Forensics Europe Expo - Conference programme

An eye-opening look at how plant science can provide powerful intelligence in criminal investigations. Using anonymised real-world casework, this session reveals how pollen, seeds, soil flora and vegetation patterns can link suspects to locations, establish timelines, and provide significant evidence in court.

Crucially, this session shows how the presence of a forensic botanist, alongside other experts like forensic archaeologists, at the scene of crime can actively guide detectives and crime scene managers in real time. By reading the botanical history of an area - growth cycles, disturbance patterns, root structures, and the age of foliage - a botanist can identify where ground has been recently disturbed, where a body may have been concealed, or where evidence is most likely to be located.

The result is a more focused, scientifically directed investigation: reducing unnecessary excavation, cutting search time, lowering costs, and improving evidential yield.

Listen to the podcast with Pete Wakefield (The Firefighters Podcast) and Dr Mark Spencer (The Botany Consultancy) for a first look at how nature can reveal hidden evidence. And join Dr Spencer at Forensics Europe Expo this July at Olympia, London to see how this translates into real investigative practice.