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CLEVELAND — Pest management professionals are well trained in insect identification and, because of the nature of their work, are able to “stomach” unpleasant situations, such as an encounter with an animal carcass in a crawlspace. The same can be said for forensic entomologists, investigators that employ the use of insects such as flies maggots, and beetles to reveal critical details of a crime scene.
It makes sense that many pest management professionals have become interested and, in some cases, involved in forensic entomology (see story below).
A new traveling exhibit titled “CSI: Crime Scene Insects,” gives those interested in forensic entomology a glimpse at this fascinating area of study.
PCT recently had an opportunity to visit this exhibit during its stop at the HealthSpace Cleveland museum.
“Our major focus at HealthSpace Cleveland is to provide health information and education and death is related to health,” said John Litel, marketing and public relations manager of HealthSpace Cleveland. “This exhibit focuses on the role insects play when people die, specifically in determining the time of death, causes of death and what was in that person’s system.”
Actor William Peterson of the TV show “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and Lee Goff, curator of "CSI: Crime Scene Insects" introduce the exhibit in a video clip. Goff is considered one of the world’s leading forensic entomologists. He trains for the FBI and other law enforcement agencies and is an advisor for the TV show “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”
Other exhibit highlights include:
The exhibit will be on tour throughout North America through 2007. Below is a list of dates and locations:
Spring 2005 — Memphis, Tennessee Pink Palace Museum
Summer 2005 — North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Raleigh, North Carolina
Fall 2005 — Virginia Marine Science Museum Virginia Beach, Virginia
Spring 2006 — New York Hall of Science Queens, New York
Summer 2006 — Milwaukee Public Museum Milwaukee, Wisconsin (TENTATIVE)
Fall 2006 — Indiana State Museum Indianapolis, Indiana
Spring 2007 — TENATIVE
Summer 2007 — TENATIVE
Fall 2007 — Florida Museum of Natural History Gainesville, Florida (TENTATIVE)
(Italics indicates that a contract is pending or that the space is open.) HOW DO I BECOME INVOLVED?
How can pest management professionals become involved in forensic entomology? It can be done, but it takes the right contacts. One such individual who has become involved in forensic entomology work is Peter La Scala, an entomologist and owner/operator of Pest Eliminators Inc., Albuquerque, N.M. The person who lit the fire under La Scala to become involved in forensic entomology was the late Dr. Paul Catts, La Scala’s former professor at the University of Delaware and one of the world’s top forensic entomologists. La Scala ran into Catts at an Entomological Society of America meeting in 1989 and Catts asked him if he had an interest in forensic entomology. “I liked the uniqueness of the science itself and I guess I liked the gory aspect of it,” La Scala said. “When I got back to Albuquerque I got in touch with the medical examiner’s office and made them aware that I was available to assist anyone at any time.” In 1996 La Scala’s friend, Albuquerque Police Chief Joe Polisar, called upon him to assist in a murder case called the “Torreon Cabin Killings.” The case involved the death of a pair of boys, ages three and four, who were locked in a closet and died of dehydration. Two adult gang members were accused of the murders. The bodies of the two young boys were discovered in April 1996 but the gang members had alibis for April and months leading up to the discovery of the bodies. La Scala was brought in to help determine the time of death. He visited the crime scene and collected insect evidence. “I am an entomologist by training, so I knew exactly what I needed to look for,” La Scala said. “I looked on all the window sills for all the emerged flies because I knew that when they emerge off the bodies they would fly to the windows and die on the windows.” La Scala found flies and beetle evidence everywhere. By the time all of the insects were collected, most of the flies had already emerged, pupal cases were present and dermestid beetles were found. La Scala then collected national weather service data. After collecting both the insect evidence and weather data he turned his findings over to Dr. Neal Haskell, generally regarded as the world’s only full-time forensic entomologist. Haskell determined that although the bodies were not discovered until April 1996, the killings occurred in December 1995. Police investigators used this forensic entomology evidence, as well as other collected data, to focus on December 1995. The suspects did not have strong alibis for this time and investigators were able to track the suspects to the crime. La Scala says his work on the Torreon Cabin Killings, one of about 12 cases he has worked on in five years, was a good example of his involvement in forensic entomology. “I work it from basic level, like ground research, collect data, put time tables together, collect insect evidence, preserve it properly, review autopsy reports,” he said. “I do everything up to point of determining postmortem interval. At that point I turn it over to someone like Neal who has more than 500 cases under his belt and is skilled at testifying in court. “I am also limited because of my level of education. If a forensic entomologist is going to be brought in as an expert witness it would be someone like Neal who has a doctorate.” Still, La Scala enjoys his role in forensic entomology and believes pest management professionals are well suited for assisting in crime scene investigations on some level. He says pest management professionals know that the two major groups, flies and beetles, undergo complete metamorpheses and they can distinguish between different stages. “Pest management professionals encounter structural pests, such as beetles and flies, in various stages infesting a structure or furniture or skunk under a house. Those different stages are also used by forensic entomologists,” La Scala said. “They know how to recognize eggs, larvae, pupae, where to find pupae and know how to recognize an adult fly or adult beetle.” — From PCT magazine, May 2002, “Using Insects to Solve Crimes”, author Brad Harbison