Jeff
Tomberlin
has little law enforcement background. But the knowledge he has
could be essential in solving murder
cases.

Tomberlin, a doctoral student in the University
of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences,
is the state’s only forensic entomologist and one of only a
handful
in the Southeast.

A forensic entomologist is trained, among other things, to
identify insects on corpses. Studying the insects on or near a
murder victim’s body can reveal many answers.

Different Insects Reveal Different
Clues

“Different insects are found at different times of
decomposition,”
Tomberlin said. “So the kinds of insects you find can often
tell you when a person died.”

An insect’s age can also help determine the victim’s time of
death. “Insects,” he said, “can find a person
pretty
fast, especially in the summer — sometimes in less than 10
minutes.”

If the insect is a larva, for example, Tomberlin knows the
person hasn’t been dead as long as if it were a pupa.

Insects can help find the cause of death, too.

“If the person died of a drug overdose, but there isn’t
any way to take a blood sample, I can take the insects and have
them analyzed,” he said. “The chemicals from the drugs
will be in the insects.”

Bugs can show where a person died, too, and whether a body
has been moved.

“Some insects live only in certain areas,” Tomberlin
said. “So insects collected from a body can give officials
an accurate picture of a move.”

Studying Insects on and Around
Animals

Meanwhile, Tomberlin is completing his UGA research on
controlling
houseflies in livestock facilities at the Coastal
Plain Experiment Station in Tifton, Ga.

He loves his work in veterinary entomology, but he also loves
forensics. The problem with his forensics work is that most
Georgia
law enforcement officials don’t know he exists.

He’s working on that.

Tomberlin is spreading the word that his services are free
for now. “I’m not charging because I need the
experience,”
he said. That may change when he completes his studies next
year.

To advertise his crime-solving services, Tomberlin met with
Tony Clark, a medical examiner in Moultrie, Ga. With Clark’s
help,
he earned approval from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to
help with law enforcement cases.

Working with Law Enforcement
Officers

So
far, he’s helped with three Georgia cases. He’s also offering
training to interested officers on how to use insects to help
solve crimes.

“I don’t always have to be at a crime scene,” he
said. “Officers can save insects and send them to
me.”

As helpful as forensic entomology is, most people wouldn’t
find it pleasant. Tomberlin became fascinated with it as a UGA
undergraduate student.

“I was taking an entomology class and working part-time
in a funeral home,” he said. “That’s when the seed was
planted. Everything took off from there.”

Learning from the Best

After earning his bachelor’s degree from UGA, Tomberlin
completed
a master’s degree in forensic entomology at Clemson
University.

He then traveled to the University of Hawaii to learn from
forensic entomologist Lee Goff, one of the best in the field.
He returned to UGA to complete his doctoral studies.

Forensic entomologists don’t just work on murder cases,
Tomberlin
said. They work on nursing home cases, too, to see whether
elderly
patients are being abused or neglected. In similar cases, they
can help detect child abuse.

“In these cases,” he said, “they check for
things
like flies infesting bedsores on the elderly or diapers on
infants.
If you find flies in a diaper, you know right away the child
hasn’t
been changed in about three days.”

Whether he’s fighting pests on animals or using insects to
solve crimes, Tomberlin believes in his work.

“I want people to realize I’m here to help,” he
said.
“Forensic entomologists aren’t silver bullets. But we know
ways insects can sometimes be helpful.”