Forensic entomology can be defined as studying insects for medico-legal functions. It is a powerful tool in pinpointing the day as well as the time of death in people and animals. The analysis was done od a species to colonize the remains, the insect stages of development as well as their local temperature and the other variables like the body's condition, humidity, and light can help in providing the time interval for the species colonization of the remains. When an individual dies, or their bodies begin to decompose, it the actions of the microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi start, followed by other insects' actions. The body can decompose either slowly or fast, which is dependent on whether they were buried if there was a substance in their body, preventing fast decomposition. The human body undergoes five constraint decomposition stages, namely Fresh, putrefaction, fermentation, dry decay, and skeletonization (Bonacci et al., 2018). Each of the above stages attracts a different type of organism, which usually feeds on the body while recycling the matter. Through the collecting and studying of insects, forensic entomologists manage to investigate the time which has elapsed ever since the victim died. Flies possess high dispersal power, and they usually discover bodies before beetles. One of the criminal cases, when forensic entomology was used to help solve a crime was the case of Kirstin Lobato. He was charged and later convicted with murder on Jan 2, 2018. Lobato had been sentenced for committing first-degree murder as well as sexual penetration of a corpse, although there was no physical evidence which tied her to the murder scene. The trial was, however, overturned as it had errors, and she was retried in 2006, where the pathologist stated that the murder had occurred between 8-14 hours before the body was discovered (Anderson, 2018). This is because there were no insects on the body of the victim.
References
ANDERSON, G., 2018. How Forensic Blow Flies Helped Solve A Gruesome Vegas Murder Case . [online] Inverse. Available at: <https://www.inverse.com/article/51681-absence-of-blow-flies-overturned-kirstin-blaise-lobato-murder-conviction> [Accessed 16 April 2020].
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Bonacci, T., Vercillo, V., & Benecke, M. (2017). Flies and ants: A forensic entomological neglect case of an elderly man in Calabria, Southern Italy. Rom J Leg Med , 25 (3), 283-286.
