Insect Evidence: Basic Collection Procedures at the Death Scene

By Melvin R. Bishop

Investigators recover a decomposing body in a wooded area that has fly and insect activity on and surrounding the body. Investigators what to know -not only who the deceased was but how long he/she has been dead. To help answer these questions we must turn to the insects for answers.

Law enforcement agencies are learning that insect evidence is an important tool in our forensic tool box. Just what can insects tell us about a crime scene? Knowing how to collect, photograph, document and preserve this evidence is critical for any successful outcome.

This book is intended for crime scene technicians, death investigators, medical examiners and other forensic personnal to become aquainted with our often overlooked and forgotten evidence at the death scene-INSECTS.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 19, 2008
• ISBN: 9781465319722

Melvin R. Bishop

Melvin R. Bishop Retired Master Police Officer/Forensic Technician -23 years with Charlottesville, Virginia Police Department. Graduate of the 49 session of the Virginia Forensic Science Academyin Richmond, Virginia. Masters Degree in Entomology from the University of Nebraska/Lincoln. I instruct crime scene technicians,graduate students and various law enforcement agencies throughout the East Coast on entomological collection procedures.and I have lectured on forensic topics at various colleges and universities for the past fifteen years . I have been involved with the collection and study of forensic insects for over eight years and I have worked/assisted on over sixty-five criminal and civil cases involving insect evidence. I 'am a member of the Entomological Society of America, Florida Division of International Association of Identification and the North American Forensic Entomology Association.

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Copyright © 2008 by Melvin R. Bishop.

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Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

This field guide is dedicated to those victims that have lost their lives to senseless acts of violence and cry out for help, and to all those dedicated investigators who hear their voices and indefatigably work to seek the truth.

Preface

The ultimate goal of any forensic discipline is to answer the many questions that arise through investigative methods and to seek out the truth pertaining to these questions. We seek this truth by allowing the physical evidence to talk to us and by remaining objective. Certain forensic disciplines such as fingerprints, crime scene investigations, bullet trajectories, and blood spatter analysis will aid the investigator, as well as medical examiners and prosecutors, in seeking out the answers of real-life whodunit situations. How each individual investigator views a certain discipline and its value to a case will speak volumes in solving the crime. Good, solid forensics unquestionably should be the ultimate goal of anyone involved in the field of law enforcement. Good, solid forensics not only applies to the general types of evidence we commonly find at a crime scene (latent fingerprints, shoe and tire impressions), but it also includes that which we all too often ignore as evidence.

All too often law enforcement personnel will enter a crime scene and unwittingly contaminate it or destroy evidence by their mere presence, many times because they are not aware of the significance of what they see. It is through this guidebook I hope to show the value of that other type of physical evidence that is often overlooked or ignored. That other type of evidence I am referring to is insect evidence.

Forensic entomology is a discipline that many investigators and crime scene personnel fail to recognize for its evidentiary value because of the very nature of the scene. Many times the distaste for creepy crawly things on decomposing flesh does not sit well with investigators and technicians alike. While this type of crime scene can be extremely challenging, they are, nevertheless, important to any investigator seeking to answer questions. These questions commonly asked are, How long has this individual been dead? Is this the primary scene, or was the body moved? What was the cause and manner of death? Forensic entomology, through the use of insects, is a discipline that can help answer such questions.

Observing, recognizing, documenting, photographing, and collecting valuable evidence is an important step in crime scene work, and insect evidence is no different; first, though, insects must too be viewed as evidence. Far too often I have read reports about crime scene detectives and technicians overlooking insects on death scene only to wonder later in the investigation what the time of death could be. I have observed medical examiners wash away the maggots and beetles from a decomposing body that lay on a gurney. Evidence that is not properly recognized and documented is of no value to any investigation. We need to become aware that insects are valuable pieces of evidence and should be viewed as our forensic friends.

This pictorial guide is intended to provide simple, step-by-step procedures for the crime scene technician and investigator alike in the basic entomological collection at the death or homicide scene. We will explore what forensic entomology is and why it is a vital tool to any crime scene toolbox. Once we gain an understanding of how insects can assist us in our investigation, will we begin to get a better understanding of these insects and their importance? When insects of forensic importance arrive at a death scene, they usually do so in a systematic pattern. We will begin to understand the head-down concept that is so common on many insect-related death scenes, and why insects feed in this type of pattern. When we approach a death scene with only the head being skeletonized, we can think of this head-down approach by the blowflies. We will begin to appreciate that the body recovered from the scene as an ecosystem that attracts many different types of insects, many of forensic importance. We will begin to see the importance of a standardized and systematic approach when we begin to process our scene, and of the entomological collection procedures that we will take.

When death occurs, certain biological changes occur over time, which attracts different species of insects to the body, many times within minutes of death.

Blowflies are the first witnesses to the death scene other then the suspect himself/herself. Insects properly documented, collected, and analyzed can tell quite a story about the death scene—we only need to give them a chance to speak.

Acknowledgements

While writing this book on a subject I find fascinating and rewarding, I would like to acknowledge those individuals that have helped me in my chosen profession, and who continue to provide their support and friendship.

To Ralph Barfield, who tirelessly put up with me and helped me develop my interest in solving crime through science.

To Dr. Jason Byrd, my mentor who, for the past seven years, has helped me to strive higher and higher in achieving my educational goals! I will never forget the first time I introduced myself to you at a conference, spoke of my interest, and without hesitation you walked with me through the campus of VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University), assisting me