The first case of forensic entomology being used in the courtroom came in 1850 in France. The remains of a child were found in a chimney during the process of redecorating a home. The current occupants were cleared as suspects from the case due to insect activity.

Who started forensic entomology?

Further mass exhumations. On 6 April 1881, the German medical doctor Reinhard reported the first systematic study in forensic entomology [85]. Dealing with exhumated bodies from Saxonia, he collected mainly Phorid flies taxonomically identified by the entomologist Brauer in Vienna.

How long has forensic entomology been around?

Forensic entomology was first reported to have been used in 13th Century China and was used sporadically in the 19th Century and the early part of the 20th Century, playing a part in some very major cases. However, in the last 20 years, forensic entomology has become more and more common in police investigations.