FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY: SCIENCE, APPLICATION, AND LEGAL SIGNIFICANCE IN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS

Forensic entomology is the scientific application of insect biology to legal investigations, most
notably in the determination of post-mortem interval (PMI) and the circumstances surrounding
suspicious or unexplained deaths. This article provides a comprehensive examination of the
discipline, encompassing its historical development, the biological mechanisms underpinning
its methodology, practical collection protocols, and its evidentiary value within the legal
system. It explores how the predictable colonisation patterns of carrion-feeding arthropods—
particularly blowflies of the family Calliphoridae—serve as reliable biological clocks capable
of estimating time since death with considerable precision. The paper further addresses
contemporary advances in molecular identification, the influence of environmental variables
on insect succession, and the challenges of presenting entomological evidence in court.
Through an analysis of documented case studies and peer-reviewed literature, this article
demonstrates that forensic entomology represents an indispensable and scientifically rigorous
tool in the arsenal of modern criminal investigation.
Keywords: forensic entomology, post-mortem interval, blowfly succession, carrion
arthropods, medicocriminal entomology, decomposition, time of death