Brothel murder: 'Why I'm determined to crack my only unsolved case'

An investigation is still underway at a bloody crime scene. The victim suffered multiple stab wounds and had attempted to defend himself, with the suspect believed to have also been injured and bled during the struggle. Currently, the murderer is still at large, posing challenges to the case investigation.

Jo Ward, a crime scene coordinator for West Midlands Police, stated, "This is a frustrating case, and in my 27-year career, I've never encountered a case I couldn't solve, which weighs heavily on me." Jo has handled over 50 murder cases and is determined to track down the killer in this, her only unsolved case. This case is featured in a new BBC documentary series, "Forensics: The Real Crime Scene."

On February 9, 2022, Jo was assigned to investigate the murder of Zhang Jinming, a 41-year-old Chinese national, in an apartment in Digbeth, Birmingham. The investigation revealed that the apartment was being used as a brothel, and the only witness to the brutal murder was a young Chinese woman who had hidden herself. Initially, police believed the motive was robbery, as the bedside table drawer had been pulled open and the room had been ransacked, but this has not been confirmed. The victim, Zhang Jinming, had fought back against his attacker.

As the crime scene coordinator, Jo was the first to arrive at the scene and was responsible for searching for evidence. Throughout the investigation, she collaborated with other experts, such as bloodstain pattern analysts and CCTV coordinators, to try to piece together what happened that night. Police believe the murder suspect may have injured his hand in the frenzied attack. Bloodstain pattern analysis, a technique used to interpret bloodstains at a crime scene, helps determine which bloodstains in the apartment may belong to the victim and which may belong to the killer.

Investigators found a trail of blood leading out of the apartment and analyzed hours of CCTV footage to track the killer's escape route. The CCTV footage showed the suspect to be a black male, between 5 feet 2 inches (1.6 meters) and 5 feet 5 inches (1.7 meters) tall, with a slim build and a distinctive gait. Although the suspect's DNA sample was found, there was no match in the national DNA database. This database contains DNA information from approximately 5.9 million people who have been arrested, cautioned, or convicted of a crime. The case is still under investigation, and no one has been charged with the murder.

Jo stated that if this had been ten years ago, it might have meant the end of the investigation. However, advances in forensic science mean that kinship DNA searching can be used to try to identify individuals who may be biologically related to the suspect and are also in the national database. Jo said, "In my 27 years of working in the police, I have never conducted this type of search." Kinship DNA searching is not the only advancement in forensic science; the amount of sample required to obtain a full DNA profile has also changed significantly.

Jo said, "In the past, we needed a large amount of blood or other cellular material to obtain a DNA profile. Now, we only need a pinhead-sized amount of blood or other cellular material to obtain a complete profile." In the past, in addition to blood, the main source of DNA was cigarettes. But now, anything that has come into contact with lips and saliva can be swabbed to provide a DNA profile, such as cans, beverage bottles, and increasingly, e-cigarettes. Jo also stated that cellular DNA can be found when someone has touched an object.

Jo said, "Obviously, when we're dealing with murder or sexual assault cases, we always look at whether the victim's clothing has been grabbed by the perpetrator during the attack. Our goal is to isolate those areas to see if we can obtain DNA from them." Jo has been involved in many high-profile cases. Despite the continuous advancement of technology, getting answers isn't always as quick as Jo would like.

Jo said, "It's not like 'CSI: Miami,' where they get the DNA and get the results within an hour." She hopes that the identification process can be accelerated in the future. Jo said, "Fingerprints have always been around, and we use powder to extract fingerprints and send them for analysis. I think there will be a digital method in the future where you can simply take a photo, scan it immediately, and identify the person more quickly."

Over the years, walking into so many murder scenes has had an impact on Jo. She feels the same anxiety every time she approaches a scene, with butterflies in her stomach. She said, "Sometimes I come out feeling nauseous, not wanting to eat, but I've now developed a mindset that says, 'Okay, I can't change what's happened, but what I can do is do my best to identify the person responsible and get justice for the victim and their family.'"

Jo previously suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to a murder investigation, which she said taught her a lot. To avoid it happening again, she tries not to get too emotionally invested. Jo said, "I think the mistake I made when I had PTSD was that I kept looking at all the family photos." Jo stated, "It's a tough job, but it's also a very rewarding job when you get results, identify a suspect, and prosecute them."

Regarding her only unsolved case, Jo hopes that after people watch the program, someone will come forward and remember something that might help identify the suspect. She also wants to say to the killer, "We need to get justice for the victim and their family. Do the right thing, and come forward."