Forensic Entomology

Forensic Science and Insects

            Today, I was struggling to find a forensic topic to blog about but finally I found this one very intriguing and it is called Forensic entomology. According to my online source: "entomology is the study of insects and their life cycles" (Lerner and Wilmoth 1). So with the help of insects, the forensic scientists can estimate, not completely accurate, but approximate the time frame of when a victim has been killed. The insects can also shed light upon the nature of injuries, whether it has been post-mortem ante-mortem. Forensic scientists can also determine if the body was moved and if drugs were involved (Lerner and Wilmoth 1). The blog today will not factor in exposure of any weather.

Timeline of Corpses

            When a corpse is discovered and the police and crime scene investigators are called in, the forensic scientists must determine the time of death or give an estimate. Some key indicators of the time of death are the types of insects on the corpse. Lerner and Wilmoth describe the process by:

A newly deceased corpse attracts flies. Within minutes of a death, blowflies will start to lay their eggs in moist areas such as the nose, mouth, armpit, groin, or open wounds. The eggs hatch into larvae or maggots within 24 hours and these grow to around half an inch in length after about three days. Then, over the next six to ten days, they will develop into pupae with a hard outer case. Adult flies emerge about twelve days after this. If the corpse is not recovered by this time, the life cycle repeats itself so that flies at all different stages of development may be recovered from the corpse (1).

The insects aren't completely accurate but the insect's life cycle can be seen described as a kind of clock (Lerner and Wilmoth 1). If eggs are discovered on the corpse, it suggests that the victim died within 24 hours. Lerner and Wilmoth state:

The presence of maggots indicates the death occurred less than ten days ago. Pupae and mature flies will suggest a time of death one to three weeks before discovery of the corpse. However, the life cycle of flies is not an accurate clock. Flies are cold-blooded and their activities are dictated by the weather. Maggots may become dormant if it is cold and flies do not lay eggs at night. If someone is killed at midnight, flies will not appear till daylight, which means time must be added to the estimated time of death (1).

With the growing insects on the corpses, forensic scientists have discovered a pattern to discoverer and better estimate the times of death of each victim.

Conclusion

            Insects bring another type of forensics to the police force and help determine time of death and location of death with analysis on the types of insects. The insects on the body can determine whether the body was moved. Sometimes insects on the body are not native to the area which portray a move in location. With the addition of forensic entomology, it makes it easier for the police force to fight crime and bring justice to the ones who wrong others.

Works Cited

"Entomology." World of Forensic Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Science In Context. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.