Sep 01, 2022 14:00:00

Research is underway to reproduce the ``corpse hidden in the suitcase'' and estimate the time of death

Murderers and other criminals may hide the victim's body 'in a suitcase or refrigerator' and abandon it. In Japan, there have been reports of

cases in which suitcases containing bodies were found at golf courses and train stations , and in August 2022, in New Zealand, ``a body was found in a suitcase that was bid at an auction.'' has occurred. Meanwhile, forensic researchers looking for clues to criminal cases by examining the corpse are conducting experiments to reproduce the ``body in the suitcase'' and estimate the time of death.

When remains are found in a suitcase, forensics can learn a lot from the insects trapped within
https://theconversation.com/when-remains-are-found-in-a-suitcase-forensics-can-learn-a-lot-from-the-insects-trapped-within-189315

According to Paola Magni, a lecturer in forensic medicine at Murdoch University in Australia, it's not uncommon for the bodies of murder victims to be stored in places such as suitcases, bags, trash cans on wheels, refrigerators and car trunks. .

In particular, suitcases are just the right size to hide a corpse and are easy to obtain. Suitcases with wheels have the advantage of being easy to move with the corpse inside, and they can hide the putrid odor leaking out of the corpse for a while. . Delaying the discovery of the body gives the criminal time to create an alibi or escape.

A common corpse is attacked by insects during the post-mortem decomposition process. In particular,

blowflies , fleshflies , houseflies , fleas , etc. have an advanced olfactory system that detects putrid odors, and if a body is left in a warm environment, it will lay eggs within a few hours after death, and the larvae that hatch from there will become the body. It is said that he will start eating.

Forensic scientists can estimate the time of death from the type and number of insects gathered in the corpse, see through the behavior of criminals, and look for traces of poisons and drugs from the exoskeleton of insects that decompose the corpse. .

However, isolated environments such as suitcases and refrigerators can slow or completely block insects' arrival. This is a big problem for forensic researchers, but forensic research that focuses on ``how the suitcase-like environment changes the involvement of insects in the corpse'' has received little attention so far. thing.

Therefore, Magni et al.'s research team is conducting a large-scale experiment to reproduce ``a body in a suitcase or a wheeled trash can'' at an experimental facility in Western Australia . The research team put the carcasses of stillborn piglets in a total of 70 suitcases and wheeled trash cans and left them there from early winter to summer 2022 (the period from early summer to winter in Japan in the northern hemisphere). The data will be presented at a global forensic conference in February 2023. Below is a picture of the experimental facility with trash cans and suitcases.

The research team measured temperature, humidity, and rainfall inside and outside suitcases and trash cans, and also placed suitcases and trash cans without piglet corpses as a control group to analyze insects attracted to the corpses. increase.

Western Australia at the time of writing the article is a cold and rainy winter, but it was confirmed that blowfly eggs were laid around the zipper within a month after placing the suitcase. In addition, blowfly larvae, flea flies, and beetles on the corpse were also found inside some of the suitcases, and it is believed that blowflies and beetles entered the interior through the gaps in the zipper at the larval stage. . On the other hand, fleas are so small that adults can pass through the zipper and lay eggs directly on the corpse, Magni points out.

Large flies and beetles that become adults in the suitcase cannot get out of the suitcase. Forensic scientists can learn a wealth of information about the corpse by analyzing the types of insects accumulated inside.

'Investigating a body in a suitcase is like a Pandora's box with complex problems,' Magni said. You can have a treasure trove of critical information that can help you solve it.'