture on his forehead and brain contusion.The doctor thought he happened in the middle of the night, and he was found lying on the side of the road for several hours. The bleeding was too heavy, and there was no hope.After several rescue efforts, Li Jiefang was declared dead that afternoon.
After getting the news, Master took me and the city bureau's forensic doctor to the hospital for a preliminary examination of Li Jiefang's body.After examination, no obvious trauma was found in the body, and even CT showed no obvious bleeding on the skin where the skull fracture and cerebral hemorrhage were located.
"Do you think it's like a traffic accident?" Master asked Yang Forensic Doctor of the Municipal Bureau.
"No, no scratches."
"Although traffic accident injuries are usually accompanied by skin drag and abrasion, there are also cases where there is only one injury. Now it is cold and wearing a lot of clothes. If the force happens to cause the person to touch the ground with no exposed parts, it may be that there is no abrasion. Injured." The master said, "However, there is something wrong with this case. Let's take it to the funeral parlor for further examination."
At the door of the hospital, Wang Qi and Li Jiefang's wives were waiting at the door.Wang Qi saw us coming out and asked, "Where's my money?"
"His belongings are only an ID card." The police said.
"I must have used my money to gamble. I lost all my money and got hit by a car. I deserve it!" Wang Qi gritted his teeth.
"We are going to the funeral home for further examination of the body, and the possibility of a criminal case is not ruled out at this time," Master said to Li Jiefang's wife.
Li Jiefang's wife nodded. For Li Jiefang's death, she didn't feel too much sadness, but more of relief.
"It's not a criminal case, is it? How can someone throw someone on the side of the road without killing him? If they are saved, wouldn't they be committing suicide?" The policeman questioned.
"We're just skeptical, and we can't draw conclusions yet," Master said.
When we arrived at the funeral home, Master finished the autopsy with us without saying a word.Master didn't like to talk during the autopsy, because he thought talking too much might affect his judgment.
After the dissection, we gathered by the sink to wash our hands.
Master suddenly said to the policemen beside him, "Let's file the case with the criminal police."
Not to mention the police standing by, even I was taken aback.Facts of the crime must be found in the filing of the case. After several hours of autopsy, although some injuries were seen, it is not completely sure that the injury was not caused by a traffic accident, at least I think so.
"Are you sure this is a murder case?" The policeman asked quietly from the side.
"It can be ruled out that the injury was caused by a traffic accident. It should be caused by a direct blow. Therefore, it should be a homicide." The master's firm attitude was revealed again, "Let's go, let's go to the conference room and introduce the autopsy to the special case team."
In the conference room, the criminal police members looked solemn.When a murder like this happens, everyone will feel that the burden on their shoulders is very heavy.As a criminal police officer for a long time, there will be a complex of wanting to stop.Even though the profession of criminal police is the hardest, hardest, and most dangerous, those who have been criminal police believe that they have been criminal police all their lives.Every time a case happens, the criminal police will be worried about the next hard work on the one hand, and will be full of joy on the challenges they face on the other hand.
"The injuries of the corpse were mainly concentrated in the head and limbs." Master said slowly, referring to the slides, "Although part of the frontal skull was removed during the head salvage operation, the bone flap could not be retrieved in the hospital. , the fracture shape of the bone flap cannot be seen clearly, but we can see from the CT film that this is a strip-shaped fracture line without depression or comminution. Such fracture lines are rare in traffic accident injuries, and generally appear in in the course of gross deformation of the skull from direct blows and falls."
"You mean that this kind of fracture line is either a direct blow or a fall? So how can it be ruled out that it was caused by a fall?"
"We know that falls are distinguished from direct blow injuries, mainly by impact injuries. Impact injuries refer to contusions that occur on the cerebral cortex on the opposite side of the force along the direction of the force on the head. For example, if the occipital is hit, the cerebral cortex on the frontal Contusion occurs, but the forehead, scalp and skull are not damaged. It usually occurs when the head in motion is suddenly decelerated after being subjected to external force. The so-called deceleration movement is falling, bumping, etc. "Master's theoretical foundation is very solid , the term explanation is more accurate than the book, "In this case, the brain tissue of the deceased's forehead was contused, and there was bleeding on the edge, while the occipital scalp, skull and brain tissue on the opposite side were not damaged. It can be seen that this is not a contusion injury."
"Is it sure that it was a direct blow without the puncture?" The criminal police were still skeptical about the nature of the case.
"The head of the corpse looks undamaged on the surface." Master showed the frontal photo of the corpse, "but we can find some faint color changes in the middle of his forehead, and this color change is exactly along the The direction of the fracture line. Although there is extensive bleeding under the scalp due to the operation, it is not clear whether there is any trace of trauma, but we carefully cut the skin along the place where the color changes, observe the epidermis and dermis, and find the dermis of the skin There is bleeding. Such bleeding is usually formed by external pressure on the skin."
"Well, what you said makes sense. As a layman, I also understand that the damage here should be caused by the direct action of external force." The head of the criminal police detachment said, "But why can't it be caused by a direct impact of a vehicle? If it is a part of the vehicle This part directly hit the head, isn't it also the same kind of injury?"
Master said: "This has to be divided into two aspects. One aspect is the inference of the means of injury, which I will talk about later. The other aspect is sufficient to prove that this is not a vehicle collision, that is, the form of injury in a traffic accident. Injuries usually form secondary injuries, and the so-called secondary injuries are usually bumps and falls. Simply put, what happens to people after a vehicle hits their head?"
"Fall back."
"Yes, since it will fall backwards, there will inevitably be secondary injuries on the other side of the body at the impact point." The master is full of confidence, "In this case, the corpse had injuries to the head, but no injuries to the back of the head or back. It does not meet the characteristics of traffic accident injuries."
Everyone in the conference room nodded frequently, and everyone began to be persuaded by Master and agree with Master's point of view.
"In addition, we checked the limbs and joints of the dead body." Master continued to show his slides, "We all know that in traffic accidents, people who are hit will roll over and fall, and the limbs and joints of the deceased are easily injured. But in this case, Although both knee joints of the deceased had obvious bleeding, and there was bleeding in the joint cavity below the patella, but there was no bleeding in the elbow joint. Could it be possible for a person to land on the ground with only the knee joint and the elbow joint in the air after being hit and rolled? He is not an acrobat .”
Master told a bad joke, no one laughed, everyone was frowning and thinking.
"Not only that, we know that in traffic accident injuries, the focus is usually on the vehicle and the ground, both of which are rough surfaces." Master pointed to the concrete floor, "If a person rolls, shifts, or falls quickly on such a contact surface, A fall will inevitably leave abrasions on the skin. However, there is no abrasion on the body in this case."
Even I didn't notice this detail.Master quickly flipped through the autopsy photos. Judging from the skin on the surface of the corpse, it was true that no abrasions or contusions were found.
"You're right. We also believe that this is indeed a case of blowing someone's head and causing a severe coma and then throwing the body to the scene." The captain of the criminal police said, "But such a case is difficult to find a clue, and we don't know where we should go. Where do we start?"
"Now, let's talk about the instrument of injury." The master seemed to answer the question out of context, and the captain of the criminal police was a little embarrassed. "As I said just now, another basis for determining that it was not a vehicle collision is the instrument of injury."
At this time, I was thinking hard and did a lot of autopsies. I also vaguely felt that the injury tool in this case was not a protruding part of the vehicle, but I couldn’t express the basis and point of view. The subconscious experience told me that it was caused by soft objects. , but how can soft objects cause skull fractures?
"We saw that although there was a skull fracture here, the skin damage was very slight." Master pointed a laser pointer at the forehead of the deceased in the autopsy photo and said, "There are no marks or abrasions on the surface of the skin here, and there should be bleeding under the skin." Not much. But the dermis has bleeding caused by extrusion, and there is a skull fracture. Such tools should be bar-shaped, easy to wield, soft, tough, and smooth-surfaced sticks."
Not to mention the investigators, even I was confused.
"Can you make it clearer?" The captain of the criminal police touched his head.
"Actually, as a forensic doctor, I can only describe the tool of injury in this way. After all, the forensic doctor was not at the scene of the crime and did not see what the criminal was holding, so this description is objective. To say it is a certain tool is just speculation. The master smiled and said, "However, the wounding tool in this case is quite special. I think the rubber baton has all the characteristics I just mentioned."
For this bold guess, everyone did not cheer, but the atmosphere became more dignified.After two minutes of silence, the captain of the criminal police said: "You mean, it was done by our own people?"
The master didn't say anything, and the policeman from the police station said, "No way, we've been distributing them for two years, and the batons don't use rubber sticks like this for a long time. They're all portable."
"Is there anyone else who can use this kind of rubber stick?" Master asked.
"It seems that the security of some enterprises is still in use." The police at the police station know more about this aspect.
"Security?" the captain of the criminal police asked.
"It's more likely, and he's a security guard who has served in the army." Master said.
"Been in the army?" Criminal policemen are most interested in describing criminals. If the description is accurate, the cost of handling cases can be greatly reduced and the scope of investigation can be narrowed.
"For reference only." The master will occasionally be conservative about inferences that are not well-founded, "Everyone see."
Master showed a slideshow of photos of the back of the calf of the deceased's outer pants. He said, "There is a special shape of dust on the back of the calf. Although it is not clear, it is almost certain that it is a shoe print."
"What can the shoe prints explain?" the criminal police members were very anxious.
"Looking at this shoe print alone can't explain anything, but combined with some minor injuries, there will be results." Master switched to the photo of the deceased's hand dissection, "The tendons of the deceased's middle finger, index finger, and metacarpal joints were strained and bleeding. It is easy to sprain fingers in disputes and fights, but usually it is the side or palmar tendon of the finger that is sprained, and the tendon on the back is very rare. Combined with the shoe prints on the trousers, let’s reconstruct this process.”
I admire Master's observation and associative skills very much. When I saw the hand injury, I didn't care at all. I simply took a picture and it was over. I didn't expect Master to use such a slight injury to make a fuss.
Master put my arm behind my back, and said while gesticulating: "Only by bending fingers and palms in this way can such damage be formed, and at the same time, one foot is stepped on the calf of the deceased. You can see, what kind of action is this? "
"Catch!" The criminal police team members who have all learned to capture and fight said in unison.
"Yes." The master smiled slightly, "I also think that this kind of injury should be formed when it was subdued by a professional grappling action. If you have learned grappling, only us criminal police or armed police. Combined with the previous rubber stick, I think it is more likely that people who have been retired from the armed police to become security guards."
These are all speculations, and the basis is not very sufficient, so the master is more conservative: "This is for reference only."
"You mean, a veteran armed policeman robbed with a rubber stick?" The captain of the criminal police also started his speculation, "I met the victim on the road, knocked the victim unconscious with a stick, and then took the money in the victim's bag?"
"No." The master shook his head and regained his decisive expression, "First, if it is a robbery on the road, there is no need to dig through the bag on the main road, just take the bag without taking the money? Two, I think the victim was attacked indoors, not outdoors."
"Oh? You can see it indoors?" The captain of the criminal police's eyes on Master has changed from looking up to looking up.
"Yes. Just now we mentioned that there is obvious bleeding on both knee joints of the dead body. This bleeding is caused by the extrusion and friction between the patella and hard objects." Master said, "The extrusion and friction between the patella and hard objects usually In what situation?"
"Kneel down."
"Since there was a process of kneeling, it must not be next to the road. Moreover, there is no scratch on the skin of the patella and the corresponding parts of the pants, which shows that the ground on which he is kneeling should be very smooth, such as the floor Brick, marble, at least certainly not asphalt."
The detectives nodded one after another: "You mean that he is in the process of being controlled."
"Yes, I'm sure of this." Master said, "Not only the injuries on the deceased's body suggested that he had kneeled during his lifetime, but also there were slight streaks of bleeding in the subcutaneous tissue and muscles of both wrist joints, such bleeding It should be formed by a soft rope binding."
"Oh, so it was an acquaintance who committed the crime!" A criminal policeman interjected, "Since he was controlled indoors, he must have gone to an acquaintance's house and fell into the acquaintance's trap."
"On the contrary." Master smiled again, "I don't think the criminal and the victim know each other at all."
"Yeah." The captain of the criminal police glared fiercely at the criminal policeman who interrupted, "How can an acquaintance not put him to death? Can he still let him lie alive on the side of the road? What if he is saved?"
"How can such an adult be tricked into going to someone else's house?" the criminal policeman muttered unconvinced.
"Good question." Master said with a smile, "The key to this case is how the victim got into the room and why he was controlled by criminals and hurt him. In fact, this question should not be difficult to investigate. It's not because some people reported that Li Jiefang ate, drank, gambled and gambled during his lifetime. Is everything in place?"
"Yes, it should be these things." The captain of the criminal police nodded, "I highly suspect that he lost money in an underground casino and couldn't afford to be beaten."
"Such cases can sometimes be seen in gambling cases, but I don't think the cause of this case is gambling." Master said while switching the slides, "I think it's prostitution."
The detectives all concentrated on looking at the slides. They were full of admiration and convinced by Master's previous deduction.
"Look, everyone, this is a photo taken by the traffic police at the scene of the accident." Master pointed to the center of the slide and said, "We can see that the deceased's belt was not fastened and the zipper was not closed. If the traffic police did not have this photo , We are not sure whether the clothes are in their original state or caused by the loosening of the belt during the hospital rescue. Therefore, we must commend the traffic police for their meticulous work in the initial stage of handling the scene."
The traffic policeman who attended the meeting smiled proudly.
"Not only that, but during the autopsy we found that the deceased's underwear was worn backwards." Master said, "The hospital will not touch the underwear of the injured. Therefore, this should be in its original state."
The master took a sip of water and continued: "Since it is in the original state, under what circumstances would you wear your underwear backwards? One possibility is that Li Jiefang was flustered when he put on his underwear, and the other possibility is that Li Jiefang was panicked by others after he was seriously injured. No matter what the situation is, it means that Li Jiefang was naked when the incident happened. Then, this case should have something to do with prostitution."
"You mean, when the deceased went to prostitution, he was blackmailed, then controlled, hurt, and then moved to the side of the road, right?" the captain of the criminal police asked.
"Yes, that's what it means. And the place where the murderer committed the crime should not be far from the scene where Li Jiefang was found. Since it was not an acquaintance who committed the crime, there is no need to take the risk of transporting such a seriously injured person to the side of the road far away." Master continued Analysis, "So, the next step should be to look for prostitutes who may be renting here or where the dens are located near the scene, especially prostitutes who have close contact with retired armed police and current security guards."
"It turned out to be a fairy dance." The captain of the criminal police let out a long sigh of relief and said confidently, "With your analysis, the next job will be easy. Give me two days to solve the case!"
Early the next morning, we got up and were ready to leave. The captain of the criminal police called Master to announce the good news and the case was successfully solved.Unexpectedly, the criminal police in Yunling City were so efficient in handling the case that they solved the case within two days.
Master's deduction was indeed correct, the incident happened almost 100% consistent with his description.
It turned out that after Li Jiefang came to Yunling City, his heart was itching like a cat scratching. At this moment, Wang Qi gave him 3,000 yuan, and he immediately became terrified, and slipped out at night while it was dark.He wandered around the scene alone, and happened to meet Chen, a prostitute who was inviting customers by the side of the road.The two hit it off immediately, and after negotiating the price, they went to Chen's rental house.Seeing that Li Jiefang was dressed as a farmer and a foreigner, Chen suddenly became malicious, and sent a text message to notify her boyfriend to come and blackmail her.Chen's boyfriend, Xie, had worked as an armed police officer in Northwest China for several years, and after retiring from the army, he worked as a security guard at a chemical fertilizer factory near the scene.Li Jiefang and Chen came to the rental house. As soon as they took off their clothes, Xie broke into the door to take pictures, claiming that Li Jiefang raped his girlfriend, and tied Li Jiefang's hands and made him kneel in the bathroom.Chen and Xie rummaged through Li Jiefang's clothes and bags, and found all the more than 3,000 yuan. When they were rejoicing, Li Jiefang began to curse in the bathroom, claiming to report to the police.In a fit of anger, Xie took the rubber stick he carried with him and slammed Li Jiefang on the forehead.Li Jiefang was over half a hundred years old, how could he stand such a heavy blow, he was stunned all at once.Seeing that something was wrong, Xie picked up Li Jiefang and dumped him beside the road near the gate of the fertilizer factory.
In the early morning of the next day, when they saw the traffic police coming to investigate the scene, Xie and Chen secretly rejoiced that they had escaped unharmed. Unexpectedly, the next day, the criminal police who fell from the sky pressed them on the bed of their own bed.
On the way back, I was overwhelmed with admiration for Master's wonderful deduction: "Master, the analysis of this case is so wonderful, it's an eye-opener for me. I thought that forensic science is just a basic job in the detection of murder cases. I didn't expect it. Seriously, we turned out to be manageable.”
Master said: "The key is attitude, especially technical work. Treat work as a career, and you will discover your own value."
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