What we once thought of as just pests.... we now know that insects can aid in the solving of crimes where bodies are found and the time and cause of death are unknown.  There are three categories of Forensic Entomology: ...medicolegal ...urban ...stored product pests For the purposes of our criminal studies, we will be looking at the necrophagous (or carrion) feeding insects that typically infest human remains.  It should be mentioned, however, that the study of insects has also led to the prosecution of individuals found guilty of child neglect, and failure to clean wounds on the elderly in nursing homes.  Some insects can actual violate a crime seen. For example, roaches tend to drag blood spatterings when the travel through the scene leading misleading spatterings.   Because flies regurgitate after eating, they may feed on pooled blood and leaving "spatters" in locations which are not actually part of the crime scene.

Beetle maggot and pupa cases....

Blowfly maggot and pupa cases.....

Maggot mass on cadaver.....