Police Used Blood From Dead Mosquito Found In Stolen Car To Identify Suspect

Take the Italian cops, for example, who once used a chopped-off finger they found at a crime scene to track down a fugitive. 

But the Finnish police took creativity up a notch by using a dead mosquito in their sleuthing.

This happened back in 2008. 

The Finnish police were checking out a stolen car that had been dumped in Lapua, Finland, when they stumbled upon the mosquito.

Finnish police were investigating a car theft. Credits: ANTTI AIMO-KOIVISTO/AFP via Getty Images

Spotting a mosquito in such a situation is already impressive since these insects are notoriously sneaky.

The police guessed the mosquito might have feasted on the blood of the person who nicked the car.

They sent the bug off to a lab, and sure enough, the blood in the mosquito matched someone in the police database.

However, the person linked to the DNA sample denied stealing the car when questioned.

They said they'd just caught a lift with some guy driving the car.

Whether the mosquito DNA was solid enough evidence for court was up to a judge to decide.

Police inspector Sakari Palomaeki commented on the unusual nature of the evidence, saying:

The blood inside the mosqutio was a DNA match to a man on the police database. Credits: Anton Petrus/Getty Stock

"It is not easy to find a small mosquito in a car. This just shows how thorough the crime scene investigation was. It is not usual to use mosquitoes," 

Adding a bit of humor: 

"In training we were not told to keep an eye on mosquitoes at crime scenes."

Years after this peculiar case, it's still a mystery whether the mosquito blood sample ended up being used in court or what the final verdict was.

It highlights how crucial it is to make sure the right person is caught. 

Getting it wrong can drastically affect someone's life and possibly lead to big legal troubles down the line.

The story of Clarence Moses-el is a stark reminder of what's at stake. 

He was wrongfully imprisoned for 25 years before being awarded $2 million for the mistake. 

After a retrial in 2016, where another man confessed to the crime, Moses-el was cleared of all charges. 

He told The Denver Post:

"This moment is a moment I've fought for for a long time. I just want to get home to my family, my grandchildren. It's wonderful, I waited a long time for this."