title: Optimising crime scene temperature collection for forensic entomology casework.
abstract: The value of minimum post-mortem interval (minPMI) estimations in suspicious death investigations from insect evidence using temperature modelling is indisputable. In order to investigate the reliability of the collected temperature data used for modelling minPMI, it is necessary to study the effects of data logger location on the accuracy and precision of measurements. Digital data logging devices are the most commonly used temperature measuring devices in forensic entomology, however, the relationship between ambient temperatures (measured by loggers) and body temperatures has been little studied. The placement of loggers in this study in three locations (two outdoors, one indoors) had measurable effects when compared with actual body temperature measurements (simulated with pig heads), some more significant than others depending on season, exposure to the environment and logger location. Overall, the study demonstrated the complexity of the question of optimal logger placement at a crime scene and the potential impact of inaccurate temperature data on minPMI estimations, showing the importance of further research in this area and development of a standard protocol. Initial recommendations are provided for data logger placement (within a Stevenson Screen where practical), situations to avoid (e.g. placement of logger in front of windows when measuring indoor temperatures), and a baseline for further research into producing standard guidelines for logger placement, to increase the accuracy of minPMI estimations and, thereby, the reliability of forensic entomology evidence in court.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy and Forensic Science, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Ines.MJ.Hofer@outlook.com.
authors.forename: Ines M J
authors.initials: IMJ
authors.lastname: Hofer
authors.affiliation: Forensic Services, Metropolitan Police Service, 109 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7LP, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Andrew.Hart2@met.pnn.police.uk.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom. Electronic address: d.martin-vega@nhm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martín-Vega
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom. Electronic address: m.hall@nhm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Martin J R
authors.initials: MJR
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001831:Body Temperature; D004772:Entomology; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D044707:Forensic Sciences; D006801:Humans; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D013552:Swine; D013696:Temperature
keywords: Body temperature; Forensic science; Logger placement; Stevenson Screen; Temperature data logger; minPMI estimation