Case Report in Forensic Anthropology: Animal and Insect Factors in Decomposition of Homicide Victim

The partial skeleton of a young person was recovered below a mountain road in southeastern British Columbia in the late spring of 1985. Postcranial bone fragments were widely scattered and severely chewed by scavenging animals. By contrast, the skull was found by the roadside in many pieces which were free of chew marks. This damage was interpreted as due to firearms trauma. Insect larvae on the decomposing remains were reared at Simon Fraser University until taxonomically identifiable adults were obtained. Analysis of insect life cycle information, combined with meteorological data, indicated that the victim's body had been dumped between October, 1983 and June, 1984. Subsequent analysis showed that the victim was a sub-adult male who had been shot in the head on March 17, 1984. It is concluded that careful field collection and analysis of animal and insect activity by a coordinated team involving police and university professionals can provide sophisticated forensic evidence in homicide investigations.