In May 2009 the body of a 67-year-old female was found in a
grain field near Gu¨ tersloh, Germany. She was last seen alive 3 days
earlier attending festivities on a farm near the crime scene. The
autopsy showed that the woman was strangled to death. The
coroner estimated the time of death to be 8–24 h before the
discovery of the body. Eggs of Lucilia ampullacea and Calliphora
vicina were found on the face and neck of the victim. In the mouth,
two second instar maggots of L. silvarum were present, these were
reared to the adult stage. Obviously the oldest stages on the corpse
indicate a longer PMImin than medical and other entomological
findings (PMImin > 24–48 h). However, as previously mentioned,
no reliable data is available for the development of L. silvarum, the
estimations were speculative and based on the time of development
for L. sericata, at 20 8C [33] – the average ambient
temperature at the scene. Nevertheless they were in accordance
with the assumptions of the investigating profiler, who found it
more likely that the woman was killed on her way home after
leaving the festivities. This case is still open.
3. DNA analysis
3.1. Specimens