Pollen on grass clippings and in soil from clothing and shoes: putting the suspect at the crime scene

Abstract

In a case of alleged sexual assault, the pollen content of samples of grass clippings and soil from the suspect’s clothing and shoes was compared to that of a sample of grass clippings from the alleged crime scene (a grassy area) to determine whether or not the suspect had been at the scene. The clothing and shoe samples showed a very strong correlation with each other and with the sample from the alleged crime scene in the combination of the different types of pollen present, very strongly supporting the contention that the suspect had been at the scene.

Keywords

Forensic science, pollen, palynology, grass clippings, soil, clothing.