A Bibliography Related to Crime Scene Interpretation with ...

Entomology
Netting of flying insects over a cadaver
The collection and analyses of insects, or invertebrates, from crime scenes is generally well
known among homicide investigators and death scene investigators. It has been the compiler’s experience, however,
that the actual practice of such collection outside the presence of a forensic entomologist, is still overlooked or
avoided. Often an attitude prevails that that level of information is not necessary given the investigator’s knowledge
of when an abduction took place or a subject’s confession. In other situations, collections are not made simply
because the investigators are not properly equipped with packaging materials, or are not sure of what to do with, or
how to store, live specimens. Entomological evidence is unique in that it is, in most criminal investigations, the only
type of non-human evidence consisting of living, moving, species. It is the hope of the compiler that this section
will offer some answers toward appropriate collection procedures and equipment which are not expensive, do not
involve a lot of time, or the need for additional manpower. The proper collection of entomological samples
combined with accurate spatial, temporal, and environmental data, can yield valuable information toward
determining postmortem intervals. Subject/Witness statements might be supported or disproved. Works such as
Catts and Haskell (1990), and Lord and Burger (1983) have become standards in the field of forensic entomological
procedures. Many of the works below include laboratory analyses and research. That research goes beyond
addressing the timing of a death or deposition (post-mortem interval) to toxicological determinations, interpretations
of death scene versus depositional environments, et cetera.
Abbott, C.E.
1937 The Necrophilous Habit of Coleoptera. Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society, 32:202-204.
Abell, D.H., S.S. Wasti, and G. Hartmann
1982 Saprophagous Arthropod Fauna Associated with Turtle Carrion. Applied Entomological Zoology, 17: 301-307.
Acikgoz, H.N., I.H. Hanci, and G. Cetin
2002 How Can We Make Use of Insects in Forensic Cases? Ankara University Law Journal, 51(3):117-125.
310