Estimation of long term post mortem intervals by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy of weathered blow fly puparia

values and lower prediction errors (1-1.5 months) when presented with previously unseen data. Training a model with a combination of all weathering conditions and species resulted in a prediction error of 1.2 months. This shows that it is possible to assess weathering time without using a model specific to the weathering condition or blowfly species. Being able to infer the age of an insect sample without a previous species identification is a novelty in forensic entomology.