#29 Murder in the Bloom: The Lindow Man II

Aiza Jamil
Jul 20
2 min read

Updated: Jul 23

Hello, and welcome back, folks, to another episode of STEM on the Streets! If you are new here, my name is Aiza, and this is my partner, CAI (crime AI). Together, we stroll through the criminal-ridden streets of STEM!

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Recap

The last time, we concluded on a bit of a cliffhanger: a man confessed to murder, had been taken into custody, and then everything transformed drastically. The corpse found in Lindow Moss? Not Reyn-Bardt, Malika. Not even a corpse from the present day. It didn't appear to be a recent body, and something felt off right away. What happened next would clarify why.

What Is a Bog Body?

Bogs are unusually small time machines. The mix of sphagnum moss, acidity, and inadequate air in places like Lindow Moss basically tans soft tissue into leathery preserved skin. Therefore, bodies just... remain rather than decay. Like a natural museum exhibit, hair, skin, and even the last meal are sealed in.

These are common throughout northern Europe, especially in Denmark, the UK, and Ireland, where remains from over two thousand years ago have been discovered. A lot of them involve strange burial customs or ritual killings. Creepy? Definitely. Interesting? Even more so.

Presenting Forensic Botany & Pollen Nerds

The experts enlisted the help of palynologists (AKA pollen detectives) and forensic botanists to figure out the true nature of Lindow Man. They actually utilised an electron microscope to look at the man's stomach and the soil around it. What did they discover? Sphagnum moss spores, fragments of broken barley or wheat, and pollen from mistletoe. All of those had a story to tell.

And then there's Reyn-Bardt.

This is the point where moral dilemmas arise. Regardless of this, Peter Reyn-Bardt was found guilty of killing his wife. In spite of the fact that the body wasn't hers, even though Malika was never located.

Although it was about the wrong body, his confession was sincere. The courts, however, weren't convinced of his innocence. That one confession sealed his doom in the absence of a body and concrete proof.

Justice? It's one of those odd cases where the truth was stranger than fiction. It's a bit of a grey area.

Without forensic botany, none of this would’ve been uncovered. Pollen and spores told a story no one expected.

Until next time!

This is Aiza Jamil signing out!

I am a forensics sleuth. What's your mystery to solve?