Predicting Time

of death & Learning Intention:

Entomology I will understand how changes in a

corpse immediately after death can
determine time of death.
Keywords
● Corpse
● Algor mortis
● Livor mortis
● Rigor mortis
Key Information
● Human body temperature is approximately 37OC.
● Muscles in the human body can relax and contract, this is possible as oxygen is
available and body cells can make energy which allows the relaxation and
contraction of muscles.
● The heart is a muscle which pumps blood around the body. The hearts activity
defies the pull of gravity allowing blood to reach the upper body.
Evidence of time of death
● A corpse is a dead body.
● A number of changes in a corpse begin to immediately take place after death.
These changes can be used to determine how long a person has been dead.
● Changes that take place respectively include:
● Algor mortis,
● Livor mortis, and
● Rigor Mortis.
Algor Mortis
● Algor mortis is the first change that happens in a dead body.
● Algor Mortis is the cooling of the body after death.
● After death, the body no longer maintains its temperature, the body’s temperature
begins to drop at a rate of approximately 1.5OC per hour.
● The body continues to drop until its temperature is equivalent to the
environment’s temperature.
Algor Mortis - Example
A dead body has been found. The temperature of the corpse is approximately 31OC.
How long has the body been dead?
Step 1: Calculate the difference in body temperature:
37OC – 31OC = 6OC
Step 2: Divide the difference by the rate of temperature drop per hour
6OC / 1.5OC = 4
The body has been dead for 4 hours.
Now it’s your turn…
● You are a forensic scientist and have discovered a dead body while hiking.
Luckily, you have a thermometer on you and you find out that the corpse’s body
temperature is 28OC. How long has the body been dead?
Algor Mortis
● Many factors affect the rate at which a corpse’s body temperature decreases:
● The ambient temperature – a corpse’s temperature will drop at a faster rate if the
ambient temperature is cold in comparison to when it is hot.
● The clothing – the body temperature of a corpse heavily covered in
clothing/blankets will drop at a slower rate in comparison to a corpse that is
lightly covered.
● The size – smaller corpses lose temperature at a faster rate than large corpses.
Livor Mortis
● Livor mortis is the second change that takes place after death.
● Livor mortis is the gravitational pooling of blood to lower dependant areas
resulting in a red/purple coloration.
● Areas of the corpse further away from the pull of gravity will appear pale as blood
has moved away from that area.
● Livor mortis happens about 2 – 4 hours after death.
Rigor Mortis
● Rigor Mortis is the third change that takes place after death.
● Rigor mortis is the stiffening of the muscles of the corpse.
● The lack of oxygen in the body means energy cannot be made and this causes the
muscles to contract.
● Rigor Mortis appears 2–4 hours after death.
● Rigor Mortis is not permanent; it may last for a few hours to several days.
● Usually, after about 40 hours, the muscles relax as the body begins to decompose.
Consolidation Activity
● Time of Death Activity
 Forensic Learning Intention:
I will understand how
Entomology entomology can be used to
determine time and location of
death.
Entomology
● Entomology is the study of insects
● Forensic entomology is the study of the insects associated with a dead body
● Forensic entomologists are called into homicide investigations when time of death
is unknown and their evidence is usually presented in court as expert testimony
Entomology
● State of development of the species can be used to estimate time since death
○ Can give an estimate up to a year
● Entomological evidence is the most accurate and frequently the only method
available to determine the elapsed time since death
○ Due to rigor, algor, and livor mortis being useless after 72 hours
Blow flies
● Blow flies are the
first flies to be
attracted to a body
● They are large,
metallic flies seen
near food or garbage
cans in summer
Blow flies
● Male and female blow flies require a protein meal before the ovaries and testes
develop and oogenesis and spermatogenesis can occur
○ Adult feeding may occur at the dead body
○ Majority of the flies attracted to remains are females searching for egg laying sites
● Blow flies develop from eggs through the first, second, and third instar stages, and
then the pupal stage before becoming adults
● Stages influenced by species of blow flies and temperature of surroundings
Blow flies
● Insects are cold-blooded so their development is temperature dependent
○ As temperature increases, they develop more rapidly
○ As temperature decreases, they develop more slowly
● Analysis of the oldest insect stage on they body, together with knowledge of the
meteorological conditions at the scene, can be used to determine how long insects
have been feeding on the body, and hence, how long the victim has been dead
Blow flies
● Female lays 2,000 eggs in her lifetime
● Once eggs are laid, they hatch between 12 and 48 hours
● It takes 14 days for the fly to emerge from the pupal case
● Larvae rely on protein for their meals
○ Females lay eggs on open wounds of dead individuals or around orifices of a living individual
○ Face is colonized before other areas because the skin is easier to penetrate
 Blow Fly Metamorphosis
Blow flies are attracted to dead bodies and often arrive within minutes of the death of an
animal. They have a complete life cycle that consists of egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages.
Adult
1st – Adult flies lay eggs on the corpse especially at
wound areas or around the openings in the body such
as the nose, eyes, ears, anus, etc. Pupa Eggs
2nd – Eggs hatch into larva (maggots) in 12-24 hours.

3rd– 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 1st
3rd Instar
2nd Instar - 10 mm long after 2.5 days
Larva Instar
3rd Instar – 14-16 mm long after 4-5 days
Larva
2nd Instar
4th – The larvae (17 mm) develop into pupa after Larva
burrowing in surrounding soil.
It takes approximately 14-16 days from egg to
5th – Adult flies emerge from pupa cases after 6-8 adult depending on the temperatures and
humidity levels at the location of the body.
days.ert
Analysis of forensic entomology
● 4 factors must be taken into account
○ Oldest stage of blow fly associated with the body
■ Look at old pupal cases
○ Species of insects
■ Each species develop at different rates so each species of insects at the scene need to be
collected
○ Temperature data
■ Must be able to determine temperature of crime scene for a period of time
○ Developmental data
■ Must know how fast or how slow the specific species develop
Analysis of forensic entomology
● Insects present on the deceased body that are not prevalent to the crime scene can
indicate that the victim was murdered elsewhere and was dumped at another
location
● Insects are attracted first and foremost to wounds so the first instar larvae will
have access to liquid protein for nutrition
● Wound sites in individuals that have completely decomposed are shown by
irregular or atypical insect colonization
Analysis of forensic entomology
● Evidence should be collected by an entomologist
○ If not available, a police death investigator should collect the evidence
● Different stages of larval growth should be collected and bagged separately
● Sample of soil should also be collected from just outside the area marked by body
fluids

● https://youtu.be/vwj-fvoLJ3M
Learning Activity – Mini Report
The body of a pit bull terrier was found in an empty hall on Sydney Rd, Brunswick.
Maggots were found concentrated in the neck and the region behind the shoulder.
The windows were closed, although the open curtains allowed sunlight to enter, and
the air conditioner had been left at 20OC.
1. Approximately how long has this animal been dead?
2. What effect, if any, do the outside temperatures have on your estimation of time
of death?
3. How does the fact that the windows were closed relate to the species of flies
you observed in and around the corpse?
4. Do you suspect foul play?