Case report of a preserved male corpse: estimation of post-mortem interval based on four Dipteran species of four different families

Victor Wilson Botteon; Anderson Gaedke; Victor Michelon Alves

doi:10.12741/ebrasilis.v17.e1078

Authors

Victor Wilson Botteon Polícia Científica do Estado de Santa Catarina, Florianópilis, SC, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2660-3796
Anderson Gaedke Polícia Científica do Estado de Santa Catarina, Florianópilis, SC, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9285-6599
Victor Michelon Alves Polícia Científica do Estado de Santa Catarina, Florianópilis, SC, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0006-7558

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12741/ebrasilis.v17.e1078

Keywords:

Calliphoridae, Forensic Entomology, Fannidae, Muscidae, Sarcophagidae

Abstract

Case reports are extremely valuable in forensic entomology and very rare in Brazil. In this report we describe a case of multiple colonization of a preserved male cadaver found indoors in Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil, by four dipterans species of four different families: Fannia canicularis (Linnaeus, 1761) (Diptera: Fanniidae), Microcerella halli (Engel, 1931) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), Muscina stabulans (Fallén, 1817) (Diptera: Muscidae) and Sarconesia chlorogaster (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Calliphoridae). The development time data of the species were used to estimate the minimum postmortem interval (PMI). Considering the methodology applied in this study and the values calculated for the species development, it was possible to estimate a minimum PMI of 24 days. Besides the diversity of dipteran species colonizing a single human body in an indoor environment, this case report reinforces the importance of these species as forensically indicator to estimate the time of death.

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