Name______hr______

Forensic Entomology Study Guide Ch 13

** In some cases insect activity from every species may not be helpful. For example: Insect 1 indicates that the body has been dead for 7 days and insect 2 indicates that it has been dead for 3 days. You would disregard insect 2 because it probably was laid later than insect one. In some cases you will have an insect that has two different maggot sizes, such as 7 mm and 21 mm. This would mean that there have been two different egg laying cycles for that insect. You should take the larger number. A Pupae is always the BEST indicator.

Dead Body A

A man reported that his girlfriend did not come home. He said she left for a weekend girl trip to Sun Valley and would be back on Monday night. After checking the girl’s apartment, the boyfriend called the police from her apartment Tuesday morning. Her girl friends said that she never intended to go to Sun Valley with them. Her body was found on September 15th behind her apartment in the woods with severe maggot infestation in the neck indicating a slit throat. The boyfriend went camping early morning, Thursday September 3with his father and two friends and the girlfriend’s brother. The boyfriend is the number one suspect at this time. He last saw her Thursday morning before leaving. The temperature has been between 70 to 73℉ for the last three weeks.

Species on Body / Length / Days Dead
Blue Muscsa / 20-29
Green Calliphora / 25-29
White Sacrophaga / 29
Red Piophila / 9
Black Pupae / 39
  1. When did this woman die?
  1. What does the evidence say about the suspect?
  1. Why are maggots of different ages found on the body and different species?

Dead Body B

The body of a young male was found inside an apartment in Downtown Boise. Maggots were found concentrated in the head and chest region. The windows were closed, although sunlight did come through open curtains. The air conditioner was set at 72℉. The weather report for the last three weeks has been between 70℉ to 94℉ and sunny.

Species on Body / Length / Days Dead
Blue Muscsa / 6
Green Calliphora
White Sacrophaga / 15
Red Piophila
Black Pupae
  1. How long has this man been dead?
  1. Based on the police report, was this a natural death?
  1. Where did the maggots come from if the windows were closed?
  1. What would the TOD be if there was no air conditioning and the apartment got to 80℉?

Dead Body C

Species on Body / Length / Days Dead
Blue Muscsa / 28
Green Calliphora / 35
White Sacrophaga / 45
Red Piophila
Black Pupae / 33

The body of a young male was found on July 11th in a farmer’s cow pasture out in Star. The autopsy report reveals that cocaine and alcohol were present in the body and a broken neck. The weather for the last three weeks has been unusually warm ranging from 84℉. To 86℉. His friends last saw him at a party on July 4th. One friend said he was obsessed with cow tipping and bull riding.

  1. How long has this person been dead?
  1. What effect did the cocaine have on TOD?
  1. Are the insects found on the body consistent with where the body was found?
  1. Does the location of the body (farmer’s field) indicate foul play?
  1. What would TOD be if the temperature was 50℉?

Dead Body D

The body of a college student was found in the dense evergreen pine forest several miles outside of Mc Call near a hiking trail. There is not an urban area nearby. The weather has been ranging from 68℉. To 71℉. However, temperatures in the heavily wooded area are about 5℉ coolerdue to lack of sunlight, thus creating shade.

Species on Body / Length / Days Dead
Blue Muscsa / 6, 20
Green Calliphora / 18
White Sacrophaga / 9, and 15
Red Piophila / 5
Black Pupae
  1. How long has this student been dead?
  1. What effect does temperature have on your estimated TOD?
  1. Does the location of the body and the types of insects suggest foul play?

Dead Body Case E Questions 16-22

  1. If it takes an insect 720 hours to reach 3rd instar at 20℃, how long will it take if the temperature is 95℉? 13℃? (Covert to ℃)

Given Temperature in the woods over 2 weeks is 74℉. Book saysC vomitoria take 744 hrs at 20℃. M. domestica takes 264 hours to reach 3rd instar at 20℃.

A body was found near a dirt road by a camp site. When you( the super good looking FE) collect maggots you determine that the maggots are from vomitoriaand domestica. It takes you 722 hours to reach 3rdinstar for vomitoria at your lab temperature of 23℃. Find out how long has the body been dead. In your lab it took 300 hours for domestica.

  1. From the case above, determine your ADH and the books ADH by taking the hours x the temperature.
  1. Subtract the difference between the two ADH numbers.
  1. Divide the answer by the average wood temperature in ℃ and calculate days.
  1. Repeat this with the M. domestica species. Determine your ADH and the books ADH by taking the hours x the temperature.
  1. Subtract the difference between the two ADH numbers.
  1. Divide the answer by the average wood temperature in ℃ and then calculate days.

QUESTIONS 23-59 ARE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

  1. What is the decomposition rate of a body in water and underground?
  1. Where are the first places where a fly will lay its eggs?
  1. Why is it so important to determine TOD?
  1. Using the Glaister equation, determine the TOD of a person who has a liver temperature of 78.2. The equation will be listed on the test.
  1. A body has been found and is warm (90℉) and very stiff. Using the stiffness chart and the Glaister equation, find the TOD.
  1. If it takes 1,285 days for a person to become a skeleton, how long will it take a person to become a skeleton at a temperature of 90℉ or at 40℉? (You have to convert to Celsius)
  1. Why must the FE (forensic entomologist) bring back larvae (maggots) to the lab and grow them?
  1. What factors affect life cycle of flies?
  1. What is the reason for testing maggots for drugs?
  1. When is rigor mortis untraceable?
  1. What color of the body is indicated by putrefaction?
  1. When does livor mortis begin to occur?
  1. What factors draws necrophages to a corpse?
  1. When you see maggots infested in a certain area of the body such as the back, or arms, what could this indicate?
  1. How can drugs affect PMI?
  1. What are the stages of death?
  1. Find the temperature in ℃ if the temperature is 70℉. Formula is in lecture notes. It will also be listed on the test.
  1. Determine the Accumulated Degree Hours (ADH) for the fly life cycle shown to the right. The temperature is for 70℉. (ADH x total life cycle)
  1. When is livor mortis most evident?
  1. What is the average temperature of humans in ℉ and ℃?
  1. Refer to your lecture notes. If you find a body that is warm and very stiff in the large muscles, how long has this person been dead?
  1. If you find a body that has is cold and large muscles are still but the smaller wrist and fingers are not stiff, how long has this person been dead?
  1. For what is the Glaister equation used?
  1. What factors can affect insect colonization?

Know these vocabulary words and define them.

  1. Adipocere
  2. Accumulated degree hours
  3. Algor Mortis
  4. Ambient Temperature
  5. Autolysis
  6. Entomology
  7. Insect Instar
  8. Livor Mortis
  9. Necrophagous
  10. Post Mortem Interval
  11. Puparia
  12. Putrefaction
  13. Rigor Mortis

L = larvae (maggot) P= Pupae

Days After Death / Blue
MuscaDomestica / Green
Calliphoravomitoria / White
Sacrophagacarnaria / Red
Piophilanigriceps
1 / Egg / L 9-11
2 / Egg / L 9-11 / L 12-16
3 / Egg / L 9-11 / L 17-20
4 / L 6 / L 12-16 / L 21-25
5 / L 6 / L 12-16 / L 26-30 / Egg
6 / L 7-11 / L 17-20 / L 31-35 / Egg
7 / L 12-16 / L 17-20 / L 36-40 / L 3
8 / L 17-20 / L 21-25 / L 41-44 / L 3
9 / L 21-25 / L 21-25 / L 44-46 / L 4-6
10 / L 26-30 / L 26-30 / L 44-46 / L 7-9
11 / L 31-35 / L 26-30 / P 38-40 / L 10-13
12 / P 26-29 / L 31-35 / P 38-40 / L 14-16
13 / P 26-29 / L 31-35 / P 38-40 / P 13-15
14 / P 26-29 / P 31-34 / P 38-40 / P 13-15
15 / P 26-29 / P 31-34 / P 38-40 / P 13-15
16 / P 26-29 / P 31-34 / P 38-40 / P13-15
17 / P 26-29 / P 31-34 / P 38-40 / P13-15
18 / A 30-32 / P 31-34 / P 38-40 / P 13-15
19 / P 31-34 / A 42-45 / A 16-18
20 / P 31-34
21 / A 36-38

Delayed add days to PMI Accelerated take away days from PMI.

Blue
MuscaDomestica / Green
Calliphoravomitoria / White
Sacrophagacarnaria / Red
Piophilanigriceps
55℉ / Add 4 days / Add 4-5 days / Add 4 days / Add 3 days
65℉ / Add 2 days / Delayed 3 days / Add 2 days / Add 1 days
80℉ / Subtract 1 day / Subtract 2 days / Subtract 1-2 days / Subtract 1 days
85℉ / Subtract 3 days / Subtract 4 days / Subtract 3 days / Subtract 2 days
Habitat / Urban and Rural / Urban and Rural / Urban and Rural / Urban
Lighting / Full to partial sun / Partial sun to shady / Prefers sunny / Prefers sunny
Drugs / No effect / Subtract2-3 days / No effect / No effect