What is Forensic Entomology?
Brought to you by Benecke Forensics (www.benecke.com) Click here for more forensic entomology FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY — A Brief Review By: Reia Guppy, Graduate Student, University of Central Arkansas For: Dr. David Dussourd, Graduate Seminar, Fall 2001 Submitted: December 12, 2001 FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY – A Brief Review What is Forensic Entomology? Forensic entomology is a growing field of study, incorporating an entomologist’s expertise in insects including their identification, life cycles and habitats, with an arm of law enforcement. One of the earliest documented cases was in 1235 AD in China, where the knowledge of a fly’s attraction to blood was used in the aid of solving a murder investigation (Goff 2000, Benecke 2001a). Today, forensic entomology can be defined as “the use of insects, and their arthropod relatives, that inhabit decomposing remains to aid legal investigations” (Byrd 1997). Forensic entomology can be sub-divided into three general areas: urban, stored product pests, an
By Morten Strkeby Forensic entomology is the use of insect knowledge in the investigation of crimes or even civil disputes. It is one of the many tools of forensic science. You will see that forensic entomology is not only a useful tool to decide how long human remains have been undetected, but forensic entomology can also be used to find out whether the corpse has been moved after death, the cause of death, and also solve cases of contraband trafficking. Forensic entomology can be said to be the application of the study of insects and other arthropods to legal issues. It can be divided in three subfields: urban, stored-product and medicolegal. It is the medicolegal aspect that I will discuss in this document. Medicolegal forensic entomology includes arthropod involvement in events such as murder, suicide and rape, but also includes physical abuse and contraband trafficking. Since the earth is a predominantly arthropod world, it is not uncommon that we mere humans comes in contact with
Forensic entomology is a field of science which uses insects to gather information about a crime scene. The discipline has been in existence for thousands of years, although forensic entomology was only integrated into Western science in the nineteenth century. Forensic entomology draws upon the principle that the life stages of insects follow a set pattern, and therefore insects found at a crime scene can yield information about the time and place of a person’s death. Forensic entomology is only one part of medical anthropology, which looks at a variety of specific elements at the scene of death to gain a deeper understanding of it. Medical anthropologists study everything from ancient burial sites to modern day crime scenes. Several universities around the world have programs to study and research medical anthropology in the hopes of improving criminal justice. In the East, a long tradition accompanies forensic entomology. Some Buddhist monasteries encourage their monks to contemplat
Forensic Entomology is the use of the insects, and their arthropod relatives that inhabit decomposing remains to aid legal investigations. The broad field of forensic entomology is commonly broken down into three general areas: medicolegal, urban, and stored product pests. The medicolegal section focuses on the criminal component of the legal system and deals with the necrophagous (or carrion) feeding insects that typically infest human remains. The urban aspect deals with the insects that affect man and his immediate environment. This area has both criminal and civil components as urban pests may feed on both the living and the dead. The damage caused by their mandibles (or mouthparts) as they feed can produce markings and wounds on the skin that may be misinterpreted as prior abuse. Urban pests are of great economic importance and the forensic entomologist may become involved in civil proceedings over monetary damages. Lastly, stored product insects are commonly found in foodstuffs a
According to the American Board of Forensic Entomology, Forensic Entomology, or Medicocriminal Entomology, is the science of using insect evidence to uncover circumstances of interest to the law, often related to a crime. As an example, they point to time of death, which can be established using insect evidence gathered from and around a corpse. Is Forensic Entomology For You? Popular Science Magazine recently published its annual bottom-10-list of the worst jobs in science. This irreverent look at the more interesting side of scientific employment is described as a salute to the men and women who do what no salary can adequately reward. You might want to know that forensic science is represented on the list by forensic entomology which comes in at number 9. Described as solving murders by studying maggots, insight into this particular scientific vocation is provided by leading forensic entomologist Neal Haskell. One day a local detective called me who knew Id majored in entomology in
