Dr. Amoret Whitaker – Crime Scene Insects
An elderly man stops responding to calls or visitors. A foul smell and the distant buzz of flies come from his apartment, prompting neighbors to call the police. Inside, they discover a body covered with larvae. Who’s the expert they call? Dr. Amoret Whitaker, the forensic entomologist.

Dr. Amoret Whitaker holding a petri dish containing blow fly larvae. Image © Dr. Martin Hall
Meet Dr. Amoret Whitaker
Dr. Amoret Whitaker is a leading forensic entomologist in the UK, specializing in using insect evidence to solve crimes. She is a Scientific Associate at the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London, collaborated with the “Body Farm”* in Tennessee, and is a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Investigation at the University of Winchester, teaching forensic ecology, medicine, imaging, and evidence reporting.
Amoret studied zoology at university with dreams of saving gorillas or polar bears. However, after viewing insects under a microscope, her fascination with them ultimately shaped her career. After completing her master's degree at the NHM in London, she began working with fleas, her favorite organisms, which opened unexpected opportunities. Since flea and fly collections are housed together at the NHM, she approached one of her fly colleagues and asked if he would agree to supervising her PhD in blow flies, thus initiating her path to a career as a forensic entomologist. A pivotal moment came, when she was assigned to work on a case, stepping in for her supervisor who was unavailable at the time. Reflecting on her journey, she credits "making the most of opportunities offered to me" for her deep dive into forensic entomology.

Not commonly used in forensic entomology, but still Amoret’s favorite organism. Her expertise on fleas helped her to solve a crime. Image: Adobe Stock
Did you know?
The earliest recorded use of insect evidence to solve a crime dates back to 13th-century China, as documented in a Chinese textbook on criminal investigations. In a murder that had taken place near a rice field, the victim was believed to have been killed with a sickle. But how do you identify which sickle was used?
The truth was revealed when the suspects were asked to lay down their sickles. While all the tools appeared clean to the naked eye, one quickly attracted swarms of blow flies that detected unseen traces of blood, exposing the owner, who confessed shortly afterward.
Blow flies: The gold standard in forensic entomology
Blow flies are among the first insects to colonize a body, often arriving within minutes under the right conditions. This is due to their necrophagous behavior – feeding on decomposing animal biomass. To produce eggs, females require a protein source, and their advanced olfactory system is finely tuned to the scent of decay.

Blow flies (Lucilia caesar, Calliphoridae) are commonly used in forensics to estimate the minimum time since death. Image: Adobe Stock
At a crime scene, they typically target facial orifices (ears, nose, mouth, and eyes), due to the soft and moist tissue, and protected areas like the hairline and parts of the body in contact with a surface. Once eggs are laid, the "clock" starts ticking as larvae hatch and develop, feeding on the decomposing material. Thanks to extensive research on blow flies, scientists can estimate the minimum post-mortem interval (time that has passed since death) based on the larval development with remarkable accuracy.
Regarding the use of blow flies - these are the primary colonizers, therefore give the most accurate minimum time since death estimate. However, the secondary and tertiary colonizers form part of the succession of insects during the decomposition process and may enable an estimate of minPMI in the absence of blow flies (albeit less accurate) or an indication of seasonal activity.
The second colonizers are generally flesh flies and house flies, the latter more common in deaths that occur indoors. As decomposition progresses, the body odor profile changes, attracting predators like wasps and beetles that feed on fly larvae.
Uninvited guests
The presence of specific insect species at a crime scene can offer invaluable clues. Certain insects can reveal whether a body has been moved or disturbed. For instance, if insects typically found in outdoor environments are discovered on a body located indoors, it may suggest that the body was originally placed outdoors and moved post-mortem. Additionally, forensic entomologists can analyze the species composition and developmental stages of insects to determine if they match the expected fauna of the location where the body was found. Seasonal variations in insect activity and the presence or absence of specific insects native to the area can further provide clues about the original site of decomposition.
Others can help determine whether a death was natural or a homicide. For example, marks believed to be human-inflicted injuries may in fact result from ants leaving mandible marks while feeding on the body. Carrion beetles, dermestid beetles, checkered beetles, mites, and lice are other arthropods frequently found at crime scenes. While not as commonly used as blow flies for estimating minimum time since death, they provide critical insights and aid investigators in piecing together the events that occurred.
Forensic entomologists worldwide rely heavily on blow flies but other insect species are also used in different parts of the world. For instance, Phormia regina (the "black blow fly") is the predominant species in North America, and Calliphora dubia (the"blue-bodied blow fly") is the predominant species in Australia. These inhabit the same ecological niche as the common blow fly species in the UK such as Calliphora vicina.
The role of a forensic entomologist

Amoret is shown kneeling down searching through soil from the deposition site for insects which have finished feeding on the body and are searching for a suitable pupariation site - they are therefore older than those still feeding on the body, and can therefore give a more accurate estimate of minPMI. © Dr. Martin Hall.
Toolkit
When Amoret is called to a crime scene, she arrives equipped with forceps, tubes, ethanol and ... freshly boiled water – not for tea, but to quickly kill larvae using the Hot Water Killing (HWK) method, preserving the specimens for accurate measurements in the lab.
Measuring ambient and larval mass temperatures is critical as temperature directly affects insect development rates, making a datalogger and thermometer essential tools in a forensic entomologist’s kit.
And why bring cat food to a crime scene? Not for cats, but to feed larvae, ensuring they develop into adulthood. Since fly larvae are difficult to identify, forensic entomologists often take some to the lab to rear them into the adult stage for accurate species identification.
The devil is in the details
As mentioned above, ambient temperature is a key parameter at a crime scene. The warmer it is, the faster larvae develop. Forensic entomologists need to consider temperature fluctuations due to weather, time of day and other factors to estimate the time of colonization of the body by insects.
While an amateur might focus on insects crawling on a body, a skilled forensic entomologist knows to search beyond the obvious. Blow fly larvae, for example, feed on the body but eventually leave to pupate in hidden locations. Finding the oldest insects is key, as they indicate how long the body was there, providing the minimum – not the exact – time since death. Understanding the biology of the species helps entomologists predict where larvae might hide, such as under doors, inside electrical sockets, or even in neighboring properties. As Amoret puts it, “You need to think like a blow fly,” a skill mastered through years of experience.
For indoor crime scenes, assessing the property’s state is essential. Was the door shut? Were windows sealed or open? Was there trash attracting insects? Such details can provide critical insights into the crime’s circumstances.
Molecular biology and forensic entomology
The advent of molecular tools has opened new possibilities in forensic science, though some applications are still in development. In forensic entomology, DNA technology shows promise for studying variations in insect populations, but these methods are not yet widely used. Amoret emphasizes that traditional approaches, such as rearing and identifying insects through entomological expertise, remain simpler, more cost-effective, and highly reliable for many investigations.
She also highlights the accessibility of insect analysis – it doesn’t require advanced facilities, making it practical even in developing countries. While molecular advancements are valuable, Amoret believes they are a complement rather than a replacement for traditional methods of forensic entomology. Remarkably, specialists can even extract human DNA from insects that have fed on a body, providing clues to help identify the deceased or the culprit as in one case where a larva was found in a suspect’s car trunk.
Mosquitoes help police to solve murders
Mosquitoes and their actions at a crime scene can also provide crucial evidence when carefully analyzed. In one murder case where a body was found near a beach, investigators analyzed a mosquito blood meal stain on a wall in a suspect’s home. DNA sequencing matched with victim’s blood revealing that the victim had been in that room. This finding, combined with other clues like clothing with tiny leaf fragments, and slightly soiled sneakers, showed that the body was carried to the beach after the murder took place in a room.
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Final remarks on forensic entomology
Amoret emphasizes the lack of basic knowledge regarding the development of many blow fly species and other insects relevant to forensic investigations. “Forensic entomology has the potential to contribute much more,” she says, “but there simply aren’t enough experts in the field.” Often, entomologists are not called to a crime scene until it’s too late, resulting in lost evidence and missed opportunities to gather critical information.
In her view, a strong background in entomology is essential for anyone entering this field. She advises those studying forensics to pursue a master’s degree in entomology to gain the expertise needed. As more students enter the field across the UK, there could be enough trained specialists to respond promptly to crime scenes and fully harness the potential of forensic entomology.
To wrap up, Amoret invites us to think: what other sciences could aid in solving crimes? Fields like forensic botany, which analyzes plant evidence, or aquatic invertebrates, which are underutilised for bodies associated with aquatic environments, are just a few examples of other ecological specialisms. Even pollen, weather data, or skeletal remains can give important clues. What other expertise do you think could help crack a case?
Glossary*
Body Farm: University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility
References
Spitaleri S et al. 2006. Genotyping of human DNA recovered from mosquitoes found on a crime scene. International Congress Series 1288:574-576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ics.2005.11.055
Hadley D. 2020. Early History of Forensic Entomology, 1300-1900. https://www.thoughtco.com/forensic-entomology-early-history-1300-1901-1968325