Chapter 13: Not Drowning, But Strangulation and Throwing the Body!

A murder case must be solved.

This is not just a slogan shouted for show.

It was an order issued in 2004 by the Ministry of Public Security to local authorities, aiming to reduce crime by increasing the efforts to apprehend criminals.

The results were exactly as the leaders had hoped.

Due to the pressure to solve murders, the attitude and efficiency of major local criminal investigation teams in handling murder cases increased significantly.

Almost 90% of murder cases could be solved within 48 hours, a period referred to as the “Golden 48 Hours.”

During this time, the most crucial clues were usually found within the first 24 hours after receiving a report and discovering the victim’s body.

The increase in investigative efficiency naturally made many criminals, who previously relied on luck, more cautious and afraid to commit murder in the face of such strong pursuit measures.

…

A police car sped down the highway.

It stopped near the remote Huainan River in the suburbs.

Although Magic City is a large metropolis, there are still many sparsely populated suburbs.

The Huainan River is one such place.

Apart from the local residents and fishermen, very few people wander by the river.

At this moment, three individuals got out of the police car.

They quickly saw a large area cordoned off by police tape in the middle of the river, and outside the area, many curious elderly people gathered, pointing and discussing something in whispers.

Xu Changsheng frowned and walked up, shouting loudly.

“Why are you causing a scene? What are you gossiping about?”

“Stop crowding around the scene of a murder! Hurry up and disperse, don’t interfere with our investigation.”

This shout silenced the chatter of the elderly, but they didn’t leave. They just stood outside the cordon, tiptoeing to see what was happening.

Xu Changsheng didn’t say much more, glancing at Su Ming and Wang Hu before speaking softly.

“After discovering the body, the nearby public security officers arrived first to seal off the area and instructed the recovery team to retrieve the body.”

“We haven’t put the body in the body bag yet. We need to determine the cause of death and whether a public prosecution is necessary.”

“If it was suicide or an accidental drowning, we can issue a certificate and close the case.”

“But if it’s homicide, things might get a little complicated.”

Su Ming nodded in agreement, but noticed Wang Hu’s confused expression and explained.

“The body found in the water.”

“Basically, the first scene doesn’t provide any reference value, since no one knows where it came from.”

“We can only recover the body, determine the approximate cause of death, and if there’s a possibility of homicide, we’ll initiate a prosecution.”

“From the current situation…”

“I personally think the likelihood of accidental drowning is very low because the elderly here are all pointing and guessing who the deceased might be.”

“This suggests that the deceased wasn’t a local resident, so we can rule out accidental drowning.”

“As for suicide or homicide.”

“That needs further examination. We have to see the body to confirm.”

Xu Changsheng nodded in agreement.

He hadn’t expected Su Ming to think so quickly and rule out accidental drowning based on the expressions and comments of the elderly. He then waved his hand.

“Su Ming, your judgment is sharp.”

“Here’s the plan.”

“Wait here, you and Huzi will do the initial examination of the body.”

“I’ll supervise you. If there are any issues, we’ll call the forensic expert for a more detailed examination.”

Forensic experts are usually very busy.

Not only do they help solve cases, but they also handle public injuries and determine causes of death in autopsies.

So, most criminal police officers have the ability to make preliminary assessments of a body and analyze clues. They only call for forensic experts when they are stuck.

The three of them walked inside the cordon.

What came into view was a bloated, pale, and somewhat decayed female corpse.

Overall, the body didn’t look too disgusting, and there were no signs of extreme bloating.

A member of the recovery team, wearing a fisherman’s hat and drenched in water, pointed to a bag of construction debris nearby and spoke first.

“Officer.”

“When we were recovering the body, it didn’t float up at first, so I jumped into the water to check.”

“And I found that the body was tied to a bag of construction debris around the waist, which prevented it from floating. If it weren’t for a fisherman who happened to hook it, I guess…”

Although the recovery team member didn’t finish his sentence, everyone understood that if it weren’t for the fisherman, the body might never have been discovered until it had decayed further.

At this point, it was clear that suicide could be ruled out.

Xu Changsheng’s expression grew serious, and he frowned as he looked at the body on the shore. He waved his hand.

“Alright, got it.”

“Let’s check the body first and see the specific situation.”

Upon hearing this, Su Ming and Wang Hu exchanged glances, then didn’t hesitate any longer. They took rubber gloves from their tool kits and put them on.

To avoid damaging evidence, the two of them first took several photos from different angles with a camera for future reference and case documentation.

Next, Su Ming began to carefully search for clues, while Wang Hu, in tacit cooperation, held the camera and squatted nearby, waiting for Su Ming’s instructions.

During their time at the police academy, they worked in this division of labor: Su Ming searched for clues while Wang Hu took detailed photos and organized the case files.

It was a well-coordinated system.

…

At this moment, Su Ming first scanned the female corpse as a whole, then began from the top, peeling open the eyelids to carefully observe the color and size of the pupils.

Although the body had been in the water for several days, there were still small red-brown spots of bleeding visible near the corners of the eyes and the inner and outer eyelids.

The pupils were a strange pale blue color, and both eyes were the same size, with no signs of dilation or contraction.

Su Ming then touched the eyeball and felt a plastic-like texture, nodding thoughtfully.

Then, he used tweezers to pinch the left nostril of the corpse and gently wiped it with a cotton swab for a few seconds, but there was little sand, algae, or mucus residue.

He then opened the corpse’s mouth. The teeth weren’t severely worn, and there were no dentures.

However, both the upper and lower rows of teeth had a magenta color at the gumline.

Su Ming narrowed his eyes slightly at this sight and pushed the corpse’s head back, carefully inspecting the neck.

A distinct purple-black bruise, about half a finger wide, appeared in his line of sight.

Su Ming maintained his position and motioned for Wang Hu to take a photo.

“Huzi, take a photo here.”

“The lack of sand, algae, or mucus in the nostrils indicates that the deceased didn’t choke on water before death, suggesting she was either unconscious or already dead when she entered the water.”

“Also.”

“The needle-sized red-brown spots in the eyelids, the magenta color around the teeth, and the purple-black bruise on the neck mean we can preliminarily conclude…”

“The deceased did not drown, but was strangled to death and then thrown into the water!!!”