Policie České republiky – Kriminalistický ústav
07
Facial Reconstruction
2-D facial reconstruction is one of the anthropological methods which is applied if:
- there is a complete scull available,
- the police has no person suspected to be the right one in the database of missing persons or any other information which could lead to their identification,
- a person´s identity cannot be determined through the DNA analysis or fingerprint examination.
Craniofacial reconstruction of the face based on the skull builds on the fact that there is a particular link between the skull and soft parts of the face. Based on the knowledge of the depth of some soft tissues at some precisely determined points on the skull, the anthropologist first defines the surface and the outline of the face. Further, with the help of published prediction rules for reconstruction of individual facial structures, they finalize the eyes, nose and lips appearance. This activity requires both, knowledge of physical anthropology and anatomy and creativity and artistic skills.
Facial reconstruction does not represent the only possible appearance of the particular person. It is only a probable appearance which might be close to the real appearance especially concerning proportions and also, to the certain extend, in morphology and appearance of the individual components. That is why this procedure is also called the face approximation - approximation of appearance. The resulting portrait can help the investigators to select a “matching” person from a wider circle of missing persons or to find possible witnesses who would be able to recognize the person from the sketch.
2D reconstruction which helped the investigators
For almost three years detectives from the town of Zlín were trying to identify an unknown man whose body was found by hunters in the wood near the village of Pohořelice at the end of August 2015. The body was rather decomposed which made the identification difficult. Neither fingerprint nor genetic examination helped nor the man was recognized through photographs of his clothes.
In 2018, an anthropologist of the Institute of Criminalistics made a 2D reconstruction which was further used by investigators for targeted investigation in a wider area around the scene of discovery. Based on this portrait and the description of personal items, one of the locals recognized the man and the person´s identity was revealed.
It was a man who lived alone for a long time, separated from his family. His identity was later proved by comparison of the DNA profile of the corpse and the DNA profiles collected from the relatives of the man.