chapter 7

Chapter 7

Based on the local climate and the degree of decomposition, it was estimated that this person died about 10 to 15 years ago, that is, around 1996 to 2001, which matches the time when my father disappeared in 1997.

According to bone age analysis, the person was between 30 and 40 years old at the time of death, which also matches my father’s age (40) when he went missing.

The body had completely turned to bone, so fingerprints were naturally useless. But today’s forensic technology has another powerful tool: DNA testing.

In 1985, there was a family massacre. At that time, technology was backward, and the police only obtained the suspect’s fingerprints.

When my father disappeared in 1997, the police compared his fingerprints and confirmed that the 1985 massacre was committed by my father; but DNA technology was still lagging behind, and collecting biological samples only allowed for blood samples and blood type testing, with no way to conduct DNA analysis.

So the police did not obtain my father’s DNA at that time, only collecting and storing my blood sample in the database.

In 2011, the bones were discovered at the foot of the mountain, after more than a decade had passed and DNA technology had matured. The police extracted DNA from the bones for testing and comparison, and the results showed that the remains and I were father and son.

All in all, it took decades, but thanks to technological progress, there was finally more convincing evidence.

The bones at the foot of the mountain were indeed my father, who had been missing for years. The police quickly notified me.

After so many years, I still remember what my father wore when he took me to the college entrance exam. It was a striped undershirt. Now, fragments of clothing wrapped around the bones still faintly show the same pattern.

With the death of the fugitive, criminal responsibility was no longer pursued. The massacre case was thus closed, and the shadow cast by my father was finally lifted.

Since it was over, there was no need to talk about it anymore, so I never told my wife, Shan Jing.