Quote:
Originally Posted by drcoastline
Some years ago I saw on 60 minutes 20/20 or some simliar show a story about "forensic farms". These are place Coroners and forensic experts go to train and learn how the body decomposes under various conditions.
They may take oe body and place it in a car with the windows up in the sun, another with the windows down, another they may put the car with the body in it in a lake or pond.Other bodies they may just lay on the ground exposed with and with out clothing. Some partially buried, some in plastic bags, etc.
From that show to this day I look at road kill to judge how long it has been laying there. The show stated that flies will arrive almost instantly and begin laying eggs. They are attracked to the openings in bodies, Eyes, nasal passages, anus, vagina and open wounds. The eggs hatch within hours, the larvae will eat a body from the inside out as they want the moisture and blood source.
Whenever I sit down to eat and a fly shows up I immediately think of that show. It was very interesting.
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The Body Farm! Always wanted to go there. Been trying to get work to send me.
Maggot activity is one of the main sources we use for determining length of death. Its fairly accurate but a lot of other factors effect it also. Temp, location , etc... So have to add it all together.
Once you get past a certain point of decomposition, It becomes more difficult to determine date of death. With a fresh body, we can usually pinpoint time of death to within an hour or two.
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