Forensic Palynology As Classroom Inquiry

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Science Activities, 51:116–128, 2014 Copyright Ó Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0036-8121 print / 1940-1302 online DOI: 10.1080/00368121.2014.931270

Forensic Palynology as Classroom Inquiry

Steven L. Babcock ABSTRACT This activity introduces the science of forensic palynology: the use and Sophie Warny of microscopic pollen and spores (also called palynomorphs) to solve criminal Louisiana State University, Baton cases. Plants produce large amounts of pollen or spores during reproductive Rouge, LA cycles. Because of their chemical resistance, small size, and morphology, pollen and spores can be used to link individuals or objects to speciﬁc locations where the parent plants grow. Students will use a digital pollen database and Google Earth to link pollen trace evidence to a speciﬁc crime scene. The methods

1 presented are based on those used in criminal cases and palynological 0 2 r techniques used by forensic scientists. Step-by-step instructions for a hands-on e b

m investigation and a case simulation are presented. e t p e

S forensics, palynology, pollen, spores

KEYWORDS 2 1

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. INTRODUCTION 9 3 .

0 Forensic science in the classroom provides a high-interest setting for student 3 1 [

inquiry. Forensics has roots in many areas of the traditional high school curricu- y b lum, including math, biology, chemistry, physics, and Earth science. Forensic d e fi d scientists apply principles learned in these elds to explore legal issues. The goal a o l of any forensic investigation is to use scientific methodology to find links n w

o between people, places, and things. Palynology is the study of organic-walled D microfossils. Two of the most abundant of these microfossils are pollen and spores. Forensic palynology uses “trace” evidence in the form of tiny grains of pollen and spores in legal cases (Warny 2013). Published case histories of forensic palynology demonstrate its use in crimes such as rape, homicide, genocide, terrorism, drug dealing, robbery, and others (Milne, Bryant, and Mildenhall 2004). Despite the successes of forensic palynology and its suitability for use in the United States owing to the country’s great regional plant diversity and well- documented pollen studies, there has been limited application of the technique in the United States. It has been suggested that this underutilization is due to Address correspondence to Steven L. Babcock, Louisiana State University, the lack of available information about forensic palynology (Bryant and Jones LSU Laboratory School, 45 Dalrymple 2006). Case in point, many popular high school–level texts in forensics science Drive, Science Department, Baton do not even mention pollen. This is unfortunate because forensic palynology is Rouge, LA 70803, USA. E-mail: [email protected] an ideal match with the STEM classroom, drawing together diverse disciplines from geography, computer science, biology, and mathematics. Moreover, pol- Color versions of one or more of the “ ” ﬁgures in the article can be found len is right under our noses and fairly easy to study with conventional light online at www.tandfonline.com/vsca. microscopy.

116 This activity was piloted with 11th and 12th grade Pollen’s usefulness for reconstructing Earth’s past and environmental science students in a diverse urban high its use in forensic investigations arise from its unique school setting as an extension of a unit on ecology. Stu- characteristics. First of all, pollen is small and produced dents were very excited to attempt a forensics investiga- in great numbers. This means pollen can be picked up tion and expressed surprise that it was being offered in by clothing, tools, or other items associated with a an environmental science class. Students worked in crime and transported without a suspect’s knowledge or two-person investigation teams to develop a theory of ability to eliminate it. Because of its role in reproduc- the crime and to create a presentation of their findings. tion, pollen grains have evolved to protect the plant’s The activity incorporates key parts of the Next male gametes until fertilization. As a consequence, a Generation Science Standards (NGSS), including the pollen grain has highly chemically resistant organic following scientific and engineering practices: asking outer wall called the exine that protects it from destruc- questions, developing and using models, planning and tion. These outer walls have morphologies unique to carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting the plant’s genus, even species, and can be identified by data, using mathematics and computational thinking, experienced palynologists (Figure 1). For example, constructing explanations, engaging in argument from many gymnosperms (e.g., conifers) produce pollen with evidence, and obtaining, evaluating, and communicat- bilateral air bladders that help during airborne transport ing information. Several NGSS crosscutting concepts of the pollen. Some pollen produced by angiosperms

ﬂ 4 are also implicit in this activity: understanding how ( owering plants) has characteristic hook-like structures 1 0

2 patterns of forms and events guide organization and on the exine wall that allows it to become attached to r e classiﬁcation, explaining causal relationships and the legs of insect pollinators. Finally, just as each geo- b m

e mechanisms, recognizing how changes in scale, propor- graphic location has its own ecosystem and unique veg- t p ﬁ ﬁ e tion, or quantity affect outcomes, de ning system etation assembly, it also has a unique pollen pro le S

2 boundaries, and making models. Additionally, the (Adams-Groom 2012). These proﬁles, or “ﬁngerprints,” 1

8 lesson is divided into the corresponding parts of the are typically arranged as percent distributions of the 3 : 1

1 5E lesson plan model (Bybee 1997). major genera or species of plants represented at a site. t a ﬁ Studying pollen ngerprints found on objects allows ] 0 3

. palynologists to infer where the objects have been. 7

4 ﬁ . Pollen pro les for many locations in the United 9

3 BACKGROUND . States can be easily accessed online. 0 3

1 While most people think of pollen only in terms The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- [ y

b of hay-fever allergies and human health, its story is tion’s (NOAA’s) National Climatic Data Center has d e really much more interesting. The term palynomorph archived data of pollen found in lake surface sediments d a o includes both pollen and the spores of ferns or bryo- in many parts of the United States. These data include l n

w phytes, as well as other organic-walled microfossils pollen counts along with geospatial coordinates and o

D such as dinoflagellates and acritarchs. Forensic palynol- other related information. The database can also be ogy deals mainly with the pollen and spores. In cone- searched geographically by viewing its content in Google and flower-producing plants, pollen carries the male Earth maps. Surface pollen data (indicating current sex cell from one plant to another of its same species. conditions) can be downloaded and processed using Pollination is the precursor to fertilization and ensures spreadsheet programs to create graphical representa- gene flow among plants. Recent scientific studies of tions of pollen profiles. Typically, students of foren- pollen have resulted in major breakthroughs in our sic palynology will be interested in “P15” data that understanding of Earth’s vegetation history. For exam- show the top 15 most common pollen genera recov- ple, using fossilized palynomorphs recovered from sed- ered at a location represented as a percent distribu- iment cores off the coast of Antarctica, geologists have tion of abundance. These percent distributions, in been able to reconstruct the continent’s climate mil- turn, can be shown in a graphical format such as a lions of years ago (Warny et al. 2009). Similarly, surface pie chart to create a visual impression of a location’s pollen has been used in a variety of criminal investiga- pollen fingerprint (Figure 2). tions ranging from drug trafficking to war crimes Adams-Groom (2012) describes how palynological (Milne, Bryant, and Mildenhall 2004). analysis can be used in a variety of types of

117 Forensic Palynology FIGURE 1 “Every contact leaves a trace.” —Edmond Locard. Forensic palynologists collect and identify pollen and spores from a vari-

4 ety of sources. The palynomorphs can be organized into a palynological spectrum or ﬁngerprint that correlates to a speciﬁc site. 100 1 £ 0 pollen photomicrographs (top to bottom) show Abies balsamea, Pinus banksiana, and Quercus alba. Photomicrographs of specimens 2

r from the LSU CENEX pollen collection taken by S. Babcock. e b m e t p e investigation: relating a suspect or item to a crime scene presents a simulation based on actual events wherein S

2 or victim, estimating the seasonality of time of death or pollen was used in a forensic investigation in the 1

8 exposure, narrowing search areas for graves or victims, United States. Interested teachers can access a media 3 : 1

1 and tracing items to geographic source. This activity account of this case online at http://usatoday30. t a

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FIGURE 2 A pollen ﬁngerprint. The table at the left shows a raw count distribution of pollen genera collected in a sample. The chart at the right shows the percent distribution of organic matter other than the 5–150-mm fraction that includes pollen. Tables and charts like these can be used to establish a link between two people, items, or places.

S. L. Babcock and S. Warny 118 usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-12-02-bodies-found_x. students the opportunity to observe some features of htm. In the activity, students will first review limited fic- pollen morphology. Students can also view a short tionalized circumstantial evidence, including a transcript introduction to pollen and forensic palynology by of a police interview, a credit card billing statement, and viewing Jonathan Drori’s TED talk available on a “fingerprint” of pollen found on items in the suspect’s YouTube. An introductory PowerPoint presentation possession. Students will use these materials in conjunc- by Francesca Beer is also available at Slide Share: tion with data from NOAA’s fossil and surface pollen http://www.slideshare.net/fbeer1/forensic-palynology- records to develop a theory of the suspect’s activities, 12819754 narrow the potential search area, and guide investigators to a proposed crime scene. Part 2: Exploration—Creating Routes Using Google Earth TOOLS AND MATERIALS Students should review the Truth or Consequences Case Synopsis (Appendix A) and Credit Card State- Google Earth ment (Appendix B). Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet program Class discussion should explore how these two sam- Pollen database P15 files (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ ples can be used in conjunction with Google Earth to data-access/paleoclimatology-data/datasets/pollen) 4

1 determine a route followed by the suspect. If students

0 Light microscopes (40 –100 ) 2 £ £ are unfamiliar with the tool, teachers may want to r

e Transparent adhesive tape b review a few key functions of Google Earth. For exam- m Slides e t ple, many students will have seen television programs p Fabric swatches e S that depict investigators placing pushpins on a map to – 2 3 4 Lilies (Lilium stargazer) or other pollen-bearing

1 ﬂ geo-locate a suspect’s activities. This can be done with 8 owers 3

: Google Earth by selecting the “Add placemark” icon 1 1

t from the tool bar. Once students have placed pushpins a

] in the map for each location related to a credit card 0 SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS 3 .

7 purchase, they can turn on the “Roads” and “Borders 4 . Part 1 of this lesson utilizes a small amount of “live” 9 and labels” in the layers menu to the left of the 3 .

0 pollen from lilies. Teachers may want to consider mini- window. By unchecking all other layers, students can 3 1

[ mizing exposure to pollen in the case of student aller- easily identify major highways and cities that match up y b gies. This can be done by preparing the pollen slides in with the pushpins. Finally, by selecting the “Add path” d e advance and by using photographs to illustrate the d icon from the top menu, students will be able to draw a

o ﬂ l reproductive parts of owers. a route on the map window (Figure 3). The location n w

o pins and the route will appear each time the user D returns to Google Earth, thereby saving work if the PROCEDURE investigation is interrupted and must be completed at a Part 1: Engagement—How Pollen Can later time. Be Used as Trace Evidence? To introduce the use of pollen trace evidence, teach- Part 3: Exploration—Comparing ers may obtain flowers such as lilies (Lilium sp.) that Pollen “Fingerprints” from the produce large pollen grains. Teachers should ensure Proposed Route with Recovered that the flowers used have intact stamens since many florists remove the “messy” pollen prior to retail sale. Physical Evidence Prior to student investigations, pollen should be dusted Distribute Pollen Analysis Lab Results (Appendix C) on an article of clothing or other artifact. Students can to students. Have students determine the percent distri- perform “tape lifts” of pollen by using ordinary trans- bution of pollen genera and fill it in on the results parent adhesive tape. Small pieces of the tape placed sheet. Explain to students that these data represent a on slides for light microscope examination will give count obtained from the shovel found in the suspect’s

119 Forensic Palynology

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8 FIGURE 3 Students using credit card records to establish suspect’s route on Google Earth. 3 : 1 1 t a vehicle. Class discussion should include why palynolo- the icons will open a window on the map page giving ] 0 3

. gists often use percent distribution rather than raw the record name, investigator, and coordinates. The 7 4

. count. Have students enter the genera and the percent window also contains a hyperlink labeled “Access 9 3 . distributions into an Excel spreadsheet and create a pie data”; by selecting the hyperlink, a new Google Earth 0

3 ﬁ 1 chart graphic of the distribution. Explain that this “ n- window will open that gives expanded metadata for the [ y

b gerprint” will be compared to additional charts stu- record. In the upper right, students should select d e dents create using data from pollen samples taken from “Open in Safari.” d a o around the country. Although the window will look the same, students l n 15

w Direct students to the NOAA “Fossil & Surface will now be able to open the “P txt” data from the o 15 D Pollen Data” page: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data- download data fields. Once the P data is opened, access/paleoclimatology-data/datasets/pollen teachers will need to take a few minutes to explain how Under the section entitled “Obtaining Data at the to read the records. Following the metadata (data about World Data Center,” students should select “Search the pollen record such as investigator, location, age Datasets: Google Earth Map.” This selection will open range, etc.) section at the top is a list of the 15 most com- a Google Earth window that shows yellow pushpin mon pollen types found at this location. Below this is a icons at each location with a pollen record like those series of numbers in rows. The first two numbers at the used to locate the suspect’s credit card purchases in extreme left represent the depth of sample and the age. Part 2. If students have created paths on Google Earth In this investigation, students want the most recent pol- as suggested in Part 2, the path will also appear in this len “fingerprint,” so they will always use the top entry window. regardless of age or depth. The indented row below this Ask students how they can develop a theory of the shows the percent of each type of pollen. The first crime by examining pollen records from sites adjacent record in the indented row corresponds to the first to the route. (Students may need to be reminded of the genus listed in the column at the top. The second record evidence obtained from the shovel.) Double-clicking is for the second genus and so on.

S. L. Babcock and S. Warny 120

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8 FIGURE 4 Students creating pie charts for side-by-side analysis of two pollen ﬁngerprints: One from trace evidence and one from a 3 :

1 similar record found in the pollen database. 1 t a

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4 ﬁ . When students nd records that do not include the see if they can match the suspect’s description of the 9 3 . same plant genera, they know they can move on. burial scene with images of the proposed location. Stu- 0

3 ﬁ 1 When there is a similar list of plants (order may vary) dents can save les of any images, screenshots, or charts [

y ﬁ b they can transfer the data to a spreadsheet as they did of pollen ngerprints they have created to use in a short d e in Part 3. Teachers may want to instruct students to list presentation of their “theory” of the crime and their d a ﬁ o the species in the same order on new spreadsheets they identi cation of potential search sites. Students should l n

w create as they did in the original evidence spreadsheet be prepared to defend their theory of the crime with evi- o

D made in Part 3. Doing so will result in pie charts that dence and to evaluate claims developed by other investi- assign the same colors and order to species as the gators. Teachers may want to give additional guidance original chart and make comparison much simpler. on presentation criteria but should avoid “over-manag- Students should be able to then compare potential ing” the final products of the students. matches with the pollen fingerprint taken from the shovel (Figure 4). TEACHING NOTES Using Google Earth to Analyze Data Part 4: Explanation and Evaluation— Almost all students had limited prior experience Presenting a Theory of the Case with Google Earth, but few reported having used any Students should review the interrogation transcript of the tools or layers included in the application. (Appendix D) once they have identified a region whose The most common experiences were zooming-in on pollen signature is similar to the evidence. Students may familiar locations such as homes and entering the want to use the “Street View” mode of Google Earth to “Street View” mode. Pretests showed that none of the

121 Forensic Palynology students had a clear idea of how pollen could be related flight. Class discussion was centered on the certainty of to specific locations or its potential use for vegetation the route. Students correctly recognized that the route reconstruction or forensic investigations. could vary from what they proposed, but only by a After a brief introduction to Google Earth and small amount given the assumption that all transac- the materials included in the investigation packet, tions were actually recorded in the credit card state- students used the credit card transactions handout ment. Several students linked these observations to to infer the suspect’s route. Students needed earlier lessons about accuracy and precision. Although reminders to initially uncheck all layers in Google students had no way to calculate certainty, this activity Earth except the “Roads” and “Borders and Labels” reinforced an important aspect of the nature of science: during the routing process. It was found that if too Science is tentative and always open to new data and many layers were open, the map window would be observations. cluttered with icons and make the saved maps diffi- Students were readily able to add the surface pollen cult to understand. data pushpins to their maps but needed help decoding the format of the “P15” records of surface pollen. Help was provided by displaying a sample record and point- fi Class Discussion: Inference, Accuracy, ing out its key features. Students quickly identi ed which records of pollen were close enough to the pro-

and Precision

4 posed route to warrant investigation. Students were 1 0

2 Many groups needed to be reminded to place an reminded that they did not need to examine all records r e icon on the map at the point of the suspect’s arrest, adjacent to the route and to direct their attention b m

e instead of only at credit card locations. Most student to only those after the suspect stopped at the hardware t p e groups chose to overlay their route on the interstate store (presumably to purchase the shovel). Since pollen S

2 highway system based on the speed of the suspect’s records east of the 100th meridian have a very different 1

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FIGURE 5 A student presents his ﬁngerprint match and explains his theory of the case.

S. L. Babcock and S. Warny 122 distribution of species than the sample taken from the from the transcript, such as the first appearance of suspect’s belongings, the search was quickly narrowed trees, big hills, and the pull-off area on Highway 61. to western states. These were included in the presentations along with area maps. Overall, students were able to reduce a national search area to one a few kilometers long on NOAA Data Access a specific highway in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains! Occasionally, students encountered problems access- ing particular pollen records from the NOAA database. In those cases, the Web site routed students to a CONCLUSION password-protected file transfer protocol (ftp) URL. When the NOAA database query server “hurricane” is Forensic science is appealing to students because of down for some reason, it may be impossible to reach files its prominence in popular media. This provides a using the “Access Data” link in the window. All of the means of generating excitement about inquiry in the p15 files, however, are also stored and can be accessed on classroom. Forensic palynology and forensic ecology in an FTP server here: ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/ general can harness this excitement and focus student paleo/pollen/asciifiles/fossil/p15files/gpd/ The relevant attention on subtle aspects of ecosystems such as the file name (shown in parentheses alongside the pollen role of pollen and spores in plant propagation, the

4 global distribution of biomes, and plant succession. 1 icons on Google Earth) should be added at the end of 0

2 This activity provides a way for students to engage in

r the URL followed by the extension “_index.txt.” This e b will allow students to view the ﬁles of interest. If your key science practices while gaining insight into cross- m e cutting concepts such as patterns, similarity, and diver- t browser is not set to automatically pass default user- p e sity. Forensic palynology can also lay the groundwork S

name/password, they are “anonymous” and the user’s 2

1 for exploring disciplinary core ideas ranging from Earth e-mail address. If the FTP address does not work (some 8

3 and space science to life science. For example, students : institutions block FTP access via browser or ﬁrewall 1 1

in this class transitioned from this activity to designing t settings, because FTP passwords are not encrypted), the a

] investigations that used temporal rather than spatial

0 alternate www address is http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/ 3 . pollen distributions to test hypotheses about plant suc- 7 pub/data/paleo/pollen/asciifiles/fossil/p15files/gpd/. 4 . cession following the retreat of the North American Ice 9 Again, the URL must be followed by the file name and 3 .

0 Sheet at the end of the last glacial maximum. A recent

3 the “_index.txt” extension. Most students quickly 1

[ paper also outlines how students can make graphical resolved the issue by changing the Web address format y b

representations of past vegetation assemblies using

d in their browser from ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov . . . to http. e pollen data (Steele and Warny 2013). Finally, students d

a www1.noaa.gov. . . . (Figure 5). o l improved their ability to use geo-spatial tools to aid in n w both analysis and presentation of results. o D Narrowing the Search All groups successfully identiﬁed the sample pol- FUNDING len distribution as most closely matching the surface pollen record from Como Lake, Colorado. Students This manuscript is the result of collaboration were able to show this match by creating pie charts between Dr. Sophie Warny and Steven Babcock to of the two distributions. This effectively reduced the develop educational and outreach materials related search region to roads southeast of Como Lake. to palynology and funded by NSF CAREER grant ’ Students needed to be reminded at this point to #1048343 to Dr. Sophie Warny in LSU s Department carefully review the interrogation transcript for fur- of Geology and Geophysics. ther clues that could reduce the search area even fur- ther. Some groups developed a map with the search REFERENCES area circled by using the “Add Path” as a drawing Adams-Groom, B. 2012. Forensic palynology. In Forensic ecology hand- tool. Most groups used the “Street View” mode to book. From crime scene to court, ed. N. Marquez-Grant and J. take snapshots of locales that matched information Roberts, 153–167. Chichester, UK: John Wiley.

123 Forensic Palynology Bryant, V. M., and G. D. Jones. 2006. Forensic palynology: Current status Steele, A., and S. Warny 2013. Reconstructing Earth’s past cli- of a rarely used technique in the United States of America. Forensic mates: The hidden secrets of pollen. Science Activities 50: Science International 163: 183–197. 62–71. Bybee, R. W. 1997. Achieving scientiﬁc literacy. Portsmouth, NH: Warny, S. 2013. Museums’ role: Pollen and forensic science. Science Heinemann. 339: 1149. Milne, L. A., V. M. Bryant, and D. C. Mildenhall. 2004. Forensic palynology. In Warny, S., R. A. Askin, M. J. Hannah, B. A. R. Mohr, J. I. Forensic botany: Principles and applications to criminal casework, ed. H. Raine, D. M. Harwood, and F. Florindo 2009. Palyno- M. Coyle, 217–252. Boca Raton: CRC Press. morphs from a sediment core reveal a sudden remarkably NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For states, warm Antarctica during the middle Miocene. Geology 37: by states. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. 955–958.

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S. L. Babcock and S. Warny 124 APPENDIX A: TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES CASE SYNOPSIS (STUDENT HANDOUT) On the evening of Friday June 21, 2013, Maria Garvitz called the Pittsburgh, PA, Police Department to report that her estranged husband Lenny Garvitz had abducted their young son. Ms. Garvitz reported that they had been fighting about how she was raising the boy. She told investigators that she had reason to believe he was taking the boy to California. She also reported that Mr. Garvitz was violent and unstable due to his addiction to several drugs and alcohol. A national alert was activated in the search for Garvitz and the boy. Following a traffic stop on the morning of June 24, 2013, in Truth or Consequences, NM, Garvitz was arrested by New Mexico State Police. The boy was not with Garvitz at the time of his arrest. During questioning Garvitz indi- cated that his son had been killed in an accident and buried at some point during his flight from the Pittsburgh area. Garvitz was unable or unwilling to shed light on the location of the child’s body (see “Interrogation Transcript”). Forensic evidence was collected from the trunk of Garvitz’s vehicle including blood, soil and pollen. The soil and pollen were recovered and processed by forensic investigators. Over half a dozen types of pollen were recovered from the shovel found in Garvitz’s trunk (see appendix item 2: “Pollen Analysis”). Investigators obtained a subpoena for Garvitz’s credit card activity between June 21, 2013 and June 24, 2013 (see appendix item 3: “Credit Card Statement). Unfortunately, Garvitz committed suicide in his cell in Truth or Consequences before giving any other

1 information that could help resolve his son’s disappearance. 0 2

r Your task in this investigation is to use the limited information at your disposal to assist volunteers in pin- e b pointing search sites for the child’s remains. To develop your theory about Garvitz’s actions between the 21st m e t and the 24th, you have several tools at your disposal: p e S

2 1 1. Google Earth or other maps can be used along with the credit card information to infer Garvitz’s route. Be sure to 8 3 :

1 save screen shots of your maps for you report. 1 t 2. NOAA’s National Climate Data Center maintains the Fossil and Surface Pollen Database that will allow you to a

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0 compare the% abundance of the pollen material recovered from the suspect’s car to those found along his route: 3 .

7 http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data/datasets/pollen. Remember to always use the 4 . 15 9 “ ” 3 P data as it will give you the percent distribution of the 15 most common types of pollen for each site. This . 0

3 format will allow you to compare potential sites to the pollen recovered from the suspect’s shovel. By quickly 1 [ looking for sites that have a plant list matching the shovel you can toss out most of the pollen records. Once you y b

d locate a site with a plant match, put the% distributions of both the shovel pollen and the site in a pie chart format e d ﬁ a to see if you have a “pollen ngerprint” match. You should save these graphs and tables for your report. o l ﬁ n 3. Once the search area is restricted to a speci c region, Google Earth Street View mode can be used in con- w o junction with the interrogation transcript to pinpoint a search site. D

When you have identiﬁed a potential search site prepare a short illustrated outline or Power Point of your methodology and ﬁndings for the search volunteers.

125 Forensic Palynology APPENDIX B: CREDIT CARD STATEMENT (STUDENT HANDOUT)

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S. L. Babcock and S. Warny 126 APPENDIX C: INTERROGATION TRANSCRIPT EXCERPT (STUDENT HANDOUT)

Ofﬁcer BA: What happened after you fought with your wife?

Garvitz: You know what happened. I already told you. I didn’t mean for it to happen, she was trying to take my kid from me.

BA: Is that when you decided to kill him?

Garvitz: I told you it was an accident! He tried to jump out of the car! I loved him more than anything.

BA: So you drove to a hardware store and bought a shovel and hid the body.

Garvitz: I told you. . . I panicked and I knew she would blame me. She knew I was using again.

BA: Listen, you need to tell us where he is buried.

Garvitz: I told you all I remember is that it was on road 61 or 160. 4 1 0 2 r ’ e BA: That s not much help. When did you bury him? b m e t p Garvitz: I don’t know. After I bought the shovel and stuff. I mean I drove around with him in the car. It was an acci- e S dent. I swear it was an accident. 2 1

8 3 :

1 BA: What else do you remember? 1 t a

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0 Garvitz: There was a big hill. I was trying to get off the interstate and got lost. It was night but I remember all of a 3 . 7

4 sudden there were these trees and it was cool. It was dark. . 9 3 . 0

3 BA: What else? Tell me more about the spot where you stopped. 1 [ y b

d Garvitz: It was at the bottom of a hill. I remember because I pulled over in a special lane. They had big trucks com- e d a ing up slow and loud. o l n w o BA: Did they see you? D

Garvitz: No, I was pulled over in a lane for putting on tire chains. I was on the other side of a guardrail. I put him there in the tarp behind the trees. You have to believe me, it was an accident! I swear that’s all I can remember.

127 Forensic Palynology APPENDIX D: POLLEN ANALYSIS LAB RESULTS (STUDENT HANDOUT)

Sample ID: LG 001 Date: 8/15/13

Technician: SB

Light Microscope Raw Counts: Calculate the % distribuon prior to construcng your graph. You can create your graphs manually or using a spreadsheet program. Genus # % Notes: Abies 17 Sample was Populus 3 processed to Poaceae 16 remove silica Ranunculus 2 and other soil Artemisia 44 components,

4 organic maer

1 Cyperaceae 5 0 2

(other than that r Ambrosia 4 e b between 5-150 m Pinus 99 e t

p microns) and e Quercus 2 S debris. Counng 2

1 Picea 39

8 was halted 3

: Amaranthaceae 48 1

1 when a total of t Salix 1 a

] 300 grains were 0 Cupressaceae 3 3 .

7 idenﬁed. 4

. Asteraceae 7 9 3 .

0 Other tree 5 3 1 [

Other shrub 5 y b

d Total 300 e d a o l n w o D

S. L. Babcock and S. Warny 128