129: Stone made a contribution and confirmed the identity of the victim

“These are the stones that were put in the sacks and sunk into the river with the deceased. I want to specifically praise and thank Ye Lin here. Although it was very difficult for him underwater, he still insisted on salvaging these stones. This is a belief we hold as police officers: we must collect everything related to the scene because no one knows if it will be useful.”

“And the forensic colleagues just happened to find a clue from these. Everyone, please look.”

Yu Haifeng pointed to a stone in the photo and said, “Here, this stone has traces of cement, which means it wasn’t dug up from the ground; it was removed from some building.”

“And through this clue, we also found cement residue on other stones. According to the forensic assessment, these stones should have come from the same place or building.”

“We also consulted other experts, and this type of stone is native to Yuezhou. It was often used in the past to build old houses, and also by some villages in the suburbs to enclose courtyards.”

“So, we will now divide into several groups: one group will match missing persons, and another will investigate whether any houses are being demolished locally.”

After Yu Haifeng finished speaking, he looked at Director Zheng, “Director Zheng, do you have any instructions? If not, we will depart.”

Zheng Yongnian looked sickly and waved his hand, still unwilling to speak.

Yu Haifeng understood instantly, “Alright, everyone, go out and investigate. Be meticulous and thorough. The public and higher-ups are watching this case.”

After the meeting, Yu Haifeng pulled Ye Lin aside and took him, along with Sun Jinghua, to conduct interviews.

Yuezhou has developed relatively quickly in recent years, especially after the demolitions a few years ago. Many farmers transformed into city dwellers. Regardless of whether their habits changed, the old rural houses are no longer seen, replaced by forests of steel and concrete.

However, demolitions have stopped in recent years, leaving a few urban villages within the city.

Ye Lin and his team specifically visited several urban villages. The houses there varied greatly; some were small villas, others were small bungalows. Stones similar to those in the photo were a common building material here; even some of the small villas had a stone wall.

This also presented some obstacles to their investigation.

The local Village Secretary also stated that such stones were too common; any household might use them. As for whether any houses had been demolished recently, he did not have that information, as too many houses in the current urban villages were being renovated for rent, and he couldn't keep track of them all.

After an afternoon, they visited two villages with no immediate findings.

Just as they were about to return, Yu Haifeng’s phone rang.

“Team Leader Yu, we’ve found a lead on the deceased. Perhaps you should come back.”

Yu Haifeng’s tense face finally showed a hint of a smile. “Let’s go, we have a lead. It’s a missing person.”

By the time the three of them returned to the conference room, most of the others had arrived, and the meeting began immediately.

“Old Zhao, tell us,” Yu Haifeng said, addressing Zhao Jianfeng.

“Okay, we were investigating missing persons. According to the missing persons’ data, Chen Youhan and his wife, Guan Xiaohe, residents of Chengguan Village, Group Three, went missing eight days ago, on November 3rd. Their family reported it to the Police Station.”

“We have now located their family members and asked them to come for DNA comparison and body identification. Xiao Wang is waiting for news there.”

Ye Lin suddenly interjected, “Chengguan Village, Group Three, is that also an urban village?”

Generally, places called this are still considered villages, but some people, even if they live in residential compounds, are accustomed to calling themselves that, so Ye Lin wanted to confirm.

Zhao Jianfeng nodded, “It is, but they are currently discussing demolition.”

“Demolition?” Ye Lin exclaimed, turning to look at Yu Haifeng.

Yu Haifeng also happened to look at him, his eyes showing joy. This matched up perfectly; demolition would certainly involve stones. It would be easy to find a few stones from a demolition site and put them into a sack.

Ye Lin nodded.

Yu Haifeng stood up and said, “Once their family confirms their identities, immediately take their statements. Ask about any grudges, especially those related to demolition issues.”

Ever since the concept of demolition emerged, disputes related to it have never ceased.

Most of these were due to disagreements between homeowners and developers, leading to many holdouts, resulting in situations like roads being split in half, highways rerouting, or houses under elevated bridges.

These were still considered minor; at most, it was a disagreement over money. For the police, the most feared scenario was violent demolition.

Some developers, to ensure demolition progress, hired thugs who used threats and intimidation to force homeowners to sign, or even resorted to murder.

Of course, this was in the early days; now it has become increasingly regulated, and mainly no one dares to do such things anymore.

Currently, the main issues are economic and contractual disputes arising from demolition.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Wang Longxin rushed in, his face full of excitement: “Captain, it’s confirmed! The two deceased are Chen Youhan and Guan Xiaohe.”

Bang!

Yu Haifeng slammed the table and shouted, “Good! Arrange for the family to come in tonight for questioning.”

Suddenly, he felt a chill down his back, as if something was staring at him.

His mind jolted. Oh my, Director Zheng was still here.

He quickly cleared his throat, turned his head, and, pretending nothing had happened, respectfully asked, “Director Zheng, what do you think we should do next?”

Zheng Yongnian gave him a sidelong glance and grumbled, “You’ve already said what to do, what more do you want me to say? I’m just here to provide support; you decide how to proceed.”

With that, Zheng Yongnian lowered his head and began to drink tea.

Yu Haifeng chuckled awkwardly. He was so used to leading the team that he had forgotten about his superior.

He looked at Wang Longxin, who was standing by the door secretly laughing, “Hurry, hurry! Take me to meet the family and get the details.”

Ye Lin also went along.

As they were the victims’ family, they were received in the conference room.

The victims’ family members this time were two elderly people, Chen Youhan’s parents, father Chen Yongquan and mother Qin Laidi. Earlier, Wang Longxin had given them two boxed meals, but the two elders couldn't eat at all, just kept wiping away tears.

When Ye Lin and Yu Haifeng entered, the two elders merely looked up slightly and said nothing.

Ye Lin secretly observed them. They had the local Yuezhou appearance; one could tell they were from Yuezhou at a glance.

The two elders looked honest and simple, wearing no expensive clothes, suggesting they were not a wealthy family.

Yu Haifeng sat down and said softly, “Elders, we are from the Criminal Police Team of the Xishan District Police Department. My name is Yu Haifeng, and I am the Captain of the Criminal Police Team.”