Use of necrophagous insects as evidence of cadaver relocation: myth or reality?

Abstract

The use of insects as indicators of post-mortem displacement is discussed in many texts, courses and TV shows, and several studies addressing this issue have been published. Although the concept is widely cited, it is poorly understood, and only a few forensic cases have successfully applied such a method. The use of necrophagous insects as evidence of cadaver relocation actually involves a wide range of biological aspects. Distribution, microhabitat, phenology, behavioral ecology, and molecular analysis are among the research areas associated with this topic. This article provides the first review of the current knowledge and addresses the potential and limitations of different methods to evaluate their applicability. This work reveals numerous weaknesses and erroneous beliefs as well as many possibilities and research opportunities.

Keywords: Biotope; Blow flies; Crime scene investigation; Forensic entomology; Forensic pathology; Larvae; Necrophagous; Taphonomy.

Figure 1. The distribution of Cynomya mortuorum in Europe (source: http://www.gbif.org, 09/2016).

Although not reflected in the above map or represented in the source database, this species is present in northern France (Bourel et al., 1999), the mountains of central France and Italy (S. Vanin, 2017, unpublished data). This map is truncated due to a lack of published/registered data rather than to geographical restriction.