Unusual Application of Insect-Related Evidence in Two European Unsolved Murders

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Proper collection and analysis of physical evidence including insects, bloodstains, or any other material can be of probative value in a court of law. This is the first casework where hairs were involved as insect-related evidence. Hairs constitute important categories of trace evidence as they can provide useful information for an association between a suspect and a crime scene or a suspect and a victim. Two “cold cases” occurred in two different European countries in which the trace evidence relating to insects was the last piece of a complex puzzle useful for the conviction of the perpetrator. ABSTRACT: Insect-related evidence must be considered of probative value just as bloodstains, fingerprints, fibers, or any other materials. Such evidence if properly collected and analyzed can also provide useful details in the reopening of old unsolved murders, also called “cold cases”. This paper presents the case of two murders that occurred in two different European countries and remained unsolved for years. The remains of a girl found in Italy 17 years after her disappearance helped to solve a murder that occurred in Britain 8 years prior. The cases were unexpectedly linked together because of the similarities in the ritualistic placing of strands of hair and connections with the suspect. The trace evidence relating to insects and hairs played a relevant role in the conviction of the perpetrator. In Italy, the defense raised the doubt that the strands of hair found nearby the skeletal remains could be the result of insect feeding activity and not the result of a cut by sharp objects. Therefore, it was fundamental to distinguish between sharp force lesions and insect feeding activity on hair. This unusual application of insect-related evidence clearly emphasizes the importance of an appropriate professional collection and analysis of any physical evidence that could be of robust probative value.