Assessment of Pollen Assemblages on Footwear for Evidence of Pollen Deriving from a Mock Crime Scene: a Contribution to Forensic Palynology

To provide evidence of a link between a crime scene and a suspect, pollen analysis is occasionally employed. However, experimental research linking pollen on footwear to a specific crime scene has been infrequently undertaken such that there are limited references to cite in court. In this blind study, the author had to determine, which of 12 pairs of footwear had walked on a mock scene by comparing their assemblages to those of two scene controls. An additional four control pairs of footwear that had not been worn on or near the scene were also analysed. The pollen data from the footwear was assessed and compared with the scene control samples for: number of taxa, key types, Czekanowski Coefficient and general assemblages. Results indicated that six of the pairs of footwear had walked on the scene and these were, indeed, the ones that actually had done so. The four control pairs were dissimilar in most aspects, particularly key types. This research demonstrates, with some limitations, that evidence of a match between footwear sample and location can be found, even when material from other habitats is present on an exhibit.