The conclusion that the victim hadn't drowned but was instead strangled and dumped escalated the seriousness of the case.
Xu Changsheng's expression grew more severe. He pulled out his phone and called the technical department of the Huaihai Criminal Investigation Team.
"Old Chen, could you check the surveillance footage near Huainan River over the past five days? We've got a severe homicide case here that needs to be solved as quickly as possible."
"What? No cameras on Huainan River?"
"Then check the surrounding areas within a few kilometers to see if there are any suspicious individuals."
"And also, check if there have been any reports of missing women recently, preferably between the ages of 20 and 30."
In the present day, the high efficiency of police investigations owes a great deal to surveillance technology.
However, the lack of surveillance near Huainan River undoubtedly complicates the case, meaning they would need to rely on the body itself for vital clues to identify the victim.
...
While Xu Changsheng was arranging the surveillance search and looking into the victim's identity, Su Ming continued his examination of the body.
After confirming the strangulation marks on her neck, he continued his analysis downward.
The body wore an off-the-shoulder top, with a small, colorful tattoo near her collarbone, and her abdomen showed no significant bloating, indicating that her internal organs hadn't decayed enough to produce gas. This further confirmed that she had died from asphyxiation, not drowning.
Her lower body was dressed in tight jeans with clear, indented marks around the pelvis, caused by the construction waste bag tied around her. Both her clothes and pants bore international brand logos, though from their material and details, they appeared to be high-quality knockoffs rather than originals.
When he slightly turned the body, Su Ming noticed a large, even smear of yellow mud on the back of the jeans around the hips. The right front pocket was similarly stained with yellow mud.
Seeing this, Su Ming looked at the salvage worker nearby and asked, "Excuse me, did you drag the body along the ground while retrieving it?"
The salvage worker, curious about the investigation, quickly waved his hands. "Officer, we're professional. We'd never drag a body on the ground. Besides… it's an unspoken rule in our line of work that dragging a body is disrespectful. We avoid it out of respect and superstition."
Su Ming nodded without further comment, refocusing on the woman's body. He noticed that her left ring and index fingers had been severed with a sharp object, though the wounds showed no signs of drying or blood seepage.
Her other fingers had manicures, hinting at a refined lifestyle. Her left wrist had clear indentation marks that were swollen at both ends and narrowed in the middle, suggesting she had worn something like a bracelet or watch that limited swelling and decay.
Moving to her right hand, he saw that it, too, had manicures on each finger. However, between the index finger's folds, Su Ming noticed a large piece of leather.
Using tweezers, he picked up the thumbnail-sized piece of leather, quickly examined it, and then sealed it in a bag for evidence.
Her jeans were intact, with no signs of tearing, which ruled out any assault, meaning extracting the perpetrator's DNA from bodily fluids would be nearly impossible.
Once the examination was complete, Su Ming thoughtfully connected the clues with his own experience from past cases.
After a few seconds, he removed his gloves and looked at Xu Changsheng. "Brother Xu, I've finished the preliminary inspection. Would you like to review it yourself, or should we place the body in the bag and send it to the mortuary?"
"Hm? You're done already?" Xu Changsheng, who had been on the phone with the tech department, turned around, surprised. "Tell me your findings in detail."
"The tech department just called and said there have been no recent reports of missing young women in our city. We'll need to rely on the body for further clues."
Identifying the victim is crucial in murder investigations since about ninety percent of homicides involve someone known to the victim. Once the victim's identity is confirmed, the case is usually close to being solved.
Without a missing persons report to reference, they would have to identify her through physical clues or by matching her likeness in the database.
Su Ming glanced at the body before confidently speaking.
"The victim is a woman, approximately 165 cm in height. Based on her appearance and tooth wear, I'd estimate her age to be between 24 and 26.
"She likely led a somewhat refined lifestyle, as suggested by the manicures and her clothing choices. However, she likely didn't have much money since her clothing is high-quality knockoffs rather than genuine branded items."
"The victim likely had a vain personality or a reason to wear branded clothing, even though they were high-quality knockoffs," Su Ming continued.
"Also, the victim was meticulously dressed before her death, wearing double eyelid tape and light blue contact lenses. Although her face had been soaked, traces of makeup remained visible.
"Most women would only dress this way to go out, which suggests she was preparing to meet someone or attend an event when she met her fate.
"This significantly increases the likelihood of a familiar suspect being involved."
Hearing this, several patrol officers nearby gasped, exchanging stunned glances. Was it really possible to deduce so much from a body in just a few minutes?
Detectives truly were extraordinary.
Xu Changsheng, also impressed, looked at the body with a thoughtful expression. Having been on the phone earlier with the tech department, he hadn't followed Su Ming's examination steps in detail.
Now, hearing Su Ming's analysis, Xu Changsheng scrutinized the body, rubbing his chin as he muttered, "So, the current conclusion might be…
"The victim, fully made up, was likely heading to meet someone when she unexpectedly fell victim to strangulation, possibly with a wire or thin rope.
"She was then thrown into Huainan River with construction debris tied around her waist, keeping her submerged even as decomposition set in. If not for…"
Before Xu Changsheng could finish, Su Ming raised his hand to interrupt him.
"Brother Xu, there's more to this case," he said seriously.
"There's a strong possibility that there wasn't just one perpetrator. This case likely involves secondary involvement.
"Based on my deductions, the person who killed the victim and threw her into the river isn't the same person who later tied construction debris around her waist!"