Citation

Hitosugi M, Chigusa Y, Ishii K, Kido M, Kurosu A, Nagai T, Matsuda H, Tokudome S. Acta Criminol. Med. Leg. Jpn. 2007; 73(2): 31-35.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Japanese Association of Criminology)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

An 18-year-old missing woman was found in a trunk of the car. Autopsy findings revealed the fractures of the body of the hyoid bone and hemorrhages of the surrounding soft tissues. The fly larvae attached on the body were identified as the third instar larvae of the flesh fly, Boettcherisca peregrina (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830) (Diptera : Sarcophagidae) with rearing to the adult, and estimated to be about 9 to 21 day-old with considering ambient temperature. These findings were well accordance with the claim in the suspect's suicide note. In this case, because the suspect committed suicide the scientific evidence that the woman had been killed before the suspect's death was needed. This case emphasized that both forensic autopsy findings and entomological examination could provide a window of time in which the suspect had committed the crime.

Language: ja

Keywords

Crime; Autopsy; Fly larvae; Forensic entomology; Postmortem interval