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

Chapter 881 Identity Confirmation

Li Ming frowned: "So, the murderer likely researched the factory beforehand and deliberately sabotaged the surveillance cameras. Think again, has the factory recently had any conflicts with outsiders? Or have any strangers visited?"

Zhang Feng pondered for a moment and said, "A few days ago, a debt collector came by and said that Wang Qiang owed him money. The two got into an argument at the factory, and Wang Qiang almost hit him."

Li Ming recorded this information and then arranged for officers to investigate the debt collector. Meanwhile, the officers investigating the surveillance footage also encountered a problem. The technicians in the monitoring room explained to them, "Officers, the surveillance lines have been completely destroyed and will be difficult to restore in a short time. Furthermore, the hard drive storing the data has been formatted, and all the data is gone."

Officer Wang frowned and asked, "Is there any way to recover the data? This is crucial for solving the case."

The technician shook his head: "Data recovery is very difficult after the hard drive is formatted. But I can try, it will take some time."

Xiao Wang helplessly reported the situation to Li Ming. After listening, Li Ming said, "Continue to follow up and try to restore the surveillance data as soon as possible. At the same time, expand the scope of the investigation and check the surveillance footage around the factory to see if we can find any useful clues."

At 3 a.m., the Dongchuan City Public Security Bureau's Technical Appraisal Center was brightly lit.

Li Ming hurried into the forensic lab carrying samples of the severed finger collected during the on-site investigation. Chief forensic expert Lin Lan was sitting at her workbench, intently adjusting the instruments. Seeing Li Ming enter, she removed her protective goggles, her brow furrowing slightly: "This case is tricky. I just went over the procedures and am preparing to work through the night."

Li Ming gently placed the evidence bag containing the severed finger on the workbench, his expression grave: "Lin Lan, this pork factory murder case has a terrible social impact. Identifying the victim is key to solving the case. We only found this severed finger at the scene, so it's up to you now."

Lin Lan nodded, her gaze falling on the severed finger: "Judging from the cut, it's very sharp, likely made with a professional knife. This not only increases the suspicion that the murderer destroyed the body, but also poses a challenge to identifying the victim. I need to extract a DNA sample from the severed finger and compare it with the database, hoping to find a match."

At this moment, Officer Xiao Wang ran in carrying a stack of documents: "Captain Li, these are hair samples collected from Wang Qiang's dormitory, and blood samples he had during his physical examination at the factory." Li Ming took the documents and handed them to Lin Lan: "With these, we should be more confident in our comparison."

Lin Lan put on gloves and carefully placed the severed finger under the microscope for examination. As she worked, she said, "The severed finger is relatively well preserved, which is very beneficial for DNA extraction. However, to ensure the accuracy of the results, I need to conduct multiple rounds of testing."

Time ticked by, and the atmosphere in the testing room grew increasingly tense. Li Ming waited anxiously, glancing at the clock on the wall every now and then. Lin Lan, meanwhile, was completely focused on operating the instruments, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

After several hours of effort, the first round of DNA testing results came back. Lin Lan looked at the data on the computer screen, her brow furrowed: "Preliminary comparison shows that the DNA from the severed finger has some similarity to the hair sample collected from Wang Qiang's dormitory, but it cannot be completely confirmed yet. I need to conduct more precise mitochondrial DNA testing, which will take more time."

Li Ming took a deep breath and said, "Lin Lan, time is of the essence. We must identify the deceased as soon as possible. Is there any way to speed up the testing process?"

Lin Lan shook her head: "Mitochondrial DNA testing is inherently complex and allows no room for carelessness. If there is an error, it could mislead the entire investigation. I can only try to speed things up while ensuring accuracy."

Just then, Xiao Zhang from the on-site investigation team called: "Team Leader Li, we found some bloodstains in a hidden corner of the pork processing plant. Our preliminary assessment is that the bloodstains are not pig blood, but most likely human blood."

Li Ming's eyes lit up: "Collect samples immediately and send them to the identification center. Perhaps these bloodstains can provide new clues to determine the identity of the deceased."

After hanging up the phone, Li Ming told Lin Lan the news. Lin Lan nodded and said, "If these bloodstains are from the deceased, it can further verify the DNA test results of the severed finger."

Soon after, Xiao Zhang arrived at the testing center with the bloodstain sample. Lin Lan quickly processed the sample and began a new round of testing. This round of testing was more complex than the previous one, requiring analysis of multiple gene loci.

While waiting for the test results, Li Ming's phone rang again. It was Xiao Liu, who was visiting Wang Qiang's relatives and friends: "Team Leader Li, Wang Qiang's mother has provided a medical record from when Wang Qiang was injured as a child, which includes his blood type."

Li Ming quickly said, "Xiao Liu, send the medical records to the identification center immediately. This is crucial for confirming the deceased's identity."

When Xiao Liu arrived at the identification center, Lin Lan's second round of test results were also in. Looking at the new data, Lin Lan excitedly said, "The mitochondrial DNA from the severed finger perfectly matches Wang Qiang's hair sample, and the blood type in the bloodstain sample also matches the record in Wang Qiang's medical records. It can be confirmed that the deceased is Wang Qiang!"

Li Ming breathed a sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing: "That's great! Lin Lan, we owe you a lot this time. Your professionalism and meticulousness bought us valuable time in solving the case."

Lin Lan wiped the sweat from her forehead and said with a smile, "It's what I should do. However, identifying the deceased is only the first step. To catch the murderer, we still need your continued efforts."

Li Ming nodded, his eyes resolute: "Now that we've confirmed the victim's identity, we can start investigating Wang Qiang's interpersonal relationships. I believe we'll find the murderer soon."

Subsequently, Li Ming quickly organized police forces and convened a case analysis meeting. At the meeting, he reported on the process of identifying the deceased and the new findings of the crime scene investigation. Based on the existing clues, Li Ming focused the investigation on Wang Qiang's debt problems. He assigned officers to split into several groups: one to conduct a comprehensive investigation of Wang Qiang's social circle to find people with financial disputes with him; the other to intensify the investigation of the casino in an attempt to find clues about debt collectors.

Li Ming paced back and forth in his office, clutching the investigation materials about Sun Beifang tightly in his hand. After confirming the deceased as Wang Qiang, the investigation into his interpersonal relationships made a major breakthrough; Sun Beifang, as Wang Qiang's creditor, became a key suspect in the case. However, Sun Beifang had left Dongchuan City a week earlier, while Wang Qiang's death occurred within two days—a contradiction that made the case even more perplexing.