In 2009, Matthew von Konrat, a plant scientist at The Field Museum of Natural History received an intriguing phone call from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The officials suspected that four workers at Burr Oak Cemetery near Illinois had illegally exhumed old remains, dumped them elsewhere on the cemetery grounds, and sold the original burial plots. During their investigation, they found an unusual piece of evidence with the reburied bodies that they believed von Konrat could use to answer their questions.
Matthew von Konrat, a plant scientist, uses moss in forensic science. Here, he holds moss samples used to solve a grave robbery case.
© Field Museum
“Investigators found a moss sample that was probably the size of your thumbnail,” said von Konrat. The agents wanted to know what species of moss it was, “how did it get there, and how long it had been buried with the human remains.” As a huge fan of detective shows, von Konrat jumped at the opportunity to apply his expertise to help the investigation.
By closely examining the moss samples, von Konrat and his team established a timeline of when the reburials took place, offering crucial answers to solve the case.1 Since then, the researchers have also assisted law enforcement officials in other criminal investigations, highlighting the application and utility of botanical samples in forensic science.
Moss Sheds Light on Grave Robbing
When von Konrat agreed to help the FBI on the Burr Oak Cemetery case, his first goal was to determine the exact species of moss present. von Konrat and his team examined the samples under the microscope and compared them with preserved specimens from the herbarium at the Field Museum. This helped them identify the sample as the common pocket moss, Fissidens taxifolius.
When von Konrat and his team inspected the crime scene where the bodies had been reburied, they did not find plants of this species growing naturally. “We surveyed the cemetery, and the same species of moss was growing in an area [of] the cemetery where law enforcement suspected the bodies had been dug up from,” said von Konrat, validating that the moss appeared at the crime scene when the grave robbers reburied the exhumed bodies.
A packet of preserved moss used to solve the Burr Oak Cemetery case. The moss sample is now part of the Field Museum’s collections.
© Field Museum
Next, the researchers studied the biochemical properties of the moss sampled from the crime scene. They compared the growth and fluorescence emitted by chlorophyll molecules of the forensic sample and a historical herbarium sample. The results indicated that the moss had been moved to the crime scene within the last year, giving a clear timeframe within which the old remains had been reburied. “And that was critical because the accused, their whole line of defense was that this happened several years ago before their employment,” explained von Konrat.
This case from 2009 set the ball rolling for von Konrat to use plant evidence to aid other criminal investigations.
Moss in Other Criminal Investigations
In 2011, when Katherine “Baby Kate” Philips disappeared, the police suspected her father of murdering her. However, unable to either get a confession out of him or locate Baby Kate’s body, the investigation hit a snag.
The detectives turned to von Konrat and his team, who analyzed the moss stuck on the bottom of Baby Kate’s father’s shoes.2 By collaborating with other botanists who found flowering plants clinging onto the accused’s shoe, the researchers found some answers. “We went to the crime scene…and we were trying to find the same composition of plants because that narrowed down the search areas where the body might have been buried,” explained von Konrat.
von Konrat examined tiny bits of moss found with the reburied bodies at Burr Oak Cemetery in 2009 to help solve the case.
© Field Museum
Based on their plant analyses, there was only one area where Baby Kate could have been buried, shrinking the search from seven counties to 50 square feet. Though the police never recovered Baby Kate’s body, her father eventually confessed that he had buried her remains in an area that the researchers had narrowed down, helping the prosecution get a conviction.
Further highlighting moss as crucial forensic evidence, von Konrat and his team are working on an ongoing case by studying moss growing on a suitcase involved in a crime.
Using Moss to Solve Crimes: The Big Picture
In hindsight, von Konrat believes that one of the most interesting aspects of using his plant science expertise in forensic investigations has been the opportunity to work with law enforcement. “An exciting component was actually collaborating with a different team, different groups of people, the FBI, the sheriff's office, the state attorneys,” he said. “Because everyone has a different lens, and that was a unique experience.”
Going forward, von Konrat hopes that such cases will help highlight the importance of mosses in criminal investigations. Beyond forensics, “it's an opportunity to highlight and raise the profile of this overlooked but fascinating and important group of plants,” said von Konrat.
- von Konrat M, et al. Silent witness: A moss provides important evidence in solving a cemetery crime. Forensic Sci Res. 2026;10(4):owaf038.
- Merkel J, et al. Green clues: Unveiling the role of bryophytes in forensic science. Forensic Sci Res. 2025;10(3):owaf026.
