Chapter 1098 - 562: Does Even the Criminal Investigation Captain Need Talent?

Upon hearing this, everyone simultaneously put down their case files and looked at Jiang An.

Regarding the idea he proposed, it was met with both excitement and doubt.

The exciting part was that the case required a lot of content sorting; if it was only about sorting out the dismembered bodies, then it would require relatively less effort.

After all, when it comes to dismembered bodies, there are only a few situations overall.

One scenario involves bodies charred in fires.

After being burnt, the skin may peel off, resulting in loss of limbs, or even the head.

Sometimes, after intense burning, only the teeth remain, with nothing left of the rest.

Another scenario involves bodies in water, eaten by aquatic animals.

Commonly, during forensic examinations, animals eat exposed parts of the body, such as ears, lips, and noses.

But when it comes to larger animals, the parts consumed can be limbs, such as fingers, muscles, or even calves.

Especially with bodies in deep sea, the chances of having a complete corpse are very low.

Besides animal consumption, another scenario for waterborne bodies involves damage caused by a boat’s propeller.

This type of damage by propeller can be very intense.

The saying "caught between a rock and a hard place" is expressed as a very difficult predicament.

This remains true for solving criminal cases.

Apart from bodies found in water or fires, some are found outdoors.

After prolonged exposure to the elements, outdoor bodies can become incomplete due to animal consumption, weathering from sun and wind, leading to natural limb decay.

Although there are 1006 bodies documented in these files, if we exclude cases of normal death, estimated only one-tenth is left for further sorting and study.

Thinking this, Qin Feng took two deep drags on his cigarette, his expression appeared a bit anxious.

"When we finish handling the cases of intact bodies, excluding those, there won’t be many left to sort through—is the scope perhaps too narrow?"

Qin Feng spoke very tactfully but expressed his meaning clearly.

Following these words, other officers equally cast puzzled glances at Jiang An, showing traces of doubt.

In the past two years, the cases worthy of in-depth study are indeed few.

Jiang An’s gaze shifted several times between the case files and the officers before speaking: "Since returning from the autopsy room, I’ve been contemplating a question, and I would like to take this opportunity to discuss it with everyone."

"Oh? Please go ahead."

Qin Feng instantly showed interest, and other officers also perked up, listening attentively to Jiang An.

"In this case, we discovered the body in a very secluded mountain valley."

As he spoke, he emphasized the word "secluded" very heavily.

"We know that perpetrators often choose secluded, hard-to-find places for dumping bodies."

"The main aim, very apparent, is to hide their crimes from being discovered."

"Looking at this case overall, we found the body located in a place surrounded by mountains and a large canyon in the middle."

"From a geographical perspective, the location must be a fairly secluded spot."

"Recalling those dismemberment cases we encountered before, the dumping sites were either by streams, riverbanks, foot of mountains, or in trash bins."

"But looking at the case site photos, it’s surrounded by mountains, practically describable as deserted."

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng took another drag, once more turning to look at Jiang An, nodding unconsciously.

Not only him, but other officers also expressed strong agreement.

Jiang An continued: "So we see that in this very hidden canyon, who found the body? It’s a big difference from usual."

"In the past, bodies were always found by humans, but this time a dog found it."

"The dog returned home with meat, prompting the owner to realize it was human remains before reporting to the police."

"This further illustrates how secluded and sparsely travelled the place is, likely visited only by unidentified animals."

Hearing this, the officers nodded unconsciously.

Jiang An proceeded: "To sum up, that place is already quite hidden."

"Why didn’t the perpetrator toss the victim’s head and lower parts there?"

"If I were the killer, I’d think abandoning the whole body here would be very safe."

At this point, the expressions of doubt on everyone’s faces grew stronger.

"Does this imply the killer had other motives for not disposing of the body?" Qin Feng asked.

As soon as he finished speaking, a young officer spoke: "Could it be, as discussed in previous meetings, that he wants to use those body parts as his trophies?"

At this moment, the conference room was filled with mild discussion.

Jiang An nodded and said: "We can’t rule out this possibility."

"However, previously we focused on which body parts were present, but this time we ought to consider which parts weren’t abandoned."