Death investigation week1

4-6 pages S

Please note that you are required to support your views by citing your sources in all assignments. Even if the question asks for your opinion, you are still expected to support your opinion with references to published works and other materials. APA Format is necessary for your assignments when citing references, and assistance on how to do so is available using the APA Citation Center.

• Choose Library from the top navigation bar.


• Choose APA Citation Center from the left navigation bar.


• Click Example Sources.


• Scroll down and click APA Documentation.

For more information on citing your sources, please click on "About this Course" link in the classroom.

Forensic entomology (FE) is the study of insects as it relates to criminal or civil investigations. In criminal cases, it is used to determine postmortem interval. In civil cases, FE may be used because of the introduction of insects into a consumer product or infestation of a structure. A blowfly is an insect commonly used to aid in the determination of postmortem interval.

Research the use of the blowfly in determining postmortem interval.

• Describe the stages of the life cycle of the blowfly? 


• How long is its life cycle (hours/days/weeks/years)? 


• How does temperature and moisture affect the length of the blowfly’s life cycle? 


• When time of death is in question, what is the process by which a forensic entomologist would collect samples? 


• What other information must an FE gather at the scene during the investigation? 


• What does the FE attempt to accomplish after gathering samples and information and bringing the items back to the laboratory? 


• How does the infestation of the blowfly affect the rate of decomposition? 


• After certain lengths of time, other insects infest the remains of a body. Provide examples of the other insects that do this. What are the time intervals in which infestation occurs?