Forensics research into bodies found in bags

Murder squad detectives could glean vital information from groundbreaking scientific research on bodies that are dumped in suitcases. New research is being carried out at the Natural History Museum into how easily flies can access bodies in suitcases.

It's thought the research will give detectives a much more accurate time of death for the victim. Female flies lay eggs on the zip of a bag, which when zipped tightly takes longer for maggots to be able to enter the bag.

This could mean the difference between hours and days when teams are estimating a victim's time of death.

There have been a number of high profile investigations of this type in recent years, including the murder of Alexandra Kovacs whose remains were found in a trolley case in Hendon, north London, last month, and the death of care assistant Leah Questin in 2009.