Hobbies And Interests
Advantages in Dating Crime Scenes
Although greatly exaggerated on procedural crime shows, the life cycle of blow flies and beetles is regular enough to be an advantage when dating crime scenes. The goal of the forensic pathologist, medical examiner and coroner is to figure out what's known as the "postmortem interval," and-- along with a fondness for dead bodies--insects have a constant life cycle. The blow fly's life cycle goes from egg to larva to pupa, which then results in an adult fly. These insects spend most of their time in the larval form (and it's in this stage that they're most easily recognized on a corpse) and the age of the larva can be judged based on certain physical characteristics. The amount of time a fly or beetle will take to go through the four steps of its life cycle has been well researched and documented and makes it far more reliable than other factors (such as decomposition of the body) in dating the postmortem interval.
Advantages in Discovering DNA and Toxicology
While more substantial evidence may be wiped clean or thrown away, bugs who are prone to biting humans (such as mosquitoes) are able to retain the DNA of their latest meal in their digestive tracts. This tiny and often ignored detail can link not only a possible perpetrator to a crime scene but the victim as well. Decomposing bodies often lack the fluids (blood and urine) necessary to carry out certain postmortem tests. However, any insect found in its larval stage on the body will have consumed enough of the flesh to allow for toxicology tests to be carried out on the insects because their soft tissues would have absorbed whatever was in the body.
Advantages in Civil Cases
In terms of civil cases, forensic entomology can be used to establish neglect or misuse. Evidence of bugs within a home or office building can be presented in litigation against landlords or building owners. Failure of an exterminator to fully rid a house of pests can also be proved this way. In companies that have large quantities of stored food, forensic entomology can be used to prove retail or manufacturing malpractice in instances when insect infestations occur.