"We have lost trust in Fenghuang authorities because they keep pushing us to cremate my sister's body without giving us an autopsy report," said Feng.

"We tried to stop them from sending the body to a crematorium on September 16 but failed."

Qiu's family plan to stay longer in Changsha, Hunan Province, and are demanding that the provincial forensic department conduct another autopsy on Qiu's body.

"We hope judicial officials from Hubei Province will participate in the autopsy, as the Fenghuang public security bureau may cover up for their police officers," Feng added.

Liao Wei, a Hunan-based lawyer, told the Global Times Sunday that the victim's fam-ily could demand that officers connected to the defendants withdraw from handling the case.