A Police Woman in Forensic Science

Chen Haiying

Now the deputy chief of the forensic science institute under the criminal police branch of the Ganzhou Public Security Bureau， Chen Haiying has been honored with medals of merit five times. Her extraordinary feats have earned her such titles as \"National Police Force Role Model\"\"National Top 100 Criminal Police Officer\"， and \"Best Police Officer Using Forensic Technology to Solve Criminal Cases Selected by the Ministry of Public Security\".

A Novice Officer Employed

Chen Haiying was admitted to medical college， majoring in clinical medicine science， after her graduation from" high school.

During her childhood， she was scared so much by beating drums and clanging cymbals from the village funeral rituals that she couldn't sleep. Unexpectedly， this little girl became a forensic police officer when she grew up， with formalin and autopsies being the order of her day. Her years of education at medical college equipped her with a bold， tough heart.

She got her first job as a doctor at a hospital. During those days， a hit TV series named \"Judge of the Song Dynasty\" infused her with a deep admiration for the lead role， Song Ci. This renowned forensic scientist from the Song Dynasty could make dead bodies \"speak up\" and solve challenging mysterious cases from the vaguest of clues.

Chen's medical education laid a solid foundation for her career development， and the TV series contributed to her career choice. In 2002， she signed up online for the exam and targeted the forensic doctor post after she learned about the vacancy at the Ganzhou Public Security Bureau.

The requirements for candidates were relatively loose， with two posts offered regardless of gender.

As a result， Chen and another female candidate were recruited. The sudden recruitment of two women in August 2003 threw the criminal police branch chief in doubt: Could the women undertake this toilsome job that requires guts and meticulousness ?

One of them requested a transfer shortly afterwards. Another two women came and went. It is laborious， dull and stressful to do the technical work， so patience and persistence are indispensable. At that time， the forensic science institute had three labs: fingerprint identification， physicochemical testing， and forensic medicine. The rookie Chen Haiying learned fingerprint identification at the training class for about 100 days. From January 2004， she started to appear at crime scenes and observe autopsies.

Rubber gloves， surgical masks， and disposable caps and shoe covers are standard wear for forensic doctors at crime scenes. These items were quite familiar to Chen， but there was a difference – the corpses she had handled during her school days were treated with antiseptic， while the bodies she faced at crime scenes came in various conditions， with the causes of death unknown.

Without any dedicated room， they often performed autopsies in reposing rooms， with two forensic doctors working together， one as a surgeon and the other as an assistant， supported by a third person for recording.

During her apprenticeship， Chen would take notes and pass over surgical instruments while observing and listening attentively. \"A 5 cm-long cut on the breast， extensive wounds on the abdomen，\" – she wrote down every detail about the autopsy process. Suddenly， she stopped writing when she caught sight of many maggots wriggling and crawling about on the floor. Noticing these white， disgusting worms almost climbing onto the surgeon's shoe， she cried out in astonishment， grabbing a water hose to wash them away. In the meantime， her nervous glance at her instructor would be met with the latter's calm and resolute one. Her instructor stayed concentrated on the work with the mood unaffected， but Chen blushed with shame.

\"Chen is great. She is daring enough to face the corpse just a few days into the job，\" says Xie Yiwen， chief of the criminal police branch， with his thumb up.

Despite this praise， Chen suffers from social anxiety. \"What if I could not answer the lecturer's questions? What if I said the wrong thing when analyzing the case?\" she wondered. However， she converted these anxieties into motivation. She digested many professional books， bite by bite， such as \"Systematic Anatomy\"\"Histopathology\"， and \"Forensic Medicine\". She wanted to be as knowledgeable as her instructors and become a female Song Ci as soon as possible.

On the rainy day of May 21， 2005， Chen conducted her first independent autopsy， still in a reposing room. A young man recorded it while a trace evidence examiner took photographs. She and her instructor were responsible for one corpse respectively. She finished her first independent autopsy in two hours and then sewed up the incisions.

It was close to midnight when she completed the work. Chen straightened herself up to relax， only to find her left alone there in the reposing room. Creep was the sight of the two bodies in the dull lights. She dropped her surgical scissors and rushed out of the room. Her desperate escape startled her teammates， who had come out simply for fresh air.

The criminal case was finally cracked. The murderer not only killed these two people but also committed three homicides in Guangdong Province. The forensic report by Chen played a pivotal role in identifying the suspect. Less than two years of assiduous work earned her a medal of merit.

However， her eyes have never been fixed on honors. Her staunchest aspiration is to be another Song Ci in her career.

Hard-to-solve Cases Solved

In December 2001， a DNA testing lab was founded under the Ganzhou Public Security Bureau， where Chen became a full-time DNA tester in 2006.

To keep a crime scene intact to detect as many traces of the suspect as possible， all the items that could have been touched by the suspect must be subject to DNA testing. The number of materials under DNA testing ranges from dozens to hundreds and even thousands， and all of them entaileentailed manual testing. Prolonged exposure to silver nitrate solution and cold watewater has reduced her hands to a pair with dark spots， rough and chapped for her age.

In 2008， the forensic science institute introduced its first dedicated polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based DNA testing instrument， bringing the traditional manual testing to an end. However， Chen believes that the more advanced the instrument is， the higher the skills required of the operators. At that time， the DNA testing conducted by the forensic science institute was limited to materials like cigarette butts and blood spots that contain a high level of bioinformation. By comparison， trace evidence materials with a small amount of such information were beyond the institute's capabilities.

Given the situation， Chen discussed an idea with Yue Xinhua， the then chief of the criminal police branch: learning more advanced forensic skills at the Institute of Forensic Science of China， which she believes \"represents the highest level of forensic science in China\".

\"Good idea!" But your son is only three years old. Will your family support you? After all， it would be a three-month absence from your home.\" asked Yue， betraying his concern for her little and slim physique.

\"Yes， definitely，\" Chen affirmed. She knew her husband was always supportive.

Chen's three-month stay at the Institute of Forensic Science of China produced a huge leap forward in her technical know-how. Upon her return to her hometown， her technical edge was further sharpened in her practical and systemic exploration. Less than one year later， her expertise blossomed. From 2011 onwards， she has employed multiple new technologies to help crack multiple cases that had long remained unsolved.

In early April 2016， a villager out searching for frogs reported a rotten human corpse in a gully. Initial investigations revealed that the body was a local villager surnamed Zhao who went missing in 2015. However， months of investigations failed yield any substantial progress， leaving the case suspended.

In October， upon Chen's return from a business trip， Chen was appointed to redo the DNA testing for the case. Amid all the forensic materials， one item caught her sight: the clothing of the victim. The task force had assumed that it was unlikely the murderer had touched the clothes. Moreover， the immature forensic technologies at the time could hardly help to detect anything significant from lightly-touched materials.

Undeterred， Chen stayed up all night to do repeated tests， casting off the magic spell that \"trace evidence materials hardly yield useful results\". Finally， she detected traces of the suspect on the trousers of the victim. With these leads， the police force acted immediately and arrested the suspect. \"This should be attributed to the mission trip to to learn about exfoliative cell testing at the Institute of Forensic Science of China. This was no cinch in the past，\" Chen said.

From 2018 onwards， the Ministry of Public Security has begun to popularize the new DNA testing technology across national public security authorities at all levels， greatly helping to identify criminal suspects. Chen made a list of long-unsolved cases on her notebook. \"Set goals， and I will realize them one by one with new technologies，\" she said with resolve.

In 2020， the Ministry of Public Security launched the \"Cloud Sword\" operation to tackle murder and unsolved cases. To this end， Chen leveraged the new technologies to assist investigation authorities. In the next few years， she helped crack 10 unsolved cases with her sustained efforts， two of them directly supervised by the Ministry.

At the end of 2023， a murder in a local village resulting from a neighborhood dispute saw the suspect use a steel rod and kill three people and injure several others before committing suicide. Field investigations revealed that the suspect dropped the murder weapon into a well before killing himself.

It had been more than 30 hours when the muddy steel rod was retrieved from the well. With the suspect dead， the testimony alone could hardly suffice to prove that the steel rod was the murder weapon.

In the afternoon， the steel rod， along with materials was sent to the forensic science institute. However， Chen's protégé Huang， who had a college degree in bioengineering， flinched at the sight of the rod， saying: \"With every member of the task force looking at us expectantly， I am afraid of failing to get nowhere and letting them down.\"

The steel rod was a key link in the chain of evidence. However， soaked so long in the solution， the rod bore meagre bio-information about the victims， making it much tougher to perform the DNA profiling.

\"Let me give it a try，\" Chen said. She used a rapid test strip to swab the steel rod， which showed a negative result on the white blood cell content. Afterwards， she wiped off the mud layer by layer . If it was the murder weapon， it would contain DNA information from the victims. The problem was that the mixture of the DNA information from many victims would leave the testing results of no reference value at all.

Chen engrossed herself in the refined and partitioned extraction of the bio-information. The preliminary cleaning and DNA extraction took more than two hours. Then， the DNA sample was put on the instrument， and the testing commenced.

Darkness fell with a chill in the air. A lamp was glimmering in the corridor. In the lab， two policewomen worked in silence. At almost dawn， Huang heard Chen let out a weary cry of relief: \"I made it.\"

At the news， Xie Yiwen was overwhelmed with excitement: \"Now that you made it though the rod was soaked for so long and contained DNA of several victims， you are in a position to write an authoritative paper about the testing.\" Chen clearly heard the cheer of her associates around Xie.

A Lion's Heart Toughened up

Aware that forensic materials could pose unpredictable risks， Chen strictly follows self-protection codes. She changes her clothes each time she returns home to her husband. Then she walks straight into the washroom to shower， from top to toe， before entering the living room.

Even so， risks are unavoidable.

In November 2006， the rotten corpse of a boy was pulled out of a body of water. A preliminary investigation revealed that the case was a homicide. The forensic material was sent to the provincial public security department for testing. The shabby technology in the DNA testing then did not deliver any results， leaving the victim unidentifiable. Successive attempts have failed.

In 2023， this case was put back on the agenda with the evolution of forensic technology. Chen was tasked with finding investigative leads with new technology. Unfortunately， the victim's clothes had been soaked in water for several months and did not meet the requirements for DNA testing. Learning that some materials related to the case were kept in the forensic materials room of the provincial public security department， Chen scurried there immediately.

A wide variety of materials were stored in that room. She was trawling the refrigerator for the material she wanted when some toxic gas insinuated itself into her body through her face mask.

She finally got it and hurried back to the lab with the carefully encased material. She immediately buried herself in the unfinished task and" worked around the clock， trying every conceivable means despite repeated failures. Eventually， she got through the tough testing， securing the DNA profile of the victim. Based on the testing report， a clear direction for the investigation was quickly decided.

Unexpectedly， Chen suffered from the shivers and cold sweats two days later， with painful blisters appearing on her swollen lips， and she even coughed up black phlegm. The doctor was astonished by her blood test results， saying: \"Your illness was caused by inhaling poisonous gas. What's your job? Do you know what could become of you? You need an intravenous infusion at once.\"

With the body identified， the case was soon solved. The boy's parents turned out to be the murders of the 10-year-old deaf-mute kid. His life was terminated by a can of poisoned congee from his upset parents.

The case left Chen with mixed feelings. She guessed that the woolen clothes worn by the boy were meticulously hand-knitted by his parents， and she wondered if the parents hesitated for a moment before ending their son's life.

DNA testing results are not always relevant to bloody death. Chen's work has also aided some parents in finding their lost children. One day in January 2022， Mr. Chen and his wife， both in their fifties， made an uneasy visit to the criminal police branch. It transpired later that the couple had read a news report about Chen Haiying online and gathered their courage to ask her help. \"Officer Chen， please help us find our son lost 19 years ago，\" they pleaded.

The couple lives in the countryside near Ganzhou City. Their eldest son left to work in Guangdong at the age of 17 but lost contact suddenly around 2004. Overwhelmed by anxiety， the couple left their second 10-year-old son to their family members and hurried to Guangdong to search for their first son. With every hope turning into hopelessness， they almost ran out of the meager amount of money they took. To survive and find their son， they took on the toughest jobs with the lowest wages， living rough on the streets or under the bridges.

Chen Haiying took blood samples from the couple while soothing them with kind words. With a cup of warm water from the officer， Mr. Chen sobbed into his hands. \"You know， officer Chen. We have searched many places for our son over the years， and have met with contempt and cheats. We are on the verge of breakdown. Thank you for being so kind to us， and your offer of help warms our hearts，\" he whimpered. His wife made a deep bow and said: \"We will appreciate your efforts all my life even if our lost son is not found.\"

The weathered faces of the old couple brought the officer close to tears." The couple reminded her of her" toiling gray-haired parents in the countryside， as well as her poor sister-in-law. Therefore， she added another case to her to-do list in the notebook – to find the couple's lost son.

Logging into the anti-abduction system of the Ministry of Public Security to retrieve information from the vast database for DNA matching has become a routine task for Chen Haiying. The white hair and tearful eyes of the poor couple always lingered in her mind. She prayed for their son and a wonder to bring him back.

It so happened that in March， 2023 a ragged vagrant in a derelict house in a town in Longnan City emerged. The homeless man was so numb that he could barely answer any inquiries from police officers. Later on， the man was taken to the local rescue station after a blood sampling.

One morning， Chen Haiying logged into the anti-abduction system as usual. Something caught her eyes – Mr. Chen's DNA profile was aligned with the results of a blood sample collected by the Longnan police officers.

She called the Longnan side in no time， requesting them to take another blood sample from the man at the rescue station as soon as possible and perform another DNA test.

Good news arrived: the homeless man proved to be the couple's first son lost 19 years ago.

According to the police， the couple's first son， Chen Zhou， suffered an accident at work， damaging his brain and causing partial memory loss. He was then fired by the heartless boss. Unable to recall the way home， he led a vagrant life collecting trash and consuming leftovers for 19 years until reuniting with his parents. \"My poor son， you are now home，\" the parents wailed while cuddling their son close.

One day in April， Chen Zhou， dressed in new clothes and shoes and accompanied by his family members， visited the criminal police branch of the Ganzhou Public Security Bureau. After some medical treatment， Chen Zhou gradually restored some of his lost memories， and he looked refreshed after a haircut. The tearultearful family" sent a large red silk banner to Chen Haiying and the police force. The golden words on the banner read:" "\"Gratitude to the Ganzhou Public Security Bureau for their efforts to reunite our entire family and for their devotion to serving the people.\"

\"Many thanks to our saviors and to police officers，\" Mr. Chen expressed his profuse thanks， begging not to dissolve the chat group they had set up on WeChat to facilitate the search for his son.

\"Please do not dissolve it. officer Chen's presence reassures us，\" Mr. Chen stressed again.

Chen Haiying nodded with a smile.

Late in fall， officer Chen received a box of oranges by courier. They were from Mr. Chen. She immediately got through to him.

\"Why did you bother to buy it? I'll transfer money to you，\" she said.

\"What? Please do not mention it. The fruit is not expensive，\" he replied.

\"There are hard and fast rules， so we must not accept gifts for the public，\" she said firmly.

\"I know little about rules， but I guess you" won't break the rule to have some oranges from us. But for kind help， we would not have our family reunion，\" said Mr. Chen.

Chen Haiying learned later that the return of their son reignited the couple's hope for life， and they started to run a fruit farm. Under their meticulous care for more than half a year， the orchard yielded a bumper harvest of navel oranges. They selected a box of oranges for officer Chen as a token of gratitude.

Officer Chen's eyes were prickling with tears. She posted a message on her WeChat feed that day: \"The sweetest oranges I've ever eaten. Thanks for your recognition， and I will be hard-working as always for the reunion of all families.\"

Chen Zhou's registered identity was canceled because he had been missing for years. At this， officer Xing Yanhua from the household registration office under the Ganzhou Public Security Bureau reached out to register his identity again.

Chen Haiying was delighted to see Chen Zhou's family embark on a happy life again. Since the national \"Family Reunion\" campaign in 2021， the forensic science institute under the criminal police branch of the Ganzhou Public Security Bureau has helped more than 30 families reunite with their missing members through blood sampling and DNA profiling.

Every time Chen sees members of a reunited family sob in each other's embrace， she has the greatest difficulty restraining her tears of happiness. The tears trickle down the cheeks of a mother， wife， daughter， and a female police officer who has been devoted to her career for many years and will be so for the rest of her life.