Flies and a Rolled Up Carpet: the Sylvia Hunt Murder Case

The Sylvia Hunt case about forensic entomology

Vocabulary Forensic entomology: scientific study of insects as it applies to criminal cases to help determine postmortem interval (time since death), possible movement of body and other clues to circumstances before and after death Medical Examiner: medical doctor who ascertains cause of death, especially for those deaths not occurring under natural circumstances

Entomology: a scientific study of insects Ambient temperature: temperature of surrounding air Climatological: weather related

Oviposition: egg deposition, especially for insects Phaenicia sericata: green bottle (blow)fly Phormia regina: black blow fly death-munching-blow-flies

More crime scene blow flies

Postmortem interval: (PMI) time since death Accumulated degree hour (ADH): a given amount of thermal energy needed to develop from one stage of an insect life cycle to the next

Blowfly Introduction The blow fly lays its eggs on dead animals to provide food for its carnivorous larvae as they hatch. In nature, the life cycle of the blow fly is part of the decomposition process of dead bodies. Entomologists have studied this process enabling them to estimate the time since death by examining which stage of growth blow fly is in when found on a cadaver. The forensic entomologist conducts examinations at crime scenes and examines the insect evidence found there to bring evidence to court cases involving human cadavers.

To make a determination, scientists make visual observations, collect insect evidence, determine the stages of development, and calculate the time of initial deposit of the blow fly eggs on the cadaver. In the laboratory scientists rears collected specimens to confirm the species and more accurately establish the stage of growth. They then compile their findings and make a “best guess estimate” as to how long the cadaver has been dead.

Entomologists have researched and found evidence that insects require a given amount of heat/thermal energy to develop from one stage to the next of its life cycle. And this is called accumulated degree hour (ADH) or accumulated degree day (ADD). life cycle stages (constant), temperature (variable), time between the life cycle stages (variable), and ADH (constant).

The Silvia Hunt Case case information

Make a timeline For # 5 on the back of your paper: Draw this: Sept.

Questions to ask yourself… 1. When did the first flies hatch? 2. How old are the oldest new flies? 3. what did Hernandez do to the body? 4. When did the majority of the flies hatch? 5. what is going on?.... 6. ……

Murder Timeline