Dr. Joe Keiper is the executive director of the Virginia Museum of Natural History. He visited Longwood on Oct. 21 and spoke to a number of students in Hull Auditorium.
Keiper's main topic was Forensic Entomology. Keiper is one of the top 20 scientists recognized for work in Forensic Entomology.
Forensic entomology in its simplest definition is the application and study of insects or bugs in criminal cases. The fieldprimarilyfocusesonmurder or death investigations, but it can also be used to detect drugs.
“Forensic Entomology is the study of biology crime scene first responders and how that reacts with the legal system,” said Keiper. He wanted to show how humans are not the first responders to a murder scene or a death scene. Rather, bugs are.
Keiper has worked on a number of cases, ranging from accidental cases to suicides and homicides, using bugs to help solve them.
Keiper first worked at Cleveland Museum of Natural History in his field. He was one of the first Forensics Entomologists to have a job in that specific field.
When Keiper was in graduate school, Forensic Entomology wasn't his original plan. “The opportunity presented itself to apply what I do [for] the community by taking on these different cases,” said Keiper.
He continued, “I accidentally found my way to Forensic Entomology when I was working at the Cleveland Museum, and I was only about 10 minutes from theCoroner’soffice.Afterawhile of working with them, I began to wonder how long it takes for flies to start to gather around a dead body. If so, are they really the first responders?”
He went on to explain how the process of decomposition is faster with insects than it is without them. Insects are used “to help determine the time between natural death and body discovery.”
Keiper said, “Determining what stage a fly or insect is in the life cycle can help determine [approximately] how long the body has been dead.”
He further explained how important it is to know how the insects grow, saying, “Insects grow through certain stages in a different way than us.” According to Keiper, the most common way for an insect to change stages is by ripping its skin open.
He mentioned how this study of bugs is more reliable than the temperature or the rigamortis of the body. “It's tricky to determine If the body is in a cold place because if it is, the bugs or not a lot of bugs will go there because the temperature will increase the stages of life, and the cycle will be much longer,” he said.
Keiper also explained what happens when one dies and how flies recognize the smell of a decomposing body.
“When you die, the first things that break down are your muscles, and it releases certain chemicals that the flies will respond to immediately. Cadaver is one of the smells that the flies can smell, but we as humans cannot,” said Keiper.
He explained that the flies are not trying to eat us like some horror movies may lead people to believe. “The flies do not want to harm the body or eat [it]. [They are] simply looking for a place for the female to lay eggs,” he explained.
The male is just trying to do right by the female fly and find a safe place for the eggs to lie. “The body then becomes the field for its next generation,” said Keiper.
Forensic Entomology is becoming a popular field of study. Since it has made its way into the law enforcement field, Forensic Entomology has helped catch many suspects that might not have been caught otherwise. We owe a lot to these insects.
