Insect skilled addresses Powys teen Kaylea Titford trial

The room where Kaylea Titford died was attracting flies “for some time,” an expert told her father’s trial.

Forensic entomologist Dr. Amoret Whitaker told the court that a number of fly larvae found in her bedroom could have fed on a variety of sources, including bed sores.

Disabled teenager Kaylea Titford, who suffered from spina bifida, was 16 when she was found dead in her room on October 10, 2020, weighing almost 23 stones.

The sixth day of the grossly negligent manslaughter trial of Kaylea’s father Alun Titford, who denies the charges, continued this morning (Tuesday 24 January) at Mold Crown Court.

In court, said Dr. Whitaker said maggots were found on various parts of Kaylea’s body, and at least 60 flies were found on one of the flypapers hanging in her bedroom and at least 50 on another flypaper.

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She said the larvae were still “quite large” and in the feeding phase, and she believed they were feeding on Kaylea’s soiled bedding.

dr Whitaker added, “They were intimately connected to the body, which leads me to believe they fed on the body itself. They are drawn to wounds like bed sores.”

The insect expert, who testified via a live link, said there was “clearly a good food source” that would attract flies to Kaylea’s bedroom and that she felt “there had been a great deal of flies for quite some time.” .

However, she told the court that there was “no strong evidence” that the flies on the flypaper colonized the body and couldn’t say for sure if there were eggs in Kaylea’s hair.

The process goes on.