WHAT IS FORENSIC

ENTOMOLOGY?
› Forensic science is one which uses scientific
methods and techniques to the
investigation of crime
› Entomology is the branch of zoology
concerned with the study of insects
› Ú

 
   
  


 
   
 
 

 
   
HISTORY
› Historically there have been several
accounts of vague applications that date
back to the 1300s
› Only in the last 30 years forensic
entomology has been systematically
explored as a feasible source for evidence in
criminal investigations.
› The scientists who laid the foundations for
today modern forensic entomology include
Õ

]Sung Tz'u (1235 AD) ʹ
Chinese ͞death investigator͟
]Wrote ë
 



]A murder by slashing
occurred in a village, and the local
death investigator was ordered to
solve the crime. The investigator
had all villagers bring their sickles
to one spot and lay them out
before the crowd. Flies were
attracted to one of the sickles,
probably because of invisible
remnants of tissue still remaining
on it, and the owner subsequently
broke down and confessed to the
crime.
Ú
Õ
]Italian physician disproved the
theory of spontaneous
generation or abiogenesis
]He proved that fully exposed
or partially exposed rotting
meat developed maggots while
unexposed did not develop
maggots
]He concluded that the
decomposers do not originate
from cadavers but are
introduced from the
surroundings
6

6 
› Conducted the first systematic
study in forensic entomology in
1881
› He exhumed many bodies and
demonstrated that the
development of many different
types of insect species could be
tied to buried bodies.
› Concluded that the development
of not all the insects living with
corpses underground were
associated with them, since
there were 15-year-old beetles
who had little direct contact with
them.
] French physician and was the
first to apply forensic
entomology to a case
] The first application forensic
entomology in an estimation
of post mortem interval
(PMI).
] His report used forensic
entomology as tool to prove
his hypothesis on how and
when the person had died
½EAN PIERRE MEGNIN
] Focused Western attention on the
forensic utility of entomology
] Described 8 stages of
decomposition and insects
associated with them.
] Made many great discoveries that
helped shed new light on many of
the general characteristics of
decaying flora and fauna
] An obstacle and an illumination to
the science
] Proved that continuum rather
than stages
FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY
SUBFIELDS

] URBAN FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY

] STORED-PRODUCT FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY

] MEDICO-LEGAL FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY

URBAN FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY
› Urban: pest
infestations in
buildings or gardens
that may be the basis
of litigation between
private parties and
service providers
STORED-PRODUCT FORENSIC
ENTOMOLOGY
› Stored-product: used
in litigation over
infestation or
contamination of
commercially
distributed foods by
insects
 MEDICO-LEGAL FORENSIC
ENTOMOLOGY
› Medico legal forensic entomology covers evidence that
may be gathered through arthropod studies at events
such as murder, suicide, rape, physical abuse and
contraband trafficking.

› It helps in determining
Post Mortem interval (PMI)
Time of Death
Toxic Substance
 Entomotoxicology

This particular branch involves the utilization of

entomological specimens found at a scene in order to
test for different drugs that may have possibly played a
role in the death of the victim
In some instances even insect feces or castings can
prove the presence of toxins or drugs.
Growth of some insects are inhibited by the toxic
substance present in the body.
Chemical analysis of larvae found on the dead body can
reveal the specific drug or poison available in the body
if the person died due to intake of such chemicals.
 EXAMPLE

An Ohio man claimed to have been in Ohio

on the date his wife and children were
murdered in California
But was found to have grasshoppers and
other nocturnal insects from the west on his
car grille, indicating that the car had been
driven at night to the western US.
And he was subsequently convicted.
INSECTS INVOLVED
› The insects listed here are mostly necrophagous
(corpse-eating) and are particularly relevant to
medicolegal entomological investigations.

› Forensic entomologists use their knowledge of  

and their  and 
 to give them clues
about a crimea

› Flies (order Diptera)

› Beetles (order Coleoptera)
› Mites (class Acari)
› Moths (order Lepidoptera)
› Wasps, Ants and Bees (order Hymenoptera)
Faunal Succession
› The order in which insects feed
on a corpse is known as faunal
succession or succession
waves.
› Insects arrive at the scene in a
predictable series of
progression.
› Used to determine time of
death.
› Can be affected by:
temperature, sun exposure,
location of body, as well as the
surrounding environment.
Faunal Succession Chart
FIRST WAVE: BLOWFLIES
› First to arrive at the
scene
› Member of the

 family
› Metallic in
appearance usually
blue, green, or black,
10-12 mm in length
› Ability to ͞smell͟
death from 10 miles
away
 !Ú!"#6ÕÕ
Blow flies are attracted to dead bodies and often arrive within minutes of the death of an
animal. They have a 
  life cycle that consists of , 
, , and  stages.

1st ʹ Adult flies lay  on the carcass especially at

wound areas or around the openings in the body such
as the nose, eyes, ears, anus, etc.

2nd ʹ Eggs hatch into 
 (maggots) in 12-24 hours.  

3rdʹ Larvae continue to grow and

 (shed their
exoskeletons) as they pass through the various instar
stages.
1st Instar - 5 mm long after 1.8 days
2nd Instar - 10 mm long after 2.5 days
3rd Instar ʹ 14-16 mm long after 4-5 days 
 § 
§ 

4th ʹ The larvae (17 mm) develop into pupa after 

burrowing in surrounding soil.
 § 

5th ʹ  flies emerge from pupa cases after 6-8 
days. §


 













 















Second Waves: Flesh Flies
› Part of the second wave.
› Member of the
Õ
  family.
› Breed in carrion, dung, or
decaying material.
› Some breed in open wounds
of mammals.
› Flesh-flies, being viviparous,
frequently give birth to live
young on corpses of human
and other animals, at any
stage of decomposition from
newly dead through to
bloated or decaying
› This wave is included of Blow-
flies
Third Wave: Dermestid Beetles
› Member of the
   
 family
› Common names include:
larder beetle, hide
beetle, carpet beetle,
and kharpa beetle
› Some species cause
millions of dollars worth
of damage to fibers
› Life cycle is about 45
days
Later Waves
› Mites (class acari) feed on › Various flies involved in later
corpses with p

 mites
common in the early stages of
decomposition, while
Tyroglyphidae and Oribatidae
mites such as Rostrozetes feed
on dry skin in the later stages of
decomposition.
› Predatory and parasitic insects
arrive to feed on the maggots
and beetle larvae.
› Eventually, as the corpse dies
hide beetles and clothes-moths
are found in the remains.
stages are
› House Flies ʹ Family Muscidae
› Cheese Flies ʹ Family Piophilidae
› Coffin Flies ʹ Family Phoridae
› Lesser Corpse Flies ʹ Family
Sphaeroceridae
› Lesser House Flies ʹ Family
Fanniidae
› Black scavenger flies ʹ Family
Sepsidae
› Sun Flies- Heleomyzidae
› Black soldier fly- Family
Stratiomyidae
 Cheese Fly House Fly

Mite

Carcass Beetle Black Scarab Beetle

 
*Moths (order lepidoptera)
*Moths feed on mammalian
hair during their larval stages
and may forage on any hair that
remains on a body.
*They are amongst the final
animals contributing to the
decomposition of a corpse
 
› Wasps, ants, and bees
(order hymenoptera) are
not necessarily
necrophagous.
› Bees and wasps have been
seen feeding on the body
during the early stages.
Bee
› This may cause problems
for murder cases in which
larval flies are used to Wasp
estimate the post mortem
interval since eggs and
larvae on the body may
have been consumed prior Ant
to the arrival on scene of
investigators
Forensic entomologists have been used in
several cases where parents have used
bees to sting their children as a form of
discipline. Also entomologists have been
called on to determine whether or not
bees or wasps have been the cause of an
accident. Whether through their presence
or by stinging it has be speculated that
these insects have been the cause of
numerous automobile accidents.
Protocol
› Scene inspection
› Weather Data
› Collection at crime
scene
› Shipment of evidence
to lab
› Analyzed by forensic
entomologist
Scene Inspection
Includes observing:
› General habitat and surrounding area
› Surrounding foliage and flora
› Sun and shade conditions
› Proximity to outdoors if scene is indoors
› All information should be noted
› Photos should be taken
Weather Data Collection
› Ambient air
temperature
› Maggot mass
temperature
› Ground surface
temperature
› Temperature between
body and surface
› Temperature of soil
underneath body
› Weather data from 1-2
weeks prior including
rainfall and maximum
and minimum
temperatures
Collection at Crime Scene: Flies and
Beetles

› Adult Flies and beetles: move quick and

disperse when disturbed
› Net : regular insect netting
› Killing ½ar : cotton swabs soaked in ethyl
acetate
› Ethyl Alcohol: 75%
› Label: geographical location, date and hour
of collection, case number, location to
where body was moved, name of collector
(in graphite pencil, placed inside vial.
Second exterior label also necessary)
Collection at Crime Scene: Larvae
› Search for presence of eggs
› Collect largest larvae
› Collect representative sample of 50-60 larvae
› Place directly in killing solution or ethyl alcohol
› To preserve: boil for 30 seconds within 48
hours
› Each Maggot mass is treated as separate sites
Collection at Crime Scene: Live Sample

› After collection of primary samples,

duplicate samples for live shipment
› Place in specimen container
› Place beef liver or pork meat in moist
environment
› Seal and create air holes
Collection at the Crime Scene:
After Body Removal
› Collect preserved and living samples
› Collect soil samples
› Collect litter samples
› Collect 2-3 inches of top soil
› All samples placed in cardboard container for
shipment
Analysis

As best you can, identify species

Provide life cycle information
correlated to time since death
Assess whether or not a body could
have been moved
AFTER DEATH PROCESSES
Õ Õ#

  The cadaver appears fresh externally but is
decomposing internally due to the activities of
bacteria, protozoa and nematodes present in the
body before death.
Putrefaction The cadaver is swollen by gas produces internally,
accompanied by odour of decaying flesh.
$#
   Flesh of creamy consistence with exposed parts black.
Body collapses as gases escapes. Odour of decay very
strong.

 Cadaver drying out. Some flesh remains at first, and
Ú

    cheesy odour develops. Ventral surface mouldy from
fermentation.

 Cadaver almost dry; slow rate of decay
TECHNIQUES

Many new techniques have been discovered and used in order to

more accurately gather evidence, or possibly introduce an entire
new way to look at old information. Forensic entomology not only
uses arthropod biology, but it pulls from other sciences introducing
fields like chemistry and genetics, exploiting their inherent synergy
through the use of DNA in forensic entomology.

A few modern techniques have been listed below:

à Scanning Electron Microscope
à Potassium permanganate Staining
à Mitochondrial DNA
à Mock Crime Scene
à Insect Activity Case Study
Scanning Electron Microscopy
(SEM)
› To identify key morphological features of eggs and
maggots.
› These morphological differences gives forensic
entomologists a powerful tool that can help with
estimating a post mortem interval.
› Good if you have ample time and resources to
determine the species of the particular fly egg.
› However it requires expensive equipment and can
take time to identify the species from which the
egg originated.
Potassium permanganate Staining
› Done when SEM is not available.
› Basic steps involve rinsing of sample in
saline, soaking in 1% KMnO4, dehydrated
and observed under light microscope.
› Observations are then compared to
standards for forensically important species
and used to determine the species of the
egg.
Mitochondrial DNA
› Mitochondrial DNA are used to differentiate
between different species.
› This is particularly useful when working on
determining the identity of specimens that
do not have distinctive morphological
characteristics at certain life stages.
Mock Crime Scene
Training of forensic entomologists is the use of
mock crime scenes using pig carcasses.
The pig carcass represents a human body and can
be used to illustrate various environmental effects
on both arthropod succession and the estimate of
the post mortem interval.
Current Forensic Entomology
Endeavors
› Provide Entomological Training For Naval
Criminal Investigation Service.
› Georgia Research With Naval Criminal
Investigation Service.
› Iraq Fly Samples.
CONCLUSION
› It gives an edge over other investigative
techniques.
› Dissection of dead bodies is avoided.
› Conventional pathological examination of the
corpse cannot provide time since death with
accuracy if time after death is more than 3 days
which is where forensic entomology comes into
picture.
› The potential for contributions of entomology to
legal investigations has been known for atleast 700
years, but only within the last 4 decades has
entomology been accepted as a discrete field of
science.
!

Presentation By:
› GRISHMA BENDRE
› PRERNA GUPTA
› OMKAR NADKARNI
› MOHAMMAD ADNAN QURESHI
› FRANCIS VINCENT
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