YesYou've probably stumbled upon an unlikely crime solver: The Mosses may be unassuming, but they can be a huge help in the final lessons. Mat-like plants and their relatives have previously been used to determine when people died and link suspects to crime scenes, among other important forensic insights.
Mosses and other members of the bryophyte group of plants have served as useful evidence in forensic investigations for several reasons: they live in a wide variety of habitats, can be associated with specific locations, and are easily attached to people's clothing, vehicles, or other personal items. They are also easy to preserve, and only a small sample of bryophytes is needed to narrow down the main group from which the specimen belongs.
Despite the valuable secrets they hold, bryophytes have been documented in only a few documented forensic studies worldwide, according to paper recently published in the magazine Forensic research.
“We analyzed 150 years of scientific literature to see how these plants were used in research,” said study co-author Matt von Konrath, director of botanical collections at the Field Museum in Chicago, in a statement. statement. “Well, it turns out the answer was, “Not that much.”
Together with his collaborators, von Konrath encountered several cases in which bryophytes were used to calculate the postmortem interval of remains—the time that elapsed between the death of a person and the discovery of his body—based on the growth rate of these plants. Investigators also analyzed bryophyte fragments taken from the suspects. According to the newspaper, during a murder investigation in Finland in 2001, officials “used recovered bryophyte fragments to link suspects to a crime scene where human remains were found.”
Read more: “The mysterious history of swamp bodies»
During the investigation into the abduction and murder of a 4-month-old baby in Michigan in 2011, the suspect's shoe contained dried mud. Sphagnum moss and an assortment of other plants that don't usually grow near each other, leading officials to a specific location to search for the victim's body. Several authors of the new article were involved in this case. Although the body was not found, “analysis and identification of botanical specimens recovered from Phillips' shoes significantly narrowed investigators' search radius.”
Beyond these few examples, the authors note that plants are “underutilized” in forensic investigations. In fact, few law enforcement professionals are trained to identify and collect any type of botanical specimen.
“Plants, and especially bryophytes, represent an overlooked but powerful source of forensic evidence that can help investigators connect people, places and events,” study co-author Jenna Merkel, who was pursuing a master's degree in criminology at George Washington University at the time of the study, said in a statement. “Through this article, we aim to raise awareness of forensic botany and encourage law enforcement agencies to recognize the value of even the smallest plant fragments during investigations.”
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Main image: Des_Callaghan / Wikimedia Commons
