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Identifying Victims From Skeletal Remains

NCJ Number
176275
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 25 Issue: 11 Dated: November 1998 Pages: 42-44
Author(s)
J J Poluhowich; R Reed
Date Published
1998
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Victim identification based on skeletal remains can present many difficulties for police agencies, especially if they lack supporting information such as dental records and missing person reports; however, a modified version of witness identification software produces facial reconstructions to identify persons from skeletal remains.
Abstract
Staff at West Texas A&M University have modified the use of the ComPHOTOfit Plus Facial Composite software. They have also applied this technique to cranial x-rays of known individuals with excellent results. They also used the ComPHOTOfit program to modify photographs of individuals attempting to disguise their appearance and to give a photographic quality to an artist's line drawings. The reconstructions produced with the ComPHOTOfit program are close to photographic quality and tend to be more eye-catching than an artist's sketches. Case examples and photographs