Editing Forensic palynology (section)

=== United States, 2015 ===
A modern application of forensic palynology occurred in 2015, in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. A body of a young female child was discovered by law enforcement in the Boston Harbour, but no identifying features remained as the body was in the late stages of decomposition. Investigators submitted samples taken from the clothes of the victim, a blanket found with the body, as well as a small amount of recovered hair to the [[U.S. Customs and Border Protection]] directorate laboratory in Houston, Texas, for pollen analysis. The report from the submitted samples provided investigators with information they could use to identify the unknown victim.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=Laurence |first1=Andrew R. |last2=Bryant |first2=Vaughn M. |date=2019-09-01 |title=Forensic palynology and the search for geolocation: Factors for analysis and the Baby Doe case |journal=Forensic Science International |language=en |volume=302 |pages=109903 |doi=10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.109903 |pmid=31400618 |s2cid=199527472 |issn=0379-0738|doi-access=free}}</ref>

The pollen assemblage created from the submitted samples indicated the victim was in the north-eastern United States before her death. The individual taxa of plant species observed in the assemblage also indicated that the victim lived in, or spent much of her time in, a developed, urban environment. The assemblage also captured pollen of the Lebanese cedar tree ([[Cedrus libani]]), native to the [[Eastern Mediterranean]] region of Europe. The species of cedar observed in the assemblage was thought by investigators to most likely be from an ornamental piece in a park or other conservation area. This is when the investigators discovered individuals of the Lebanese cedar tree in the [[Arnold Arboretum]], a public park that is a part of [[Harvard University]].<ref name=":02" />

Investigators then asked around the neighborhoods surrounding the arboretum, and a tip led them to a resident who, after questioning, admitted that her boyfriend at the time had abused the child, which resulted in the child's death. The man who murdered the child was sentenced to serve a minimum of 20 years for second degree murder. The mother's involvement in the crime is not reported, though she served 2 years probation for accessory after a plea deal for providing information about her then boyfriend who had committed the act.<ref name=":02" />