Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

"Everyone, discuss what you have found in your investigations."

Luke said, "We went to Polly's house for an inspection; we met her and retrieved the keys to Martin's house from her."

Raymond stated, "We canvassed the area and, according to nearby neighbors, the fire started around 2 a.m., with intense flames. They couldn't rescue anyone in time.

Many neighbors claimed to have smelled gasoline.

Therefore, the fire's ferocity was likely due to someone having spread gasoline inside the house.

By the time the fire trucks arrived to extinguish the blaze, around 2:40 a.m., the house was already reduced to ruins."

Susan continued, "Raymond is right. The scene investigation team indeed found traces of gasoline burning inside the house, but since most items in the house were burned, it was difficult for the technical team to investigate in the usual way, and all biological samples have been destroyed.

They are still investigating the cause of the fire."

The deputy chief spread his hands, "This is why the criminal set the fire: to destroy the body and eliminate traces.

Of course, it's also possible that some sick individuals simply like to start fires."

Susan went on, "The forensic doctor has completed a preliminary autopsy. The victim was an African American female, approximately between 43 to 48 years old, 167 cm tall, blood type A, with traces of rope bindings on her hands and legs and a piece of cotton stuffed in her mouth.

She had sleeping pill components in her system and died of smoke inhalation suffocation. The time of death was between 10 p.m. on July 10th and 2 a.m."

Susan moved to the projector and put up a photograph,

"The cotton stuffed in the victim's mouth was partially burned on the outside. Some part preserved in the mouth had words written in blood 'Worthless people should not live in this world.'"

Jackson remarked, "Looking at the body, I thought she was burned to death."

The deputy chief said, "In fires, eighty percent of the victims die from smoke inhalation, and only twenty percent are burned to death.

The victim was likely suffocated and then her body was burned. Either way, the suspect achieved the goal of destroying the body and erasing evidence."

As the deputy chief finished speaking, Matthew to the side added, "Guys, I might have discovered the identity of the victim."

Jack somewhat incredulously said, "Wow, that was fast. How did you manage that?"

"I'll take that as a compliment." Matthew changed his tone and said solemnly, "I entered the physical characteristics of the victim into the missing persons database: African American female, between 43 to 48 years, 167 cm, blood type A.

In the last five days, only one person in Los Angeles matches all those characteristics."

Missing person, Nancy Cole

Gender, Female

Date of disappearance, July 7th

Age, 46

Address, 302 Kaliya Community

Height, 167

Blood type, A

Reporter, Andesie Cole

In the upper right corner of the data, there was a photo of Nancy Cole.

...

302 Kaliya Community

"Wuuu..."

An eight or nine-year-old African American girl lay on the sofa crying.

A middle-aged man in his forties sat next to her, looking melancholy and distracted.

"Wuuu... Mom, I want mom..." the girl sobbed deeply.

The man sighed lightly and patted the girl's shoulder, "Baby, don't cry anymore, mom will come back."

The girl lifted her head, looking at her father, "When will she come back?"

"Soon, she will be back very soon."

"Bang, bang!"

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Mom, it must be mom!" The African American girl ran towards the door, her voice full of hope.

The man also hurried out, looking through the peephole.

The girl clung to the man's arm, "Daddy, open the door quickly, it's mom, it must be mom."

The man shook his head, "Baby, go back inside."

"Isn't it mom?" The girl pouted, crying as she ran back to the living room.

The man looked at his daughter's retreating figure, his face showing unbearable sadness, then opened the door to see two men outside, a handsome young man with black hair and an African American man.

"What can I do for you?"

Jack showed his badge, "LAPD, I am Detective Marcus from the Robbery and Murder Department, and this is Deputy Luke.

We are here to understand the disappearance of Nancy Cole."

The man, somewhat dissatisfied, said, "Understand, understand, what else can you do besides understanding?"

Luke asked, "May I know who you are?"

"My name is Andesie Cole, Nancy's husband. Why haven't I seen you before?"

"Previously, patrol officers were handling Nancy's case; we are from the Robbery and Murder Department, not the same unit."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have lost my temper just now. Please come in," Andesie stepped aside, gesturing for Luke and the other to enter.

Luke entered the hallway, surveying the state of the house, which was a regular bungalow, somewhat dilapidated compared to the vibrant Chinese community where Luke lived.

The living room was very messy, a girl lay on the sofa crying, looked up at Luke and Jack, then continued sobbing.

There was a photo on the coffee table, featuring a couple and three children; this girl must be the youngest.

Andesie spoke in a low voice, "Officers, please have a seat."

Luke sat on the sofa, cutting to the chase, "Andesie, we are here to understand the case of your wife's disappearance. Could you tell us about what happened at the time?"

Luke only mentioned understanding the disappearance and did not mention the suspected discovery of Nancy's body, because Nancy had been burned beyond recognition, making 'identification' nearly impossible. Establishing the identity of the deceased could only be done through DNA testing.