The General Description of the Evidence
Biological evidence presented during the session included pollen from Ponderosa pine, a cactus found inside the victim’s clothing, elements of Bluebunch Wheatgrass species grass, and details of Douglas fir needles. Almost all of the plants whose parts were found on the girl’s body and clothing are typical of the dry southern region of British Columbia (Hebda, 2007). Of these, only Douglas-fir can be attributed to the humid west coast of the area, but some varieties of this plant may grow in the interior southern territories of the region (Varner, 2021). The variability in the distribution of this plant presents a difficulty in determining the location of the body. Nevertheless, a set of biological evidence is sufficient to establish or disprove the fact that the victim has been moved from the southern areas to the location where it was found. Consequently, it is possible to determine the region in which the murder occurred.
The Analysis of Pollen
Ponderosa pine and cactus pollen are among the types of biological material that, unlike Fir needles and grass elements, cannot be artificially transferred to the body or clothing (Gardner & Krouskup, 2021). From this, it can be concluded that the victim had been in southern British Columbia before the murder. It cannot be directly supposed from the words of the expert biologist that the Ponderosa pine grows only in dry inland areas since the plant is also common in wetter coastal areas (Rehfeldt, 2018). Nevertheless, the presence of cactus pollen indicates the presence of the girl in dry climatic areas. This type of plant is distributed north to 56 degrees latitude, which includes both the vicinity of Merit (50 degrees north latitude) and the vicinity of Vancouver (49 degrees north latitude) (Britton & Rose, 2018). However, the climate of the latter is too humid for the spread of cacti; hence the cactus pollen found is evidence of the victim being in drier areas, such as the Merit area (Kendrew, 2022). To verify these findings, additional expertise is required to identify the exact species of cactus that would allow a significant narrowing of the victim’s area of residence.
That the pollen ended up on the girl’s body at the time of the murder is evidenced by its location. The biological material was found under the victim’s T-shirt, which she could not have removed voluntarily due to the insufficiently warm weather. On the woman’s body, under her clothes, the pollen could only have fallen under extraordinary circumstances, such as physical abuse or strangulation, for example. Experts have not sufficiently analyzed the location of the pollen and the conclusions drawn therefrom.
The Analysis of Grass
The weed found in the victim’s hair is of the Bluebunch Wheatgrass species. Its distribution range is quite wide, hence, when saying that this species grows in the southern territories of the region, the expert made an inaccuracy. This species are located in grasslands in both southern and western coastal areas, where there is a mild and favorable climate (James et al., 2021). Thus, the type of grass cannot be unequivocal evidence of the victim being in one of the two presumed regions. Nevertheless, the nature of the particles of this plant may provide information as to whether the grass was placed on the victim’s head on purpose or ended up in the hair during strangulation by natural means (Cabula, 2020). The grass may have been attached to the hair at the time of the murder in its entirety, along with the root part. If there are elements of grass that were torn off among the materials recovered, then it must have been placed on purpose. Although more expertise is needed on the type of cactus and the grass materials found in the hair, it can be concluded from the pollen materials that the victim was killed in the Southern region.
References
Britton, N. L., & Rose, J. N. (2018). The Cactaceae: Descriptions And Illustrations Of Plants Of The Cactus Family. Sagwan Press.
Cabula, I. (2020). Criminology and Criminal Profiling for beginners: (crime scene forensics, serial killers and sects) (Criminology, Criminal Profiling, Serial Killers). Independently published.
Gardner, R. M., & Krouskup, D. (2021). Practical Crime Scene Processing and Investigation, Third Edition (Practical Aspects of Criminal and Forensic Investigations) (3rd ed.). CRC Press.
James, L. F., Evans, J. O., Ralphs, M. H., Child, D. R., & Wierenga, T. L. (2021). Noxious Range Weeds. CRC Pr I Llc.
Hebda, R. J. (2007). British Columbia Vegetation and Climate History with Focus on 6 ka BP. Géographie Physique et Quaternaire, 49(1), 55–79. Web.
Kendrew, W. G. (2022). The climate of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. E. Cloutier, Queen’s printer.
Rehfeldt, G. E. (2018). Adaptive Variation in Pinus Ponderosa From Intermountain Regions: II. Middle Columbia River System (Classic Reprint). Forgotten Books.
Varner, C. (2021). The Flora and Fauna of Coastal British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest: Second Edition. Heritage House.