Running Head: FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY 1

Forensic Entomology

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Forensic Entomology
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Introduction

Forensic entomology is the study of how insects and other members of the arthropod

family can be used in inhabit decomposing remains to help in the legal investigation of crime.

Insects which are associated to a human corpse are used to determine the time elapsed since the

death occurred. The field of forensic entomology focuses on three main areas .The areas are;

medicolegal, urban and stored product pest[ CITATION Kri19 \l 1033 ]. On the medicolegal area, the

main focus when dealing with criminal matters is the insects that feast on the human

remains.Usually they are found around the human corpse.This paper provides an overview of

how insects, specifically flies can be used in forensic entomology to determine the time of death

as well as a possible cause of death.

History

Forensic entomology was first used in the 13th century in china .A murder had occurred in

a field and a particular farmer was the victim.The suspected murders were told to place their

sickles on the ground, at the point where the body had been found.When they did so, one of the

suspects’ sickles attracted flies. The flies had gone for that specific sickle because it had tiny bits

of blood which the suspect could have not seen with naked eyes. Subsequently , the suspect

admitted to have commited the crime. The first modern case that used forensic entomology was

in Europe in the 18th century. Entomological data was used to acquit the persons who had been

accused of killing a child.In the last 30 years, forensic entomology has been accepted by nations

as a feasible evidence in investigating crime[ CITATION Chi19 \l 1033 ].The key personell who have

conducted extensive research into this field are Sung Tzu, Jean Pierre Megnin, Francesco Redi

and Physiologist Hermann Reinhard. Their work in this field laid the foundation to what has

today become a marvelous way of solving crime puzzles.

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Flies and their Association with the Human Corpse

According to Warrier & Shedge( 2019) ,when death occur, the flies are the most likely

insects to get to the scene. Flies prefer the fresh bodies as an essential breeding grounds for their

offsprings the maggots. The cells will start to die as soon as the body dies. When enzymes start

digesting the cells, the body will begin to decompose.In the gastrointestinal tract, a bacteria is

present which will begin the process of releasing liquids and gases.The molecules which escape

from the body during this process of decomposition will attract insects.Flies specifically are

attracted by putrative sulphur based compounds found in the substances released from a corpse.

There are a different type of flies according to Krinsky (2019) that are attracted to the

human corpse. First , there is the Blow flies which belongs to the calliphoridae family.Their

larvae have three stages of development, each stage separated by a molting event.This insect has

a very significant forensic development. It is the first insect to come into contact with the

cadaver. They have an ability to smell a dead body from upto a distance of 16 km away.Hence

their fast arrival at a crime scene.The second second type is the Flesh flies , from the family

Sarcophagidae.They breed on corpses of human beings and other animals.These flies are useful

to the forensic analysts since they leave their maggots into the decomposing body, they are also

very visible hence easily noticeable. Information on their geographic distribution may however

be hard to find. Thirdly, the other fly is the house fly, from the family Muscidae. They are mostly

foubd at home. These flies are of forensic importance. The fourth one is the cheese flies from the

family piophilidae .They are mostly scavengers on dead bodies .They can be used to estimate the

death of human remains. These flies are different from the others since they wait until a period of

approximately six for them to enter the body. Other insects which could be used in forensic
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entomology include coffin flies, lesser corpse flies, lesser house flies, black scavenger flies and

the sun flies[ CITATION Boi19 \l 1033 ].

When the flesh flies land on a corpse, they hatch an produce a larva called a maggot.

Maggots have mouth hooks on the anterior of their mouth specifically for feeding. They grow

rapidly due to the readily available food . They pass through three stages to get to full size.

They stop feeding when they get to the full stage and migrate to more dry areas where they begin

to puparate[ CITATION Sal20 \l 1033 ].There skins then become hard and then they emerge as flies.

During death, Krinsky (2019) states that decomposition occurs, the remains go through

physical , biological and chemical changes.Different stages of decomposition attract a different

type of fly. During the fresh stage, which begins immediately after death and ends when the body

is bloated, the blow flies and the flesh flies are the most likely visitors.The cellular breakdowns

attract these flies.The second stage is the bloated stage. During this stage, putrefaction

occurs.Predators like the piophilidae can be observed at this level. The third stage is the decay

stage.During this period, abdominal wall is penetrated.The larvae of the flies comes out to

pupate.The fourth stage is called the post decay stage.It begins when most larvae has left the

corpse.The last stage is the remains stage. During this stage, the bones have little cartilage

remaining .The analysis of this stage and the temperature of the area of which the corpse was

found leads to finding out of the day which the first fly laid its eggs on the human remain.If for

example the elder insect is 10 days old, it would be concluded that the body has been in that

place for seven days[ CITATION War19 \l 1033 ].

Estimation Procedure

The first step is to collect the flies found in the body as carefully and as accurately as

possible.The different types of species would differ in rates of maturation. The next step would
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be to determine the age of the eggs, maggots or larvae.The age of a larvae is determined by

measuring the length of dry weight of the oldest larvae and comparing the results to the

reference data.Therefore estimation of age of larvae is possible.The surrounding temperature is

of significance since the rate of development of each larvae is always dependent of ambient

temperature.The next step is to determine the history of temperature of the larvae. Once

determined, it is compared to that of the scene of death[ CITATION Boi19 \l 1033 ].

Different environmental settings provide differences in the kind of flies that are involved

in the corpse.Careful study is conducted to ensure that the type and species of flies involved in

the scene is the same when corpse is transferred[ CITATION War19 \l 1033 ].The different species of

flies can be determined by using DNA analysis.A polymerized chain reaction of some important

parts of the species is analysed in comparison to a given data.

In forensic , the flies and insects at large can also be used for various purposes. They

can be used to determine if the body had been tampered with after death, the prescence of

wounds and their positions, the prescence of drugs in the body and to identify possible

suspects[ CITATION Sal20 \l 1033 ].

Conclusion

In conclusion, forensic entomology has become an significant tool in criminal

investigations. With the discovery and widespread use of this concept, we could say the justice

process has been enhanced in most countries.Application of forensic entomology in forenics is

important in determining the time elapsed since death.

Refernces
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Boiocchi, F., Davies, M. P., & Hilton, A. C. (2019). An Examination of Flying Insects in Seven

Hospitals in the United Kingdom and Carriage of Bacteria by True Flies (Diptera:

Calliphoridae, Dolichopodidae, Fanniidae, Muscidae, Phoridae, Psychodidae,

Sphaeroceridae). Journal of Medical Entomology, 56(6), 1684-1697.

Chimeno, C., Morinière, J., Podhorna, J., Hardulak, L., Hausmann, A., Reckel, F., ... &

Haszprunar, G. (2019). DNA barcoding in forensic entomology–Establishing a DNA

reference library of potentially forensic relevant arthropod species. Journal of forensic

sciences, 64(2), 593-601.

Krinsky, W. L. (2019). Forensic entomology. In Medical and Veterinary Entomology (pp. 51-

60). Academic Press.

Saloña-Bordas, M. I. (2020). FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY: THE UTILITY OF

ARTHROPODS IN LEGAL INVESTIGATIONS. European Journal of Entomology,

117, 129-129.

Warrier, V., & Shedge, R. (2019). Forensic entomology: Applications in investigations. Journal

of Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine, 41(3), 219-220.