NCJ Number
204098
Journal
Canadian Society of Forensic Science Volume: 36 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2003 Pages: 207-210
Date Published
December 2003
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study examined the usefulness of forensic entomology in determining the post-mortem interval (PMI) of corpses in Sweden.
Abstract
While standardized forensic entomology techniques are widely used to specify PMI, the field remains in its infancy in Sweden. As such, during the summer of 1998, a forensic entomology project was carried out at the Unit of Forensic Medicine and the Department of Systematic Zoology at Uppsala University for the purpose of introducing forensic entomology to Sweden. Methods involved the collection of arthropods from corpses awaiting autopsy at the Unit of Forensic Medicine. The species of the arthropods were identified as blow flies and beetles. The developmental stages of the larvae and the literature records of their developmental times, as well as their estimated mean temperatures were used to determine the PMI’s of the corpses. The PMI’s estimated from the forensic entomology project corresponded to the PMI’s obtained from other data sources. Two case studies are presented that detail the forensic work involved with the entomology project. Limitations of the project include no access to the recovery sites and storage of the corpses in a refrigerator for several days, which affects the development time of insects. References