Book Title: Modern Forensic Tools and Devices: Trends in Criminal Investigation
Editors: Mr. Ravi Kumar, Ms. Nandini Katare, Don Caeiro, and Dr. Surbhi Girdhar
Chapter: 18
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59646/658/18
Author: Jayshree
Abstract
Forensic entomology is a subfield of forensic science that uses insects and other arthropods to facilitate criminal investigations. This science offers important information on legal issues through investigations into the biodiversity, biology, ecology, and behavior of insects on a corpse or at a crime scene. This is a scientific area whereby arthropod science overlaps the law system and answers important questions concerning criminal and civil laws. In this field, the observation of the developmental patterns and behaviors of insects and necrophagous species, in particular, are used by forensic entomologists to deliver valuable evidence in court proceedings, both human and wildlife-related investigations (Rivers, 2016). In addition to its main role in medico-legal areas of practice (homicide, suicide and suspicious death), forensic entomology has also been used in civil cases, in particular, the discovery of decomposing/mutilated body parts in case of investigation, provides strong evidential value. The research can be used in solving forensic cases, through the investigation of arthropod life cycles, and succession on remains, which is an interdisciplinary science. This method of analysis allows to estimate the time of death after death, to restore the conditions at the scene of a crime, and to identify possible toxicological agents in a dead body. The application of forensic entomology can be generally divided into urban, stored product and medico-legal sub fields which meet different investigative requirements. In particular, urban entomology studies the infestations of pests in urban settings and associated structural damages, whereas stored-product entomology deals with arthropod contamination of food and other products (Bansode et al., 2025). The most notable subfield, which is called medico-legal entomology, is the direct application of the study of arthropods to criminal investigations, particularly in the determination of the post-mortem interval and other factors contributing to death. In this field of forensic entomology one might involve determining the species of the insects, their life cycles and successful succession patterns on decaying corpses to determine precisely how long ago the death occurred. This is an essential estimation that helps to reduce populations of suspects and supports alibis in complicated death investigations.