Xiao, who is in his fifties and six years old this year, was originally a villager in Oumiao Daying Village, Xiangcheng District. However, on the evening of May 22, 2004, he had an argument with his neighbour and struck him on the head with a shovel, resulting in his neighbor's tragic death.
On the night of the incident, Xiao fled his hometown in a hurry and embarked on a long road of hiding. Penniless, he had to scavenge for a living, exchanging the scraps he picked up for a meager living expenses. A month later, he wandered to a remote mountain village in Anxi County, Fujian Province, where he disguised himself as a mute and silently scavenged in this strange land.
Twenty years passed in a hurry, and Xiao cut off all contact with his family. His family also thought he was long gone, but the Xiangcheng police never gave up the pursuit of him. In April this year, the police conducted an in-depth study and judgment of the fugitives over the years, and found a scavenger in Anxi, Fujian Province, whose characteristics were very similar to Xiao's.
Just as the police were in full swing to launch an investigation, in early May this year, Xiao was taken away by the police for a conflict with local villagers. Through technical means, the local police were surprised to find that the scavenger was Xiao who had been absconding for 20 years. When the police tentatively talked to him, he actually replied: "I am from Hubei Oumiao." At that moment, Xiao seemed to have unloaded his heavy burden, and admitted that he had been holding back in his heart for the past 20 years and had not spoken, which was very uncomfortable, and he also missed his family very much.
Subsequently, the police conducted a detailed inquiry about Xiao and learned about the case that year. On May 11, Xiao was escorted back to Xiangyang by the Xiangcheng police from Anxi, Fujian. On May 13, he was brought back to the temple to identify the scene. Although the scene in the village has changed drastically, he can still clearly remember the place where the crime was committed.
The reason why Xiao was able to abscond for 20 years before being captured is inseparable from his ability to disguise himself. Zhang Zhiwei, deputy director of the Oumiao Police Station of the Xiangcheng Public Security Bureau, said that Xiao pretended to be deaf and dumb and rarely communicated with others, and the villagers only nodded and smiled when they saw him, so he was able to stay hidden in Anxi County, Fujian.
Now, Xiao has been criminally detained by the Xiangcheng police, and what awaits him will be severely punished by the law. This case also reminds us once again that no matter how the fugitives disguise and hide, they will not escape justice after all.