The crackdown on organized crime began with the arrest of the mother-in-law.

Chapter 1294 Deploying Key Tasks

Xiao Wang immediately jotted it down in his notebook and added, "Captain Li, I have another idea. Since the deceased was a manual laborer, he would likely live near his workplace, such as in a temporary dormitory near the construction site or a rental house in an urban village. We can use this characteristic to our advantage and search for missing persons in Beishan Park, urban villages around the eastern suburbs, and construction site dormitories. We can visit landlords and roommates to see if there are any missing persons matching the description. In addition, manual laborers usually have a fixed social circle, such as coworkers they work with or snack shops they frequent. We can also start from these places to look for witnesses or clues."

Xiao Sun then offered his suggestion, pointing to a photo of the electric tricycle on the screen: "The suspect stole the electric tricycle to transport the body, and the deceased was a manual laborer who likely knew the suspect, perhaps even a coworker, colleague, or someone with whom he had business dealings. After all, strangling someone with bare hands requires close contact, which is difficult for a stranger to do easily. Therefore, while investigating the deceased's identity, we can also examine the deceased's social relationships to see if there are any people whose characteristics match the thief, such as coworkers with whom there were economic disputes or personal grudges, or acquaintances who have recently exhibited unusual behavior."

Hearing this, Zhang Lin added, "Xiao Sun is right. The autopsy results show no obvious signs of resistance before death. Although there were skin fragments under the fingernails, there were no large areas of skin tearing or bruising, indicating that the suspect was likely someone the victim knew, who suddenly attacked the victim when the victim was off guard or during conversation, leaving the victim no time to mount a strong resistance. This also explains why the suspect was able to successfully lure the victim to a remote burial site, or even kill the victim directly in a familiar environment before transporting the body."

"Regarding the investigation into the deceased's identity, are there any other clues we can use? For example, the characteristics of the deceased's teeth and hair?" Li Ming asked, hoping to find more directions for the investigation. Zhang Lin opened the autopsy report and replied, "The deceased's teeth showed moderate wear, and the wisdom teeth had erupted. There were no signs of fillings or dentures, indicating that the deceased's economic conditions were probably average, which is consistent with the income level of manual laborers. The hair was black with a few white hairs mixed in, and there were no signs of dyeing or perming, which was quite natural, suggesting that the deceased had relatively simple living habits. In addition, we detected a small amount of dust and metal particles in the deceased's hair, which may have been left from working in environments such as construction sites and factories for a long time. This can further support the judgment that the deceased engaged in manual labor, such as cement dust from construction sites or metal processing dust from factories."

"Metal particles? Can we narrow down the work environment by testing the metal composition?" Xiao Yang asked, particularly sensitive to the details of the evidence. Zhang Lin nodded: "We've already sent the hair sample for further metal composition testing. Preliminary results show it contains common metals such as iron, aluminum, and zinc, possibly left behind by someone working in construction, machinery repair, or hardware processing. If we can determine the specific proportions of the metals, we might be able to more accurately determine the deceased's type of work. For example, construction sites mainly use iron and cement, while machinery repair might contain more aluminum and copper."

Upon hearing this, Li Ming drew a mind map in his notebook, with "identity investigation of the deceased" at the center, extending to several branches such as "occupational characteristic investigation," "DNA comparison of missing persons," "investigation of clothing sales channels," "visiting work and living areas," and "metal composition testing." "Okay, now we have outlined the direction of the identity investigation of the deceased based on the autopsy results. Next, we need to clarify the division of labor to ensure that each direction has someone in charge and can be advanced quickly."

He looked at Xiao Wang: "Xiao Wang, you will lead the investigation team and be responsible for three key tasks: First, investigate construction sites, decoration companies, logistics companies, and moving stations around Beishan Park and the eastern suburbs to find male manual laborers aged 35-40 who have gone missing within the past three days, especially those who fit the description of 'old injury to the right index finger and lumbar/knee strain'; second, visit surrounding urban villages, construction site dormitories, labor protection supply stores, and hardware markets to retrieve surveillance footage and sales records, and investigate people whose clothing and occupational characteristics match the deceased; third, sort out the deceased's possible social circle, such as coworkers, snack shop owners, and landlords, to find clues."

"Xiao Yang, Xiao Sun, you two are responsible for further identification of the physical evidence at the scene and expanding the clues." Li Ming continued to assign tasks. "Xiao Yang, you follow up on the test results of the metal components in the hair, and use the results to narrow down the scope of the deceased's work environment; Xiao Sun, you are responsible for improving the suspect's characteristic profile, and using the car theft surveillance footage and eyewitness descriptions to create a clear composite sketch of the suspect, and post it around the park, in the Heping Community in the eastern suburbs, and on suburban roads, soliciting clues from the public; at the same time, continue to track down the whereabouts of the stolen electric tricycle, focusing on checking abandoned factories, woodlands, and waterways in the suburbs to see if there are any traces of the vehicle being hidden or destroyed."

"Zhang Lin, you lead the forensic team to continue the DNA testing of the residue under the deceased's fingernails, as well as the comparison of the deceased's DNA with the missing persons database. Once a match is found, notify everyone immediately. In addition, based on the identity information of the suspected deceased found later, provide timely verification support for autopsy characteristics, such as through old injuries, bone damage, and other characteristics, to confirm whether they match the investigated individuals."

Li Ming finally looked at the team member in charge of technical support: "The technical team must fully cooperate. First, we need to speed up the comparison of the 'Yellow Crane Tower' cigarette butt DNA with the database to see if we can find the suspect's criminal record; second, we need to expand the scope of the surveillance investigation of the electric tricycle driven by the car thief, even the surveillance footage from private shops and residents' homes, and try to find more driving routes; third, we need to sort out the recent missing persons reports around the eastern suburbs and Beishan Park, especially manual laborers, and verify the information one by one."

After the tasks were assigned, the atmosphere in the meeting room became even more determined. Xiao Wang spoke first: "Please rest assured, Captain Li, our investigation team will set off this morning to investigate large construction sites and safety equipment stores in the surrounding area, aiming to have preliminary results by noon." Xiao Yang nodded in agreement: "We will follow up with metal composition testing and suspect sketch production; the sketches should be posted this afternoon." Zhang Lin added: "We've expedited the DNA comparison and nail residue testing; we should have results by tomorrow morning at the latest."

Seeing the determined looks in everyone's eyes, Li Ming nodded in satisfaction: "Good! Everyone must take this case seriously. The identity of the deceased is the key to breaking through. Only by determining who the deceased is as soon as possible can we sort out his social relationships and find clues to the suspect. During the investigation, pay attention to details and do not overlook any possible clues. At the same time, we must do a good job of information sharing. Once there is a new discovery, immediately synchronize it in the work group to avoid duplication of work or omission of key information."