Page 4 - Natures Witness Entomology

Introduction to
Nature’s Witness
elcome to Nature’s Witness, a forensic
entomology lab in the Mystery of Lyle and
WLouise. A brutal murder case is unfolding
in a small Appalachian town. Already the case
spans two crime scenes and five people are dead.
When investigators discovered the second crime
scene — a fishing cabin exposed to the summer
heat — they found two rapidly decaying bodies, for
which pathological time of death estimates were
useless. They must now rely on the predictability of
insects to determine when the crime occurred.
In this lab, students will examine six life stages
from two species of flies. During their preliminary
work they will need to develop a dichotomous
key that will separate maggots into separate life
4 THE MYSTERY OF LYLE AND LOUISE
stages and species. They will then use this key
to identify maggots collected from the bodies
of the two victims. Finally, students will use
known insect life-cycle information and National
Weather Service data to estimate a time of death
for each victim.
Once the lab results have been analyzed, students
may conduct a mock trial combining information
from this investigation and any other laboratory
modules performed to hold a suspect accountable
for their actions.
Teacher’s notes can be found at the beginning of
the manual, and copies may be freely made of all
materials for your students.