Talk on forensic botany

Botanists have assisted police in crime investigations for many years. Despite its usefulness botanical evidence is often overlooked. A famous case from 1960 is the Graeme Thorne murder case, where a young boy was kidnapped and murdered. His body was found wrapped in a blanket in bushland. Plant fragments on the blanket included garden plants. These were identified and led police to the suspect. Some case examples and techniques, including photography and microscopy techniques will be illustrated.