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Review
. 2021 Apr 1;12(4):314.
doi: 10.3390/insects12040314.

Post-Mortem Interval Estimation Based on Insect Evidence: Current Challenges

Szymon Matuszewski  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Post-Mortem Interval Estimation Based on Insect Evidence: Current Challenges

Szymon Matuszewski. Insects. .

Abstract

During death investigations insects are used mostly to estimate the post-mortem interval (PMI). These estimates are only as good as they are close to the true PMI. Therefore, the major challenge for forensic entomology is to reduce the estimation inaccuracy. Here, I review literature in this field to identify research areas that may contribute to the increase in the accuracy of PMI estimation. I conclude that research on the development and succession of carrion insects, thermogenesis in aggregations of their larvae and error rates of the PMI estimation protocols should be prioritized. Challenges of educational and promotional nature are discussed as well, particularly in relation to the collection of insect evidence.

Keywords: carrion insects; development; forensic entomology; succession; validation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sources of inaccuracy in the estimation of the post-mortem interval (PMI) based on insect evidence. Green circles represent the sources, their size represents importance of the sources. Pictures of insects were made by Anna Mądra-Bielewicz (Poznań, Poland).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Differences between the true and estimated PMI plotted against the true PMI for the estimations based on insect development that were referenced in Table 5.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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