Forensic Art

The New Eyewitness

Forensic DNA Phenotyping—predicting a person’s appearance by analyzing crime scene samples with suitable DNA markers—is a nascent science. But the potential exists. The scientific work just needs to be done.

Forensic Art

The case of an unidentified girl illustrates forensic reconstruction techniques. Learning about the science, facial features, muscles, proportions, different races, interviewing skills, composite drawings, skull reconstructions, and how gravity affects the deceased are all important to successful reconstructions.

Forensic Art: Age Progression

Surely, as we get older, we will all get the "lines on our face" we call wrinkles, but to a forensic artist who is working on an age progression or a facial reconstruction, the signs of ageing go much deeper than a crack or crease or fold in the skin.

A (R)evolution in Crime-fighting

The problem with the traditional “photofit” process is that the human brain recognizes faces holistically, not as a collection of isolated features.

Forensic Art: Project EDAN and the Doe Network

In 1984, a white female body, deceased, was located in a Broward County, Florida canal. After investigators were unable to establish her identity, she was classified as a “Jane Doe.” The case eventually turned into a “cold case” when the investigators ran out of leads to pursue.

Drawing Without A Net?

In the field of composite image making there are generally three schools of thought on the use of reference images. There are those who do, those who sometimes do, and those who don’t use them at all.

Case Number 03-0929: Murder In Mammoth Lakes

On May 25, 2003, a Sunday, a hiker walking his dog in the woods above the Shady Rest campground in Mammoth Lakes, California noticed the animal unusually interested in something. When the hiker went to investigate what his dog had found, he discovered a human skull.

Forensic Art Defined and Explained

Composite Drawing Composite images are the “bread and butter” of any working forensic artist.