In the United Kingdom, this pollen expert botanist brought down a murderer with her science of nettles

SCIENCE – A story that could inspire the best detective series. British botanist Patricia Wiltshire told how she managed to solve the mystery of the murder of two 10-year-old girls, thanks to her knowledge of nettles. “Careful analysis of plants can provide valuable clues, even in situations as tragic as these.”underlined the botanist in an interview published this Sunday, June 30 by BBC Radio 4.

The case dates back to 2002, when the bodies of two schoolgirls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, were discovered in Soham, around twenty kilometers from Cambridge. The two corpses were placed in a ditch covered with nettles, at first glance impenetrable and devoid of any clue; the police then remained without answers on the identity of the murderer and the method used by him to leave the area without leaving a trace.

Thanks to her knowledge of plants, the scientist managed to unlock the investigation. Observing the ditch where the bodies had been left after the murder, she noticed that the nettles were very high: they were reaching “up to the chest”she recalls.

Yet in one particular spot, the stinging plants appeared to have regrown after being disturbed, as if by a human trampling them. By observing their altered growth, Wiltshire was able to estimate how long the girls’ bodies had been in the ditch.

Even stronger, she managed to identify the path taken by the murderer. Her estimate was quickly confirmed when she came across a hair of one of the two victims on her route. Thanks to these additional clues, the police were able to continue the investigation and identify the murderer. It was a caretaker from a neighboring school, different from the one attended by the two little girls. The latter was sentenced to life in prison.

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