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墨書 Inktalez
Do you believe that the dead can speak?
This is said to be the most bizarre case in Dujiangyan City.
It is reported that in that mountain village, there has never been a similar violent incident since its establishment.
A girl was found dead on her way to school, her clothes in disarray. The forensic expert determined that the time of death was over 16 hours ago, yet astonishingly, the victim's family insisted they had spoken to her just an hour before. Could a person truly come back to life?
Is the end of science really metaphysics?
Even more eerie is the presence of a mysterious mastermind behind it all, meticulously controlling the entire process, causing the case to repeatedly reach a deadlock, and he is surprisingly close by!
In fact, we forensic experts are the ones who ultimately reveal the truth for the deceased.
On December 1, 2012, in Sichuan Province, Dujiangyan City, at 7:50 AM, Mr. Li was practicing his tenor on a small path when he suddenly spotted a female corpse in the bushes. He quickly screamed and reported it.
The investigator rushed to the scene. The victim was a female student wearing a school uniform, her clothing was very disheveled, indicating she may have been assaulted. Due to rain the previous day, there were very few valuable clues left behind. Meanwhile, more and more villagers gathered upon hearing the news, creating a sense of panic.
To solve the case as quickly as possible, the police split into two groups: one continued investigating at the scene while the other conducted thorough interviews in nearby villages. Soon after, news came in that the victim's home was not far from the crime scene—only a ten-minute walk away.
The victim's name was Xiao Yan. Her parents worked away from home for long periods, leaving only her older sister and brother-in-law at home. Time was of the essence.
The police immediately found these two and asked about their last encounter with Xiao Yan. The sister cried uncontrollably as she recounted that around 7 AM that morning, she had heard her sister calling for her and even asked her husband to give Xiao Yan ten yuan for breakfast.
The brother-in-law told the police that when he stepped out with the ten yuan, he noticed Xiao Yan had already walked far away. He speculated that she might have left early to avoid being late for school. According to their statements, Xiao Yan's time of death should have been between 7:00 and 7:50 AM, indicating she was attacked on her way to school.
However, the police from Crime Scene Investigation discovered something strange. It had rained the day before, making the ground very muddy, yet there were no footprints belonging to the victim around her, and her shoes were remarkably clean.
How could this be possible?
Even more puzzling was the absence of any signs of struggle; everything appeared so orderly. One might wonder why the Investigator believed that there was only one possibility: this was not the original crime scene but rather a place where the body had been disposed of.
The forensic examination revealed that Xiao Yan had petechiae on her eyelids and bruising on her neck, indicating she died from Mechanical Asphyxiation. Surprisingly, the possibility of sexual assault was ruled out. This suggested that the scene had been staged.
To solve the case, two questions needed to be clarified: first, where exactly did the crime take place? Second, what was the time of death? Next came the miraculous moment for the forensic experts.
Typically, after death, muscles and major joints begin to stiffen over time, a process known as Cadaveric Rigidity.
Cadaveric Rigidity begins to appear in some small muscle groups within 1 to 3 hours, develops throughout the body in 4 to 6 hours, peaks at 12 to 15 hours when all joints are stiffened, starts to ease after 24 to 48 hours, and completely resolves within 3 to 7 days.
In this case, Cadaveric Rigidity had already peaked, suggesting that the time of death was approximately 16 hours prior to the examination—meaning it occurred the night before the body was discovered.
However, this conclusion surprised everyone because earlier inquiries with family members indicated that the time of death was between 7:00 and 7:50 that morning. Why was there such a significant discrepancy?
The police once again approached Sister Xiao Yan and her husband. They were still grieving their loss but were adamant that Xiao Yan had greeted them at 7:00 AM. Although they hadn’t seen her face-to-face, they were certain about recognizing her voice.
This was indeed strange; could a dead person speak? The case was becoming increasingly difficult to explain scientifically, sending chills down their spines.
To confirm exactly when Xiao Yan was murdered, the forensic team began new examinations.
After death, blood fills the capillaries and small veins in the body. Under the influence of gravity, this blood can cause dark red and purple spots to appear on the skin, a phenomenon known as Postmortem Hypostasis.
Postmortem Hypostasis is also an important post-mortem phenomenon used to infer the time of death.
Generally, Postmortem Hypostasis begins to appear 1 to 2 hours after death, with initial formation occurring within 12 hours, followed by a diffusion phase from 12 to 16 hours, and it solidifies and remains unchanged after 24 hours, showing no discoloration even when pressed.
Considering the climatic characteristics of Dujiangyan in Sichuan, December is typically very damp and cold, with temperatures around 10°C, which slows down the development process compared to normal conditions. Tests indicated that Postmortem Hypostasis had already entered the diffusion phase, suggesting that the time of death was at least over 12 hours ago.
According to family members, Xiao Yan left home at seven o'clock and died at 7:50. It is impossible for significant Postmortem Hypostasis or Cadaveric Rigidity to develop in such a short span of time.
This situation is truly perplexing. Could it be that the sister and brother-in-law are lying? However, based on their sorrowful expressions and background investigations, they seem to lack any motive for committing a crime. This adds further layers of mystery to an already puzzling case.
For the sake of rigor, the forensic expert made another precise estimation of the time of death. After a person dies, the body stops generating heat, and its temperature gradually decreases.
The temperature will drop step by step until it aligns with the ambient temperature.
Typically, during the first 10 hours, the body temperature drops by about 1 degree per hour; after 10 hours, it decreases by approximately 0.5 degrees per hour. In winter, with relatively low temperatures, this rate accelerates slightly. Based on previous data analysis, it can be estimated that the rate is about 0.7 times faster.
When the forensic expert measured at 11:20 AM, the body temperature was 20 degrees; by 12:20 PM, it had dropped to 18.5 degrees; and by 2:20 PM, it was at 16.5 degrees. This indicates a decrease of between 16.5 and 17 degrees from normal body temperature.
Following previous patterns, this suggests a time of death approximately 23 hours ago. Considering the winter acceleration factor of 0.7 times faster, this would indicate around 16 hours ago.
With this evidence in hand, the Investigator approached Xiao Yan's sister and brother-in-law once more. They still insisted that their sister left home at seven in the morning and that the sister repeatedly affirmed she heard her call out to her.
In light of their responsibility towards the deceased, the Investigator felt compelled to conduct further inquiries. After repeated persuasion, the family finally agreed to cooperate.
Through visits and various confirmations, it was established that Xiao Yan's last meal was at seven o'clock that evening. By examining food digestion patterns, it could be inferred that she was killed approximately three hours after her last meal.
Around 10 PM, the forensic expert employed four different methods, all of which confirmed that the time of death was the night before the body was discovered.
The truth was clear: someone was lying. The Investigator quickly launched a search at Xiao Yan's home and discovered a dried stain on her pillow. Forensic analysis revealed that this stain originated from the mouth, typically indicating strangulation, confirming that this was indeed the Crime Scene.
Meanwhile, interrogations of Xiao Yan's two relatives commenced. Her brother-in-law, Zhang Qiang, appeared calm on the surface, but it was evident that he was somewhat agitated, his hands trembling uncontrollably. Suddenly, the Investigator noticed a distinct scratch mark on his neck, and DNA testing confirmed it matched Xiao Yan's.
Faced with irrefutable evidence, Zhang Qiang could no longer deny his involvement. After several hours of patient persuasion and emotional appeal, he eagerly confessed to the crime.
It turned out that Zhang Qiang was a son-in-law living with his wife's family. Ever since he married into the family, both his wife and sister-in-law treated him like a servant, subjecting him to humiliation. Coupled with long-term exclusion from the family dynamics, he felt increasingly oppressed.
On the night of the incident, after drinking heavily outside, he returned home around 10 PM and noticed that the lights were still on in his sister-in-law's room on the second floor. Curious if she had something on her mind, he pushed open the door intending to offer comfort. However, before he could say anything, she unleashed a torrent of insults.
In a fit of rage fueled by years of pent-up resentment, Zhang Qiang killed her and then loaded her body onto his motorcycle to dispose of it by the roadside. This raised a question: how could Xiao Yan's sister still hear her voice nine hours after her sister's murder?
As it turned out, that night Xiao Yan's sister had been out playing mahjong and only returned home in a daze early in the morning. After committing the crime, Zhang Qiang sought to create an illusion that Xiao Yan was still alive by waking his sleeping wife Amei at 7 AM and falsely claiming that Xiao Yan was calling for her.
Exhausted from staying up late playing mahjong, Amei did not get up and asked her husband to give Xiao Yan ten yuan for breakfast, unaware that her sister had already been murdered.
It was precisely because she was in a daze and under Zhang Qiang's suggestion that she mistakenly believed she heard her sister's voice. Thanks to the forensic expert's precise judgment, the truth finally came to light.
With this revelation, the case was finally solved.
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