Estimating Post-mortem Intervals of Wildlife Carcasses Using Necrophilous Insects
The succession and species composition of necrophilous insects on animal carcasses can be used by wildlife law enforcement officers for estimating postmortem interval (PMI) at suspicious death scenes. Necrophilous insects infesting wildlife carcasses (Louisiana black bear, white-tailed deer, and alligator) in a woodland habitat were monitored during the spring of 1999 to eventually develop a guide for estimating PMI by wildlife officers based on an insect database. The study was conducted at the Waddill Outdoor Educational Center in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. An overview of the...
