Chapter 917: Family Annihilation Case

The collection of footprint information on the perimeter went relatively smoothly, as the other party did not do much cleanup at the scene.

Meanwhile, Lu Chuan and his team also found two empty metal barrels at the crime scene.

They were likely filled with gasoline.

From the current situation, the murderer probably either incapacitated or killed the victims, drove the vehicle under the bridge, and then doused it with gasoline and set it on fire.

However, since the burning vehicle was underneath the bridge, most of the flames were shielded. As it happened in the early morning, there were very few eyewitnesses.

The villager who reported the incident vaguely saw the fire while he was up for a toilet trip last night, which is why he came to check today.

"Size 43..."

At the crime scene, Lu Chuan collected multiple sets of size 43 shoe prints.

The footprints of Li Wei entering the scene were very clear. He wears a size 42 shoe, and the footprint of the reporting villager, who wears a size 41 shoe, was also clear, comprising a single set of footprints.

However, the murderer’s footprints were more chaotic, with multiple sets of traces left around the burned vehicle.

After surveying the surrounding area, Lu Chuan began to inspect the vehicle.

Although the car burned down to just its frame, some things were preserved.

Firstly, the license plate.

Though it was charred black and the letters weren’t particularly clear, the vehicle’s license plate number could still be vaguely discerned.

"It’s a local vehicle from Haizhou City. Chen Jiang, have the traffic police check to whom this vehicle belongs and what the situation is."

While Lu Chuan and the crime scene investigation team surveyed the site, the others enclosed the perimeter, and after Lu Chuan gave the instructions, Chen Jiang began his investigation.

Even without the license plate, the vehicle’s owner should be identifiable through the chassis number.

The parts that mostly burned were the interior furnishings and some plastic parts, but even though some metal parts were deformed, they were still intact.

The chassis number was engraved and cannot be destroyed by fire.

Next was the inspection of the four bodies.

"Captain Lu, there’s a wound on the passenger’s chest!"

Detective Wang Hao, who was conducting the initial assessment, found something.

"A wound?"

"It looks like a knife wound, and it’s fairly deep, but the specifics will require an autopsy result."

The passenger’s body was entirely charred.

Moreover, since the seat beneath the body was completely burned through, only the skeleton of the seat remained to hold the body.

"Check the other bodies in the back to see if there are similar knife wounds or injuries."

Lu Chuan stepped forward, pulled open the deceased’s chest, and indeed there were two wounds on the left side of the chest.

However, the wounds did not penetrate completely.

The location wasn’t fatal since they did not pierce the heart. The victim should not have died immediately from these stabs but would likely lose the ability to act immediately.

Wang Hao quickly finished checking the two bodies in the back seat.

"Each of these bodies has wounds, but the one in the trunk does not."

Among the four bodies, three had wounds, but the one in the trunk did not.

Due to the car burning down to its frame, nothing particularly important was found in internal inspections.

Lu Chuan carefully examined the driver’s seat.

Judging from the current situation, the murderer likely drove the vehicle from the road, down to the base, and set it on fire under the bridge.

The suspect should have left some personal information in the driver’s seat.

But because of the intense fire, the driver’s seat was completely burned down. Only a ring of the metal frame of the steering wheel remained, and all the plastic parts were gone.

"Captain Lu, we found the vehicle information!"

Chen Jiang provided feedback as the current investigations were ongoing.

"Whose car is it?"

The crime scene was tragic, but there wasn’t much information, aside from a set of size 43 footprints; no other information had been found yet.

Wang Hao continued his assessment as he walked over to check the information Chen Jiang had gathered.

"The owner is named Chen Xue, female, 43 years old, a public servant at the High-tech Zone Tax Bureau in Haizhou City."

"Tax bureau?"

Chen Jiang nodded. "I just contacted the tax bureau. She didn’t come to work today, didn’t ask for leave, and her phone couldn’t be reached."

"Her husband’s name is Zhang Haibin, and he’s the deputy director of the Finance Bureau in the High-tech Zone."

Chen Jiang not only investigated the vehicle’s situation but also looked into the main interpersonal relationships related to it.

"I’ve confirmed with the finance bureau that Deputy Director Zhang had an important meeting this morning, but he didn’t show up at work. His colleagues called his phone; it connected, but no one answered."

Chen Jiang’s expression was very serious.

Vehicle owner Chen Xue didn’t go to work, and her husband Zhang Haibin also didn’t show up.

And the SUV which should have been parked in the garage was now burnt under the national highway bridge, reduced to a pile of scrap metal.

Lu Chuan also looked grim.

Both individuals are public servants, with one being a deputy director of the Finance Bureau in the High-tech Zone. If this case is exposed, the impact will be significant.

"Did you find out anything else?"

Chen Jiang nodded. After discovering this situation, he had the Criminal Investigation Team check the household registration information for Chen Xue and Zhang Haibin.

"Colleagues in the team checked their household registration information. They have two children, one aged 17, the other 19."

Two children?

Lu Chuan’s scalp prickled at this.

Given the current situation, the four bodies in the vehicle should be the family of Chen Xue and Zhang Haibin.

If that’s the case, this is a family extermination case, the whole family of four was murdered!

"Extermination?"

While Chen Jiang was reporting, Wang Zhaokai and others were also listening.

Family exterminations differ in nature from ordinary murder cases.

It seems such a case hasn’t occurred in Haizhou City for a long time.

This case...

Could be the most challenging and pressure-filled one the High-tech Zone Criminal Investigation Team has faced in recent years.

"Did you find out Chen Xue and Zhang Haibin’s home address?"

Chen Jiang nodded. "Number 23, Happy Road, Beautiful Garden District!"

Lu Chuan thought for a moment and called over Wang Zhaokai.

"Zhaokai, oversee this situation here. Let Wang Hao conduct the crime scene investigation first, and after that’s done, have the forensic doctor take the bodies back for autopsy."

There were not many clues or footprints at the scene. Lu Chuan had already collected them, and what’s left is to identify and analyze the cause of death of the victims.

Even if this situation is all handled by the book.

"Chen Jiang and Sun Biao, you two come with me to Happy Road."