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Real-life CSI work might sound glamourous but it involves maggots – lots of maggots - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
‘Maggot location can be an important clue
Flies are the most common decomposition insect found at a crime scene, and their location, age and even the contents of their stomachs can tell the forensic investigator a great deal about what might have happened.
"A fly that lays eggs on a decomposing body will lay the eggs in specific places, where the little maggots, which are very tiny and very delicate, can get inside the body — nose, eyes, mouth, ears.
"But if you find maggots somewhere else, on the palms of the hands, then something has to ring bells in your mind. Why are bugs there?
"The mother fly is not stupid enough to lay eggs in a place where the little ones will not be able to eat and get inside and feed and survive.
"Maybe there are small defence wounds that opened skin and allowed flies to get in."
In other situations, an insect might hold a vital, tiny clue as to a cause of death.
"You are what you eat, and it's the same for insects," Dr Magni said.
"If a victim died because of poison or an overdose of a drug, the insect that is feeding on the body, the insects will have these drugs in their body."
In one case she worked on, Dr Magni was able to identify a single insect in an animal that had been poached, and through that insect identify the culprit.
Forensic work relies on control research so that scientific investigators can compare with what is known from laboratory and field work with what is found at crime scenes.
Zips and poisons tested
That's why her lab is full of dead flies and maggots.
In one corner, flies have been given antifreeze, a common enough accidental poison, and are being analysed by one of her students.
Another pair of masters students have been investigating the ability of maggots to penetrate zips in suitcases.
"It's easy for a perpetrator to dump a body in a suitcase because he has to carry the body somehow and a suitcase is perfect because it has wheels," she said.
"When the suitcase is closed, you think that nothing can come inside but flies can be very tiny.
"Big flies might simply lay their eggs on the zip of the suitcase and the little maggots are pretty squishy and can get inside and start colonising the body.
"They have a rush for reproduction, for growing, so nothing will stop them.
This experiment is the first of its kind in Australia and we have pretty interesting information."’
‘Maggot location can be an important clue
Flies are the most common decomposition insect found at a crime scene, and their location, age and even the contents of their stomachs can tell the forensic investigator a great deal about what might have happened.
"A fly that lays eggs on a decomposing body will lay the eggs in specific places, where the little maggots, which are very tiny and very delicate, can get inside the body — nose, eyes, mouth, ears.
"But if you find maggots somewhere else, on the palms of the hands, then something has to ring bells in your mind. Why are bugs there?
"The mother fly is not stupid enough to lay eggs in a place where the little ones will not be able to eat and get inside and feed and survive.
"Maybe there are small defence wounds that opened skin and allowed flies to get in."
In other situations, an insect might hold a vital, tiny clue as to a cause of death.
"You are what you eat, and it's the same for insects," Dr Magni said.
"If a victim died because of poison or an overdose of a drug, the insect that is feeding on the body, the insects will have these drugs in their body."
In one case she worked on, Dr Magni was able to identify a single insect in an animal that had been poached, and through that insect identify the culprit.
Forensic work relies on control research so that scientific investigators can compare with what is known from laboratory and field work with what is found at crime scenes.
Zips and poisons tested
That's why her lab is full of dead flies and maggots.
In one corner, flies have been given antifreeze, a common enough accidental poison, and are being analysed by one of her students.
Another pair of masters students have been investigating the ability of maggots to penetrate zips in suitcases.
"It's easy for a perpetrator to dump a body in a suitcase because he has to carry the body somehow and a suitcase is perfect because it has wheels," she said.
"When the suitcase is closed, you think that nothing can come inside but flies can be very tiny.
"Big flies might simply lay their eggs on the zip of the suitcase and the little maggots are pretty squishy and can get inside and start colonising the body.
"They have a rush for reproduction, for growing, so nothing will stop them.
This experiment is the first of its kind in Australia and we have pretty interesting information."’
