The dead man lay still upon the frozen ground under the bright stars of the silent and dark winter night. Detective Sarah Jones walked slowly toward the corpse while the cold wind blew hard through the tall pine trees nearby. She knelt down to examine the deep wounds that covered his chest and looked for any sign of a struggle. A small silver gun lay in the wet grass just a few feet away from his pale lifeless right hand. She picked it up carefully and placed it inside a clear plastic bag for the crime lab team to analyze.