Hourly temperature data from: Not by the book: Observations of delayed oviposition and re-colonization of human remains by blow flies

Postmortem interval estimations can be complicated by the inter-individual
variation present in human decomposition. Forensic entomologists may
especially face challenges interpreting arthropod evidence in scenarios
that are not “by the book,” or that vary in unexpected ways. Therefore, it
is important to report instances where blow fly colonization does not
align with expected soft tissue decomposition, as blow fly larvae are
often used to produce a time of colonization (TOC) estimation to infer a
minimum PMI. We followed the decomposition and blow fly activity of three
human donors at the Anthropology Research Facility (University of
Tennessee). Delayed oviposition occurred on one donor 115 d
post-placement, whereas two donors experienced blow fly re-colonization
after cessation of the consumption phase, one 22 d and one more than 200 d
after blow fly larvae were last observed. A null hypothesis model tested
whether the entomological TOC and anthropological total body score (TBS)
estimations encompassed the time of placement (TOP) for each donor. While
the null hypothesis was rejected for all TOC estimations, it could not be
rejected for the TBS estimations. We discuss how the non-linear nature of
human decomposition can pose challenges to interpreting blow fly evidence
and suggest that forensic entomology practitioners should recognize these
limitations in both research endeavors and applied casework.