The Week 98 Forensic Science Geek of the Week is Announced

The Forensic Science Geek of the Week

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The week 98 “www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek of the Week” honors goes to: Kevin Feeney, Esquire

According to his website:

Kevin Feeney has been aggressively defending people charged with crimes since 1991. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA, in 1986 and received his Juris Doctorate degree from the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, PA, in 1990. Mr. Feeney continued as a law clerk for President Judge Albert E. Acker of the Mercer County Court of Common Pleas in Mercer, PA. As a Senior Trial Attorney with the Berks County Public Defender’s Office, Mr. Feeney successfully defended jury trials of all major criminal charges including homicide, sexual assault, robbery and weapons offenses. He has successfully defended clients in Megan’s Law hearings and all manner of pre-trial motions, including suppression of evidence and habeas corpus. He has defended cases with DNA and electronic surveillance evidence. Mr. Feeney is qualified to handle death penalty cases under the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s high standards for defense counsel.

Congratulations to our Forensic Science Geek of the Week winner

OFFICIAL QUESTION:

1. What is pictured here?

2. What does it have to do with forensic science?

3. How has its alleged usefulness in forensic science been validated?

Our Geek of the Week answered:

These are larva I believe the two on the right are the carrion beetle larva and the blow fly larva.

These are used in forensic entomology, which tries to explain the time of death based on the growth of insects on dead corpses.

The issues are that this is not like TV where they can tell you he dies at 5:37 pm, I think these experts can only give a segment or period of time when the maggot growth started. I would also say other limits are bugs don’t always act the same way and you can have bugs lay eggs on the living too.

Sorry for the partial answer (if I am right and I am not sure). The carrion beetle larva looks familiar.

[BLOGGER’S NOTE: Honorable mention goes to past Forensic Science Geek of the Week Winner Jay Tiftickjian (with a really fine answer almost enough to trump our winner) who wrote: “These are bugs (duh!). Forensic entomologists examine insect succession to determine a victim’s time of death. When a body is examined, entomologists attempt to determine how long the corpse has been rotting and decomposing from what types of bugs and bug eggs are present. Generally, the first to arrive are bow flies, which are attracted to the sweet smell of a fresh corpse and can invade within minutes of death. Beetles follow, flies gather (including ordinary house flies), and then parasitic insects join the party to feed on the maggots and beetle larvae. Eventually, as the corpse dries, hide beetles and clothes moths make their appearance to feast. One study that attempted to validate this theory was a blind valudation study by Forensic Science International in 2008, where three mock crime scenes at different temperatures were used to see how fast bow fly eggs arrived to measure post-mortemintervals. This study found that the time of death could be estimated within a day. There have been more studies. I recall this from the epic movie and novel, Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris.]

The Hall of Fame for the www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek of the Week:

Week 1: Chuck Ramsay, Esquire

Week 2: Rick McIndoe, PhD

Week 3: Christine Funk, Esquire

Week 4: Stephen Daniels

Week 5: Stephen Daniels

Week 6: Richard Middlebrook, Esquire

Week 7: Christine Funk, Esquire

Week 8: Ron Moore, B.S., J.D.

Week 9: Ron Moore, B.S., J.D.

Week 10: Kelly Case, Esquire and Michael Dye, Esquire

Week 11: Brian Manchester, Esquire