WHEN MOSS IS BOSS IN FIXING CRIME

Bryophytes and forensics

- NIRAD MUDUR

HERE is a popular belief among criminal investigators that a criminal always leaves clues behind. Scientific research now suggests that offenders may also carry those clues with them, sometimes in unexpected forms.

One such form is moss — a small, non-vascular plant that grows in dense mats across a wide range of environments. Moss is increasingly being examined by researchers as a supplementary forensic tool, capable of linking people and locations through trace botanical evidence.

In 2009, employees of the Burr Oaks Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois, were accused of exhuming buried remains and reselling grave plots. Moss samples recovered alongside discarded human remains were examined by researchers at the Field Museum in Chicago and identified as Fissidens taxifolius.

By analysing the moss fragments, investigators determined that they had been buried for less than 24 months. This finding contradicted the suspects’ claims and helped establish their presence at the crime scene. While the case did not involve homicide or missing persons, it demonstrated how moss evidence could provide independent information that supports or challenges investigative timelines.

Interest in such applications has been renewed following a large scientific review published in