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When estimating PMI with entomology, the environment where the body currently is strongly shapes which insects are present and how developed they are. The right approach recognizes that a body moved after death may carry a mixed or misleading insect signal: some species that arrived at the original site may still be present, while others that colonize the new location may appear later. To get an accurate PMI, you compare the current insect community and their developmental stages to established colonization sequences for the present environment and season. This lets you estimate a PMI that fits the current conditions and also reveals if the insects don’t match what would be expected from the original location, indicating relocation. In short, use the current fauna to gauge PMI and watch for mismatches that suggest the body was moved.

For context, insect succession on remains follows predictable patterns driven by temperature, humidity, exposure, and habitat. If the body remained where death occurred, the observed succession and development should align with that scene’s timeline. If relocation happened, you’d expect discrepancies between the insects’ identities or life stages and what the original scene’s timeline would predict, prompting adjustment of the PMI estimate accordingly.