Effect of Burning on Minimum Post-Mortem Interval (minPMI) Estimation from an Entomological Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/aefs.32472Keywords:
Blow fly oviposition; forensic entomology; minimum post-mortem interval; Crow-Glassman Scale; fire, burnt bodies, blow fly oviposition, forensic entomology, minimum post-mortem interval, Crow-Glasman scale, fire, burnt bodiesAbstract
Forensic entomologists are often employed to estimate the minimum post-mortem interval of bodies in cases of untimely or unexplained death. Although some cases have involved burnt remains, few studies have been carried out to assess whether entomology can still be utilised. Only one major study has been carried out which determined that even after a major house fire, blow fly larvae can still be identified and used to estimate a minimum post-mortem interval. Most studies have investigated whether burning affects the attraction of blow flies to burnt bodies, and their subsequent oviposition. Results vary, but suggest that blow flies may be more likely to oviposit on bodies which have undergone considerable burning, where the splitting of the skin has resulted in the exposure of suitable oviposition sites, whereas bodies only mildly burnt may be too dry for oviposition. In addition, although most studies have utilised some type of accelerant to facilitate the burning, this has not been taken into account with regards to blow fly attraction or larval development. This review paper gives an overview of the current literature relating to burnt bodies and the use of entomology to estimate a minimum post-mortem interval in such cases.
References
Amendt, J., C. P. Campobasso, E. Gaudry, C. Reiter, H. N. LeBlanc and M. J. R. Hall. 2007. “Best practice in forensic entomology—standards and guidelines.” International Journal of Legal Medicine 121: 90–104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-006-0086-x
Amendt, J., R. Krettek and R. Zehner. 2004. “Forensic entomology.” Naturwissenschaften 91: 51–65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-003-0493-5
Ames, C. and B. Turner. 2003. “Low temperature episodes in the development of blowflies: Implications for postmortem interval estimation.” Medical and Veterinary Entomology 17(2): 178.
Anderson, G. S. 2005. “Effects of Arson on Forensic Entomology Evidence. Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal 38(2): 49–67. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2915.2003.00421.x
Avila, F. W. and M. L. Goff. 1998. “Arthropod succession patterns onto burnt carrion in two contrasting habitats in the Hawaiian Islands.” Journal of Forensic Sciences 43(3): 581–586. https://doi.org/10.1520/jfs16184j
Bhadra, P., A. Hart and M. J. R. Hall. 2014. “Factors affecting accessibility of bodies disposed in suitcases to blowflies.” Forensic Science International 239: 62–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.03.020
Bohnert, M., T. Rost and S. Pollak. 1998. “The degree of destruction of human bodies in relation to the duration of the fire.” Forensic Science International 95: 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0379-0738(98)00076-0
Bourel, B., B. Callet, V. Hedouni and D. Gosset. 2003. “Flies eggs: A new method for the estimation of short-term post-mortem interval?” Forensic Science International 135: 27–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0379-0738(03)00157-9
Busvine, J. R. 1980. Insects and Hygiene, 3rd edition. London: Chapman and Hall. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3198-6
Campobasso, C. P., G. Di Vella and F. Introna. 2001. “Factors affecting decomposition and Diptera colonization.” Forensic Science International 120: 18–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0379-0738(01)00411-X
Caserio, N., J. Wenzlaff, T. Caligiuri, D. Luevanos and A. Lubrano. 2014. “The accelerating effects of burning on carrion decomposition.” Instars: A Journal of Student Research 1. https://journals.tdl.org/instars/index.php/instars/article/view/10. Date accessed: 26 Jun. 2016.
Catts, E. P. 1992. “Problems in estimating the postmortem interval in death investigations.” Journal of Agricultural Entomology 9(4): 245–255.
Catts, E. P. and M.L. Goff. 1992. “Forensic entomology in criminal investigations.” Annual Review of Entomology 37: 253–272. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.en.37.010192.001345
Fanton, L., F. Jdeed, S. Tilhet-Coartet and D. Malicier. 2006. “Criminal burning.” Forensic Science International 158: 87–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2005.04.040
Gennard, D. E. 2007. Forensic Entomology: An Introduction. John Wiley & Sons.
Glassman, D. M. and R. M. Crow. 1996. “Standardization model for describing the extent of burn injury to human remains.” Journal of Forensic Sciences 41(1): 152–154. https://doi.org/10.1520/jfs13915j
Goff, M. L. 1992. “Problems in estimation of post-mortem interval resulting from wrapping of the corpse: A case study from Hawaii.” Journal of Agricultural Entomology 9(4): 237–243.
Gruenthal, A., C. Moffatt and T. Simmons. 2012. “Differential decomposition patterns in charred versus un-charred remains.” Journal of Forensic Sciences 57(1): 12–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2011.01909.x
Hall, M., A. Whitaker and C. Richards. 2012. “Forensic entomology.” In Forensic Ecology Handbook: From Crime Scene to Court, edited by N. Márquez-Grant and J. Roberts, 111–140. Ocxford: Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118374016.ch8
Hart, A. J., A. P. Whitaker and M. J. R. Hall. 2008. “The use of forensic entomology in criminal investigations: How it can be of benefit to SIOs.” The Journal of Homicide and Major Incident Investigation 4(1): 37–47.
Heo, C. C., M. A. Marwi, A. F. M. Salleh, J. Jeffery, H. Kurahashi and B. Omar. 2008. “Study of insect succession and rate of decomposition on a partially burned pig carcass in an oil palm plantation in Malaysia.” Tropical Biomedicine 25(3): 202–208.
Introna, F., C. P. Campobasso and A. Di Fazio. 1999. “Three case studies in forensic entomology from Southern Italy.” Journal of Forensic Sciences 43(1): 210–214.
Introna, F., C. P. Campobasso and M. L. Goff. 2001. “Entomotoxicology.” Forensic Science International 120: 42–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0379-0738(01)00418-2
Kolver, J. H. 2009. “Forensic entomology: The influence of the burning of a body on insect succession and calculation of the post-mortem interval.” Unpublished PhD thesis, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Mahat, N. A., N. L. Zainol-Abidin, N.H. Nordin, R. Abdul-Wahab and P. T. Jayaprakash. 2016. “Patterns of oviposition and development of Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on burned rabbit carcasses.” Forensic Science International 260: 9–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.12.047
Mann, R. W., W. M. Bass and L. Meadows. 1990. “Time since death and decomposition of the human body: Variables and observations in case and experimental field studies.” Journal of Forensic Sciences 35: 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1520/JFS12806J
Mashaly, A. M. A. 2016. “Entomofaunal succession patterns on burnt and unburnt rabbit carrion.” Journal of Medical Entomology 53(2): 296–303. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjv202
McCarthy, K. 2016. “What is the effect of burning cadavers on blow fly oviposition and larval development?” Unpublished BA (Hons) thesis, University of Winchester, UK.
McIntosh, C. S., I. R. Dadour and S. C. Voss. 2017. “A comparison of carcass decomposition and associated insect succession onto burnt and unburnt pig carcasses.” International Journal of Legal Medicine 131: 835. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-016-1464-7
Nuorteva, P., M. Isokoski and K. Laiho. 1967. “Studies on the possibilities of using blowflies (Dipt.) as medico-legal indicators in Finland.” Annales Entomologici Fennici 33: 217–255.
Oliveira-Costa, J., C. M. D. Lamego, M. S. Couri and C. A. Mello-Patiu. 2014. “ Differential Diptera succession patterns onto partially burned and unburned pig carrion in southeastern Brazil.” Brazilian Journal of Biology 74(4): 870–876. https://doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.06113
Pacheco, V. A. 2015. “Served medium rare: The effect of burnt remains on oviposition, survival and fitness of the local blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) community.” Unpublished MSc thesis, University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Pacheco, V. A. and S. L. VanLaerhoven. Submitted. “Flame impingement affects survivorship and development of Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on securely wrapped remains.” Journal of Medical Entomology.
Pai, C-Y., M-C. Jien, L-H. Li, Y-Y. Cheng and C-H. Yang. 2007. “Application of forensic entomology to postmortem interval determination of a burned human corpse: a homicide case report from southern Taiwan.” Journal of the Formosan Medical Association 106(9): 792–798. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0929-6646(08)60043-1
Payne, J. A. and E. W. King. 1972. “Insect succession and decomposition of pig carcasses in water.” Journal of the Georgia Entomological Society 73: 153–162.
Payne, J. A., E. W. King and G. Beinhart. 1968. “Arthropod succession and decomposition of buried pigs.” Nature 219: 1180–1181. https://doi.org/10.1038/2191180a0
Vanin, S., E. Zanotti, D. Gibelli, A. Taborelli, S. Andreola and C. Cattaneo. 2013. “Decomposition and entomological colonization of charred bodies—a pilot study.” Croatian Medical Journal 54: 387–393. https://doi.org/10.3325/cmj.2013.54.387
Voss, S. C., S. L. Forbes and I. R. Dadour. 2008. “Decomposition and insect succession on cadavers inside a vehicle environment.” Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology 4: 22–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-007-0028-z
Warren, M. 2008. “Detection of Commingling in Cremated Human Remains.” In Recovery, Analysis, and Identification of Commingled Human Remains, edited by B. Adams and J. Byrd, 185–197. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-316-5_9
