Use of fecal material to associate a suspect with a crime scene: report of two cases

Fecal matter analyses were applied to two cases: a homicide and a robbery. Scrapings of fecal matter removed from samples of clothing obtained from a homicide suspect were examined for their plant cell and cell fragment content and compared with fecal matter from a rape-homicide victim and scrapings from her clothing. Scrapings were hydrated and examined microscopically. Types of food plants were identified from the observed cells by comparison with known food plants. A similar analysis was conducted on the clothing of a robbery suspect and compared with fecal material left at the crime scene. The results showed that, respectively in the two cases, the reference samples were remarkably similar, if not identical, to those from the suspects' clothing.