Forensic entomology is a branch of forensic science that applies the study of arthropods and insects in the investigation of criminal matters. Although forensic entomology is primarily used for investigating death and murder cases, it also finds its uses in poison and drug investigations, particularly to determine the amount of negligence of children and the elderly by their care-takers and identify the actual location and time of a particular crime such as murder. Forensic entomology has three broad divisions, namely, stored product, and urban and medico-legal forensic entomology.
The history of forensic entomology can be traced back to the 13 th century. The Chinese were probably the first to have studied and applied forensic entomology. Later on, the Germans and the French took a systematic approach to forensic entomology. In the late 19 th century, the mass exhumations by Hoffman and Reinhard utilized forensic entomology for the first time, and they are widely regarded as the co-founders of this branch of forensic science. Subsequently, forensic entomology was further publicized with the launch of a French publication by Megnin, which discussed forensic entomology in detail. The book went on to become extremely popular in Canada and the United States.
It was not until the mid 20 th century that major advances in forensic entomology were made. During this time, there was progress in insect taxonomy and insect ecology. After the Second World War, it was possible for forensic entomologists to determine child abuse by studying the post-mortem artifacts that were produced by ants and freshwater arthropods. Between the 1960s and 1980s, further development in the subject was made by the Belgian entomologist Marcel Leclercq and Finnish researcher Pekka Nuorteva . Much progress was made in the following years in Canada, Russia, and the United States. All these contributions helped forensic entomology become an indispensable part of forensics and criminology.
There are numerous case studies that pertain to forensic entomology, and these studies demonstrate the effectiveness of forensic entomology in identifying a criminal, when other forensic procedures have fallen short. One such case was of a young girl who was found murdered near a highway in the northwestern part of the United States. Careful study of the insect specimens, such as maggots and flies, around the wounds of the victim revealed the exact time of the murder, which eventually helped in identifying the culprit from a list of suspects.
Generally, forensic entomologists are not employed by law agencies; instead, they are employed by academic institutions. Nowadays, several medical examiners, federal agencies, coroners, and police agencies are seeking the assistance of forensic entomologists. To work as a forensic entomologist, a PhD or MS in entomology is required. Additionally, a graduate coursework with specialization in forensic science related entomology and five-year experience in forensic cases are needed too.
In the scene of crime, such as death, two of the most commonly found insects are beetles and flies. Forensic entomologists work by examining the insects and determining the time when they started to colonize the dead body or a wound. Maggots in the first stage shows that the body is a few days old, and in the second stage, they indicate that the body is about a week old. The presence of beetles indicates that a person has been dead for more than a week. These are some of the basic yardsticks that are used by the forensic entomologists.
Forensic entomology is one of the fastest growing fields in forensic science. Often, the police departments find it difficult to find forensic entomologists. That is why the police hire medical anthropologists for the analysis of entomological samples that are found in the crime scene. Therefore, the shortage of forensic entomologists is quite evident. The study of forensic entomology is advancing each year, and police departments are beginning to discover the immense potential of forensic entomology.
