Forensic Botany

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School

Community College of Baltimore County *

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102

Subject

Anthropology

Date

Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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This week, you learned several ways in which forensic anthropologists estimate the time since death or the post-mortem interval (PMI). These include forensic entomology and forensic botany. Select one of the methods you read about this week, and discuss the scientific basis of how this method is used to estimate PMI. What are some of the factors that can affect the accuracy of this estimation? The post-mortem interval (PMI) is the time that has elapsed since an individual's death (Wilson-Taylor & Dautartas, 2017). When the time of death is not known, the interval may be estimated, and so an approximate time of death is established (Wilson-Taylor & Dautartas, 2017). Postmortem interval estimations can range from hours to years, depending on the type of evidence present. These changes occur in a series and can be used to estimate the time of death (Wilson-Taylor & Dautartas, 2017). The estimation of PMI is influenced by many variables, and it is not possible to reliably estimate an accurate PMI based solely on post-mortem changes (Wilson- Taylor & Dautartas, 2017). To accurately measure the PMI, there needs to be some observation of environmental conditions at the death scene, such as temperature, humidity, and element exposure (Wilson-Taylor & Dautartas, 2017). Factors that can affect the rate of human decomposition are concerned with the particular environment a body has been recovered from. Bodies can be found anywhere from terrestrial to underwater environments, each possessing its own variables that can alter interval estimations. Body habitus and clothing are examples of components that can affect the rate of cooling of the body and so its rate of decomposition (Wilson-Taylor & Dautartas, 2017). In addition to algor mortis, livor mortis, and rigor mortis, there are other post- mortem changes that occur in a dead body following death. These changes include putrefaction, mummification, adipocere, and maceration (Wilson-Taylor & Dautartas, 2017). There are several analytical techniques that can be used to determine the post-mortem interval. These include forensic entomology, forensic botany, forensic pathology, ocular changes, state or stage of decomposition, DNA quantification, infrared spectroscopy, and soil composition analysis (Wilson-Taylor & Dautartas, 2017). These techniques can provide valuable information that contributes to the reconstruction of a specific chain of criminal events. Forensic botany is the use of plants and plant parts in the investigation of criminal cases, legal questions, disputes, or to establish the cause of death (Paul, 2013). The scientific basis of forensic botany is used to estimate the post-mortem interval (PMI). The estimation of PMI can be done through dendrochronological analysis or the analysis of moss growth patterns that colonize bone surfaces (Caccianiga et al., 2020). This includes the analysis of plant and fungal parts such as leaves, flowers,

pollen, seeds, wood, fruit, spores, and microbiology, plus plant environments and ecology (Plant Forensics: Cracking Criminal Cases, n.d.). The aim is to link plant evidence with a crime, such as placing a suspect at a crime scene through analysis of pollen or seed particles found on their clothing. Forensic botany can be used to determine the difference between accidental death, suicide or murder and can provide valuable information that contributes to the reconstruction of a specific chain of criminal events (Caccianiga et al., 2020). However, there are several factors that can affect the accuracy of PMI estimation in forensic botany. These include environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and element exposure; body habitus and clothing; burial depth; insect activity; and plant species (Paul, 2013: What Is Forensic Botany?, 2019). References Caccianiga, M., Caccia, G., Mazzarelli, D., Salsarola, D., Poppa, P., Gaudio, D., Cappella, A., Franceschetti, L., Tambuzzi, S., Maggioni, L., & Cattaneo, C. (2020). Common and much less common scenarios in which botany is crucial for forensic pathologist and anthropologists: A series of eight case studies. International Journal of Legal Medicine, 135(3), 1067-1077. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-020-02456-0 Paul, K. V. R. (2013). Assessment of Post Mortem Interval, (PMI) from Forensic Entomotoxicological Studies of Larvae and Flies. Entomology, Ornithology, & Herpatology, 02(01). https://doi.org/10.4172/2161-0983.1000104 Wilson-Taylor, R. J., & Dautartas, A. M. (2017). Time since death estimation and bone weathering: The postmortem interval. In N. R. Langley & M. A. Tersigni-Tarrant (Eds.), Forensic anthropology: A comprehensive introduction (2nd ed., pp. 274-306). CRC Press. What is forensic botany? (2019, July 30). Sciencing. https://sciencing.com/forensic- botany-14631.html

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