Forensic Entomology

Entomology is the study of insects.The insects can play an important role in crime-identification in a criminal case and the science dealing with this field is called the "Forensic entomology." It is a relatively new field in solving crimes. Using insects to help prove criminal matters may sound appears strange but their assistance is invaluable to the police. The stages of decomposition of a body are characterized by a particular group of insects. what insects are found on a body and what stage of development they are at, the police can accurately estimate the exact time of death and hence may solve the mystery of a murder.



The working of the Forensic Entomology depends upon various factors like insects that suck the blood of a person who has died from an overdosed can be examined and analyzed to find what type of drugs were used. The locations of the body when it was first exposed to air can also be determined due to the insects found on it. Certain insects reside in certain areas of the world and if the body was moved, this would only help forensic investigators learn the location where the crime actually took place.

Insect Clues

Between 1985 and 1988, several transients were choked, sexually assaulted, and left for dead in the desert of California. In this program, entomologist David Faulkner, of the San Diego Natural History Museum, painstakingly identifies maggot eggs on the decaying corpse of Sandra Cwik from among 900,000 known species to establish the victim’s time of death. Once the time was determined, the suspect who had no alibi was convicted of second-degree murder.