Chapter 75: Chapter 34: Crime Scene (Please subscribe first and vote for monthly tickets)
However, Luo Fei felt that the scene just now was not the primary crime scene. According to the villager who first discovered the body, the victim was found around seven in the morning when he went out to the fields; this suggests the time of death was likely during the night.
Why would the victim head to the fields late at night, unless to use the bathroom? But Luo Fei checked just now and found no traces of relieving oneself.
Thinking about it, Luo Fei then followed the scent of the victim to the roadside. In the grass beside the road, he saw a very faint trace of black air, and upon closer inspection, it was a few drops of blood.
This confirms it. The roadside must be the primary crime scene. The victim was likely attacked by the murderer there, who then took the victim’s body to the fields and severed his genitals.
"Zhao team, Captain, have you found something here?" Luo Fei shouted to Zhao Donglai and Yang Su amidst the crowd.
Zhao Donglai and Yang Su quickly came over at the sound.
"Here are three drops of blood that seem to have been left yesterday, likely from when the murderer struck the victim’s head," Luo Fei explained to Zhao Donglai and Yang Su, indicating the three drops of blood by the roadside grass.
Zhao Donglai frowned, "So you’re saying this is the primary crime scene?"
"I suspect so." Luo Fei nodded.
Yang Su asked in confusion, "If these drops of blood were left when the murderer struck the victim’s head, there should be a trail of blood leading from here to where the body was found, not just here."
Luo Fei had already considered this and replied, "I noticed that the victim was attacked on the back of the head. The murderer likely knocked the victim down immediately, causing the blood from his head to drip onto the nearby grass as he fell. The murderer then carried the victim to the fields for the second act of violence, during which time the victim’s head wound likely bled onto his own back."
"Is that the case? Let’s check if there’s blood on the victim’s back." Zhao Donglai said, turning to head toward the victim’s body.
Luo Fei and Yang Su quickly followed Zhao Donglai.
As the three approached, Yang Mei and the forensic team were examining the body and the scene’s traces.
They arrived just as the medical examiner flipped the body over to inspect the back.
Sure enough, there were many bloodstains on the purple T-shirt on the victim’s back.
"It seems Luo Fei was right earlier; the roadside should be the primary crime scene, while this is where the murderer acted again," Zhao Donglai said softly, frowning as he looked at the body.
Then he called out to Yang Mei, who was not far away, "Yang Mei, come here a moment."
"What’s up, Zhao team?" Yang Mei asked curiously as she approached.
Zhao Donglai said, "Luo Fei just found some blood drops over there, likely from the victim. We suspect this is not the primary crime scene. Go with Luo Fei to collect those three blood drops and check if there are any other traces we missed."
"Yes," Yang Mei said, shocked when she glanced at Luo Fei, thinking how he always seemed to be the first to find something.
"Right over there." Luo Fei pointed to the roadside, then led Yang Mei over.
In the grass by the roadside, Yang Mei saw the three drops of blood.
"How did you find them?" Yang Mei asked curiously. The blood drops were hidden in the grass and couldn’t be seen without bending down for a closer look. How did Luo Fei discover them?
"Oh, it’s nothing. I just felt the primary crime scene should be by the road, so I came to check and found them." Luo Fei said modestly.
"You’re really impressive. Even if others knew the scene was by the road, they might not find these drops in the grass." Yang Mei genuinely thought Luo Fei’s discovery was remarkable.
Luo Fei smiled without saying another word, while Yang Mei carefully collected the three blood drops into a container and continued to check around, though it seemed unlikely anything else would be found.
In about twenty minutes, the forensics team had completed the scene and body examination, and the victim’s body was taken away by the funeral home’s vehicle.
"Based on the lividity of the body, the time of death should be about nine hours ago, around midnight yesterday. The victim has two obvious injuries: a blunt force injury to the back of the head, likely from a similar hard object, and the other being the severed genitals, which is what actually caused death due to excessive blood loss."
"Since the crime scene wasn’t secured, the murderer’s footprints were completely destroyed and couldn’t be collected," Yang Mei noted, frowning delicately. If the scene had been preserved, they might have collected the footprints and increased the likelihood of solving the case.
But due to many onlookers, the original footprints were obliterated, leaving no trace of the murderer.
"Additionally, Luo Fei found three drops of blood in the grass by the road. We suspect that area to be the primary crime scene, while the victim’s body was moved here for a second act."
As Yang Mei finished talking, Zhao Donglai clapped his hands to gather everyone from the detective team and said, "Based on the current scene, let’s organize our thoughts."
"First, the murderer’s identity. Male or female? Can anyone tell me?"
"We can’t be certain, but if the primary crime scene is by the road, I think it’s more likely the murderer is male, since the victim’s size and stature must be over 130 pounds. It would be quite difficult for a woman to carry such a strong man over here," Yang Su analyzed.
"Does anyone else have anything to add? No? Alright, the murderer’s identity remains unknown, but a male likelihood is higher," Zhao Donglai said, taking notes.
"Let’s continue. Was it committed by someone known to the victim or a stranger?" Zhao Donglai asked again.
"It’s more likely by someone known. If it were a stranger appearing in the dead of night, the victim would surely be more vigilant. But based on the head injury, located precisely at the back, it implies the victim wasn’t defending himself, suggesting the perpetrator was likely an acquaintance," Luo Fei analyzed.
"Does anyone else have anything to say? No? Then this case most likely involves someone known to the victim." After recording this, Zhao Donglai continued, "Next, what do you think the motive was? Revenge? Or something else?"
"I believe it’s likely revenge. The murderer used such a brutal method, and it might involve a love entanglement, given the organ severance," Yang Mei answered.
Luo Fei thought for a moment and said, "That’s not right. This wasn’t a revenge killing. If it was, the victim would have had more injuries besides the missing organ. Most crucially, where did the organ go?"
"Let’s consider this: the murderer knocked out the victim by the road, took him to the fields, then removed the organ and left. It seems more like the act was specifically for the organ, which explains why we couldn’t find it," Luo Fei speculated.