Indoor Arthropods of Forensic Importance: Insects Associated with Indoor Decomposition and Mites as Indoor Markers

Frost, Crystal L.; Braig, Henk R.; Amendt, Jens; Perotti, M. Alejandra

doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-9684-6_6

Cited by 10 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…That same year, in Gdansk Poland, Piatkowski (1991) analyzed the entomologic fauna of a remain found on the 11 th floor of a building; later in Germany, Benecke (1998) and Schroeder et al (2002) analyzed entomologic evidence of remains found inside apartments. In Argentina, Centeno et al (2002) carried out the first study in controlled indoor environments using pigs carcass; in the United States, Gennard (2007) analyzed the development of blow flies in bodies found both indoors and outdoors; in Finland, Pohjoismäki et al (2010) observed the colonization of insects in bodies inside rooms; in Germany, Frost et al (2010) indicated that 81.9% of the 364 bodies infested with insects were found indoors; in Malaysia, Ahmad et al (2011) compared the decaying bodies of monkeys indoors and outdoors.…”

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confidence: 99%

Preliminary study of insects associated to indoor body decay in Colombia

Ramos-Pastrana¹,

Velasquez-Valencia²,

Wolff³

2014

Rev. Bras. entomol.

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ABSTRACT. Preliminary study of insects associated to indoor body decay in Colombia. This is the first report studying insects associated to indoor body decay process of a white pig (Sus scrofa) (Artiodactyla, Suidae) in a controlled indoor environment in an urban area of Florencia city, Amazonia Piedmont, Colombia. For a period of 54 days, 9,220 individuals (immature and adults), distributed in 3 orders, 5 families, 10 genera, and 10 species were collected using entomological nets and tweezers. Five decaying stages are described (fresh, bloated, active decay, advanced decay and remains). During the fresh stage we recorded Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius, 1775) MATERIAL AND METHODSThe study was carried out in an area of 4 m 2 , in an old bath located on the seventh floor of a building, 70 m from the ground. The bathroom has no windows, a door which remained closed, leaving only a space for the entrance of the insects of approximately 2 cm between the door and the bathroom floor. This building is located in the urban area of Florencia, (2º58' N and 0º40' S and between 71º30' and 76º15' W., at 270 m.) with an annual mean rainfall of 3,793 mm, average temperature of 25°C, mean annual relative humidity of 92%. The region is characterized by being the intersection zone between the piedmont and the Amazonia planes, featured by small hills and alluvial terraces which resulted from accumulation of materials, forming reliefs that go from plane to undulate and abrupt (IGAC 2010).The study was carried out using a white pig (Sus scrofa) of approximately 14.5 kg, slaughtered at the study site (performed by a professional of "Cuerpo Técnico de Investigación", the Technical Body of Researches C.T.I. for the Spanish acronym, of the Nation General Prosecutors), by means of impact of a caliper 9 mm bullet in the frontal region of the skull, on July 20, 2010 at approximately 06:00 a.m. From the moment of death until the carcass was only bones and skin, photographs were taken and notes of the physical changes observed were recorded; samples of insects were taken four times every day (06:00, 10:00, 14:00 and 18:00 hours) all along the decaying process. Besides, factors such as body weight, room temperature (thermo-hygrometer digital Thermo) and rectal body temperature, (Elan digital thermometer) were recorded.Sampling of adult flying insects was made using entomological nets of 20 cm in diameter; non-flying adults and immature individual found on, under, and around the body were collected using tweezers and fine tip brushes, following the methodology proposed by Haskell (1990). The individuals collected were taxonomically determined to species when possible, using the keys proposed by Mariluis & Peris (1984) Life cycles. Once the first masses of eggs were found, they were taken into rearing chambers, consisting of polythene containers with lids, filled with white sterile sand to facilitate pupation. Larvae where fed with ground cow meat, the chambers were kept in styrofoam containers to avoid contamination by other insects and the...

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confidence: 99%

Preliminary study of insects associated to indoor body decay in Colombia

Ramos-Pastrana¹,

Velasquez-Valencia²,

Wolff³

2014

Rev. Bras. entomol.

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“…General species distribution was derived mostly from Pape (1996); Pape et al (2015); Povolný and Verves (1997); Verves and Khrokalo (2006a, b, 2009, 2015); Verves et al (2015b); Xue et al (2011, 2015). Additional sources were as follows: Pape et al (2002), Abasa (1970); Abd-AlGalil and Zambare (2016); Abdul-Rassoul et al (2004); Al-Ghzawi et al (2009); Al-Mesbah et al (2012); Aldrich (1916); Amoudi (1993); Arnaud (1975); Arthur and Coppel (1953); Baranov (1929, 1938, 1942); Barnett and Emms (1998); Beaver (1986); Bezzi (1913, 1915, 1921); Blackith et al (1997); Boscarelli and Sandri 2016); Brèthes (1908); Brimley (1938); Brink (2009); Britton (1921); Britvec (2000); Bruce and Knipling (1936); Bryan (1926); Buckell and Spencer (1945); Byers (1962); Calero (1948); Carles-Tolrá and Rosado 2009); Chaiwong et al (2009); Clausen (1978); Cockerell (1905); Coe (1960, 1962); Criddle (1927); Curran (1929); Davis (1971); Dear (1980); Demyanova et al (2007); Diaz and Kaufman (2011); Disney (1973); El-Hawagry et al (2016); Feng et al (2012); Fetene and Worku (2009); Frost et al (2010); Gatt and Ebejer (2014)); Goff (1991); Goff and Odom (1987); Grabovac and Pertič (2005); Grigorian (1988); Hardy (1980); Ho (1938); Hutson (1981); James (1947); Johnson (1912); Kano et al (1999); Kehlmaier (1998); Khan and Khan (1984); Krishnamurti and Usman (1955); Krüger et al (2003); Kurahashi and Chaiwong (2013); Kurahashi and Ka...…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Checklist of flesh flies of Turkey (Diptera, Sarcophagidae)

Verves¹,

Barták²,

Kubík³

2018

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“…However, they noted that this trend may be the result of the usually shorter PMI and low accessibility of indoor cases. In accordance with these discrepancies, Frost et al noted that although more species and specimens are often observed indoors compared to outdoors, this trend is not consistent (58). An extensive table summarizing the insect species reported from human remains found indoors can be found in their study (58).…”

Section: Indoor Vs Outdoormentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In accordance with these discrepancies, Frost et al noted that although more species and specimens are often observed indoors compared to outdoors, this trend is not consistent (58). An extensive table summarizing the insect species reported from human remains found indoors can be found in their study (58). The authors clearly note that "none of the(se) listed insect species can be considered as exclusively indoors."…”

Section: Indoor Vs Outdoormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The question of the inside/outside location of a cadaver is a key point in many investigations (58) and access to the cadaver by necrophagous insects greatly affect its decomposition (33,103). It has furthermore been proved that the location of a cadaver affects its colonization time (the pre-appearance interval, i.e., the time before insects reach the cadaver) and thus the PMI estimation (40,132,136).…”

Section: Indoor Vs Outdoormentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of necrophagous insects as evidence of cadaver relocation: myth or reality?

Charabidzé

Gosselin

Hédouin

2017

Preprint

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The use of insects as indicators of postmortem displacement is discussed in many text, courses and TV shows, and several studies addressing this issue have been published. However, the concept is widely cited but poorly understood, and only a few forensic cases have successfully applied such a method. Surprisingly, this question has never be taken into account entirely as a cross-disciplinary theme. The use of necrophagous insects as evidence of cadaver relocation actually involves a wide range of data on their biology: distribution areas, microhabitats, phenology, behavioral ecology and molecular analysis are among the research areas linked to this problem. This article reviews for the first time the current knowledge on these questions and analysze the possibilities/limitations of each method to evaluate their feasibility. This analysis reveals numerous weaknesses and mistaken beliefs but also many concrete possibilities and research opportunities. 55 Previous reviews have gathered and explained the aims and methods of forensic entomology (11, 56 28, 35, 154), but some fundamental questions remain unresolved, particularly the potential to use 57 insects as evidence of corpse relocation. 58Forensic taphonomy can include a variety of changes due to human activity, especially 59 steps taken to hide a cadaver (77). Attempts to prevent discovery often include cadaver 60 concealment, wrapping and displacement. Such post-mortem relocation can occur shortly after 61 death or after days of concealment and can take place over a short distance (e.g., from the room 62 where the death occurred to the garden of the house) or a longer distance. In most cases, the 63 environment where the cadaver was hidden is very different from that of the place where death 64 occurred (137). Forensic entomology manuals and courses often state that insects can be used as 65 evidence of cadaver relocation (9, 28, 35, 89, 117, 126, 144) because the biology and ecology of 66 necrophagous species can convey information on where and how insects live and thus may 67 highlight inconsistencies regarding cadaver location and decomposition. However, while this idea 68 is appealing, it may not reflect reality. 73 species have large distribution areas covering many countries and hundreds of thousands of square 74 kilometers, making the sampling of non-native species quite unlikely. While each species has an 75 ecological niche (e.g., forest or synanthropic; sun or shady habitats), such preferences are not rules.76 Additionally, as some species can travel kilometers to find carrion, microhabitats are only relative 77 concepts (22, 118). The long dispersal capability of most necrophagous species, especially 78 blowflies, makes it difficult to relate a given species to a particular place or habitat and thus draw 79 inferences regarding cadaver relocation (166). 80Temporal separation is another characteristic of necrophagous species. The phenology 81 (cyclic and seasonal phenomena) of blowflies is well known; some species are primarily active 82 during...

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Indoor Arthropods of Forensic Importance: Insects Associated with Indoor Decomposition and Mites as Indoor Markers

Cited by 10 publications

References 40 publications

Preliminary study of insects associated to indoor body decay in Colombia

Preliminary study of insects associated to indoor body decay in Colombia

Checklist of flesh flies of Turkey (Diptera, Sarcophagidae)

Use of necrophagous insects as evidence of cadaver relocation: myth or reality?

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