Insects as forensic indicators: analysis of some cases

Abstract

Forensic Entomology is the branch of forensic science in which information about
insects is used to draw conclusions when investigating legal cases related to both human and
animals. It is the broad field where arthropod science and judicial system interact. It deals
mainly with the postmortem interval or changes. In this paper three cases of human corpses
attacked by Dipteran insects are reported. The first case describes the putrefied corpse of a
newborn. The other two cases concern two men in their forties. One of them was apparently
drunk when he died. Insects recorded are Sarcophaga tibialis and Chrysomya marginalis.