Virtual forensic entomology: Improving estimates of minimum post-mortem interval with 3D micro-computed tomography

Post-mortem computed tomography in adults

There has been increasing interest in recent years in a new application of cross-sectional imaging, that of investigation of cause of death. A perceived public distaste for invasive autopsy, fuelled in part by the organ retention scandals of the late 1990s, coupled with disquiet about the fitness-for-practice of the coronial system, has led to a search for a less invasive alternative. A post-mo...

Post - mortem computed tomography ( PMCT ) techniques in forensic investigations of fatal gunshot wounds

Gene expression during blow fly development: improving the precision of age estimates in forensic entomology.

Forensic entomologists use size and developmental stage to estimate blow fly age, and from those, a postmortem interval. Since such estimates are generally accurate but often lack precision, particularly in the older developmental stages, alternative aging methods would be advantageous. Presented here is a means of incorporating developmentally regulated gene expression levels into traditional ...

Post-feeding larval behaviour in the blowfly, Calliphora vicina: effects on post-mortem interval estimates.

Using the rate of development of blowflies colonising a corpse, accumulated degree hours (ADH), or days (ADD), is an established method used by forensic entomologists to estimate the post-mortem interval (PMI). Derived from laboratory experiments, their application to field situations needs care. This study examines the effect of the post-feeding larval dispersal time on the ADH and therefore t...

A Mobile, Multi Camera Setup for 3D Full Body Imaging in Combination with Post-Mortem Computed Tomography Procedures

Three dimensional (3D) models of deceased and injured people in combination with 3D scans of injury causing objects can assist forensic investigations in reconstructing event scenes. Medical imaging techniques, such as post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) and post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging (PMMR), have been successfully applied to forensic investigations and can add beneficial value t...