NCJ Number
206226
Journal
Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: 2004 Pages: 19-21
Date Published
2004
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This case study shows how inaccuracies can occur in estimating time of death from insect patterns on the corpse when the forensic entomologists do not have accurate information about all the circumstances at the crime scene at the time the body was found.
Abstract
In the case profiled in this article, a man was found shot to death on the edge of a forest. The investigators who collected evidence at the crime scene stored collected larvae from the body in 70 percent alcohol solution, so no further development under laboratory conditions could be observed; however, the determination of the oldest organisms as second instar larvae of Calliphora vomitoria Linne was achieved by PCR-RFLP identification. Using data from the local weather station, a postmortem interval (PMI) of 5 days was calculated, overlapping with an interval when the deceased had been seen alive. This occasioned further investigation, which determined that the body was originally found with a leather jacket over his head, which contributed to a higher environmental temperature for the development of the maggots. The PMI calculation was then revised to 4 days, which was in accordance with findings from the police investigation. The implications of this case are that a forensic entomologist should be present at the initial investigation of the crime scene; or if this is not possible, investigators should be trained to document all crime-scene conditions that may have a bearing on the calculations of the forensic entomologist. 1 figure, 1 table, and 10 references