Identifying the Primary Crime Scene Location Through Plant-Based Evidence: A Case Study

Abstract

Forensic botany is a scientific investigation methodology that deals with the analysis of plant based evidence for solving crimes. The correlation of plants as the basis of life is supplemented by their extensive ability to seek justice for the dead and wronged through this domain. The ubiquity of botanical matter results in its presence in virtually all outdoor crime scenes. In such a scenario, these evidences can provide valuable insights into the place and manner of occurrence of the crime, among others. This case report presents one such instance of homicide, demonstrating the prowess of botanical evidence in establishing the place of discovery of the body as the primary crime scene. This was achieved through the comparison of grass at the intended site with control samples to ascertain factors such as morphology, compression and traces of blood. The breakthrough came with the analysis of the victim’s hair strands entwined with grass fibres, severed through the application of sharp trauma rather than decomposition. Thus the study of botanical evidence was able to rule out possibilities of attack occurring elsewhere and attest to the site of discovery of the body as the scene of the fatality.