Chapter 83

Jordan casually pointed at someone in the crowd and introduced herself to Robert. "That's the person who reported the case. She kept the villagers from getting too close to the body, preventing further damage to the scene."

Robert asked, "What's the cause of death?"

Jordan replied, "Preliminary examination shows no external injuries. Based on the characteristics of the death, it was mechanical asphyxiation, meaning strangulation. The ligature marks extend behind the ears, consistent with hanging, but the body was found lying on the ground."

Dennis, after hearing this, said, "Did someone take the body down?"

Jordan added, "You know the scene here has been severely compromised, so we can't rule out that possibility. The person who reported the case told me the body was already on the ground when she found it." He sighed, seemingly frustrated by the ignorance of the rural people.

"The technicians also found many fingerprints on the victim's clothes. Looks like we'll be busy for a while."

Everyone fell silent.

Jordan seemed to remember something and added, "By the way, the preliminary estimated time of death is between 11 PM last night and 3 AM this morning."

"Was there any sign of sexual assault on the body?" Zoey suddenly asked.

"We'll need further tests to determine that," Jordan replied.

"Keep me updated with any new developments."

Jordan nodded at Zoey, "No problem."

Alexander glanced at the footprints in the dust on the ground and took a few steps back, "Are these footprints from the villagers?"

"Yes," Jordan said with a bitter smile, "There are too many footprints. Even if the killer's prints are among them, we can't use them. And there aren't surveillance cameras in Willowbrook Village, which makes it tough."

Robert felt a bit helpless. He knew that the clues were unusable, wondering if they had to rely on guesses to solve the case.

He scratched his head, trying to appear calm, "Alright, I understand." He turned to Dennis, "You guys find a room and set it up as our temporary interrogation room."

"OK, Officer Davis!" Dennis replied.

As Dennis and his team were about to leave, Robert called them back, "Also, get the identities of the three victims and take statements from their friends and family."

"Got it!"

Robert then instructed Charles and Alexander, "You two take the technicians and collect fingerprints and DNA from everyone in the village. Make a list of the villagers, including those working outside."

"No problem!" Alexander and Dennis began investigating the three deceased women, while Zoey followed Robert to take a statement from the person who reported the case.

Except for the main hall, the other small rooms were too dirty.

They spent an hour cleaning one of the rooms before starting their work.

Robert, who had driven all night, was already tired. He was visibly exhausted after taking statements for four or five hours without rest.

He forced himself to stay awake and told Zoey to take a break, "I'll go contact the person who reported the case."

Zoey nodded and sat on a chair in the cleaned room.

About twenty minutes later, Robert brought in a woman.

Although the woman dressed similarly to the other villagers of Willowbrook Village, her outstanding demeanor suggested she wasn't a native.

The woman noticed Zoey observing her but remained calm.

Under Robert's arrangement, she sat next to Zoey.

"Routine questioning, don't be nervous. Just tell us what you know, and we won't make things difficult for you," Robert reminded her, and Zoey began the routine questioning.

"Name."

"Rilla Vaughn."

"How old are you? Are you a local?"

"I'm 27, born and raised in Willowbrook Village."

Robert glanced at her, "Tell us about the day you found the body. What happened? Did you notice any suspicious people?"

Rilla thought for a moment and began to describe, "I remember it was quite early, around 7 AM. My mom woke me up quickly, telling me several girls were missing from the village! The village chief and the parents of the missing girls were searching everywhere and gathered everyone to help. I remember one of the missing girls was Janet Fuller, who was supposed to marry the village chief's son."

"Those with electric bikes were sent to search farther away, while others searched the nearby mountains. I joined the group, hoping to slack off a bit, and accidentally found them in the church."

Robert took notes and habitually asked, "When you found them, were their bodies lying on the ground like they are now?"

Rilla thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, they were lying there. But when I saw them, their pants were partially pulled down. As a fellow woman, I couldn't bear it and put their clothes back on."

Robert continued to take notes of her every word.

Zoey suddenly asked seriously, "You must have studied outside, right? You haven't been in Willowbrook Village all your life, have you?"

Rilla and Robert both looked at Zoey, and then Robert turned his gaze back to Rilla, who nodded, "Yes, I went to college in Skylake City."

Hearing she was a college graduate, Zoey said with a hint of sarcasm, "Since you went to college, you should be more knowledgeable than the villagers. So why did you tamper with the crime scene? Don't tell me you didn't know such basic common sense."

"And Mr. Bailey told me you stopped the villagers from touching the bodies. Why did you touch them yourself?"

The questions Zoey threw out made Rilla seem suspicious.

Rilla's gaze never met Zoey's, instead focusing on Zoey's hand holding the pen, "Our village is quite traditional, with some stubborn beliefs. I'm not interested in crime dramas, so I didn't think much about it. I just felt it was disrespectful to the girls to leave them like that, maybe because I'm also a woman, so I helped them."

"As for why I later stopped the villagers with Mr. Bailey, they wanted to bury the bodies and didn't want me to call the cop. Reputation is very important in Willowbrook Village. Whether the girls were dead or not, their parents would feel ashamed. I told them the police would arrest anyone who touched the bodies, so they stopped."