Investigators and crime detectives have added a new method of investigation to their arsenal. It turns out that certain insects and bugs can provide clues to certain facts about the crime. For example, at the scene of the murder, flies can provide an insight as to the length of the time that the corpse was at that place. They can also help identify the type of poison or drug that is contained within the body. This forensic subcategory of entomology is becoming increasingly sophisticated with the backing of scientific data.
Key Takeaways:
- The 13th-century Chinese judge Sung T’zu used flies swarming around blood traces to solve a murder.
- Insects feeding on a corpse take in substances from the body and can thus one used as toxicological specimens.
- Empty fly cocoons have been used for toxicological studies of mummified bodies.
“At a crime scene, flies and maggots can be used to determine how long it has been since a person or animal died if they have been moved or neglected prior to death – and what drugs or poisons they had in their system.”
