Estimating Time of Death Through Insects... Korea's First 'Forensic Entomology Laboratory' Opens

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters announced on the 17th that it has opened the country's first Forensic Entomology Laboratory at the Police Investigation Training Institute in Asan, Chungnam, to estimate time of death in unattended death cases using insects.

Forensic entomology utilizes the characteristic that the growth rate of different insect species is consistent according to temperature, estimating the mid- to long-term time of death by analyzing the species and growth data of insects found on the corpse. While this method is already widely used as an investigative technique in major countries such as the United States and Europe, it remains relatively unfamiliar in Korea. Until now, time of death in unattended death cases has been estimated using body temperature, livor mortis, rigor mortis, and the digestion state of stomach contents, but it has been pointed out that these traditional methods make it difficult to determine the time of death for bodies that have been deceased for a long time or are decomposed.

Recognizing this issue, the National Police Agency has been conducting research and development related to forensic entomology for five years since 2016 (led by the Department of Forensic Medicine at Korea University), establishing a foundation for forensic entomology by building growth data for three major carrion fly species inhabiting Korea. Since April of this year, additional research and development have been underway to expand data and advance analytical techniques.

The newly opened Forensic Entomology Laboratory will provide not only estimates of time of death through forensic entomology but also additional investigative information such as the season of death, corpse movement, and drug use. Furthermore, the police expect that the analysis of myiasis occurring in living humans and animals will support investigations in various fields, including neglect and abuse of the elderly and animals, as well as animal abuse and abandonment.

Nam Gujun, head of the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency, who attended the opening ceremony, said, "We expect that investigative capabilities in unattended death cases will be further strengthened through forensic entomology techniques," adding, "Ensuring that there are no unjust deaths is the state's final social responsibility to the public, and we will meticulously investigate all unattended death cases using scientific methods." Professor Park Seonghwan of Korea University's Department of Forensic Medicine also stated, "Through the training of forensic entomology specialists and the activation of research, Korea's forensic entomology field will develop further."