Finding Makhubu: A morphological forensic facial comparison

Kim

Journal of Forensic Sciences

et al. 2018

Anatomical landmarks are considered the most objective indicators for use in forensic facial comparisons. Therefore, accurately identifying and locating these landmarks is the beginning of reliable facial comparison. This study evaluated the accuracy with which facial landmarks are located and examined their reliability according to type of landmark, head posture, and image quality. Nine operators located a series of landmarks on prepared facial images used to produce comparison images. Then, the average distances between the reciprocal landmarks (ADRL) on the reference and the comparison images were measured as indicators of landmark reliability. We found that a set of landmarks had higher or lower reliability as a function of the head angle and image quality. More reliable landmarks were associated with certain head postures and degrees of image quality. These should be used for facial comparison analysis depending on various head and image conditions.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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A Preliminary Study of the Reliability of Anatomical Facial Landmarks Used in Facial Comparison

Kim

Journal of Forensic Sciences

et al. 2018

“…Research The use of photo anthropometry has decreased in recent years and internationally forensic face examiners are no longer using the technique (for example Houlton & Steyn, 2018). But, at the time of writing, a simple internet search reveals several UK face matching experts that do still use the technique, despite there being over 40 years of empirical evidence demonstrating the lack of reliability of photo anthropometry, practitioner guidance stating that it should not be used, and criticism that the technique lacks scientific underpinning by the Forensic Science…”

Section: Photo Anthropometrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Forensic face matching: Procedures and application

Moreton¹

2020

Preprint

Forensic face matching evidence has been presented in UK courts for over 30 years to provide crucial identification evidence in criminal investigations. To be admissible as evidence in UK courts, this evidence must be conducted by a suitably qualified expert using scientifically validated procedures. Contrary to this notion, however, the field has been largely self-regulated, with little empirical investigation into the validity of face matching procedures, with extensive criticism of forensic face matching procedures in the scientific literature. Practitioner working groups are now addressing these criticisms and standardising working practices, but further effort is required to ensure that the procedures used for forensic face matching are reliable and the limitations known. This chapter will provide a critical analysis of the forensic face matching procedures used in the UK and internationally by forensic face examiners, alongside studies and case examples that have challenged and tested the reliability and accuracy of these procedures.

Forensic Sciences Research

“…The methods can generally be grouped under the classes of: morphological analysis [251–253], photo-anthropometric analysis [251–253] and a special case of photo-anthropometric analysis called “2D facial image evaluation using 3D physiognomic data” [254–259]. Morphological analysis concerns the visual inspection of facial graphics by an analyst who draws an opinion concerning the degree of facial similarity [260]. Photo-anthropometric analysis concerns the measurement of various distances, ratios, and angles on two or more photographs to demonstrate the degree of similarity of the given faces [253].…”

Section: Face Mapping (Photo-comparison)mentioning

confidence: 99%

An overview of the latest developments in facial imaging

Stephan

Caple

Guyomarc’h

et al. 2018

Facial imaging is a term used to describe methods that use facial images to assist or facilitate human identification. This pertains to two craniofacial identification procedures that use skulls and faces—facial approximation and photographic superimposition—as well as face-only methods for age progression/regression, the construction of facial graphics from eyewitness memory (including composites and artistic sketches), facial depiction, face mapping and newly emerging methods of molecular photofitting. Given the breadth of these facial imaging techniques, it is not surprising that a broad array of subject-matter experts participate in and/or contribute to the formulation and implementation of these methods (including forensic odontologists, forensic artists, police officers, electrical engineers, anatomists, geneticists, medical image specialists, psychologists, computer graphic programmers and software developers). As they are concerned with the physical characteristics of humans, each of these facial imaging areas also falls in the domain of physical anthropology, although not all of them have been traditionally regarded as such. This too offers useful opportunities to adapt established methods in one domain to others more traditionally held to be disciplines within physical anthropology (e.g. facial approximation, craniofacial superimposition and face photo-comparison). It is important to note that most facial imaging methods are not currently used for identification but serve to assist authorities in narrowing or directing investigations such that other, more potent, methods of identification can be used (e.g. DNA). Few, if any, facial imaging approaches can be considered honed end-stage scientific methods, with major opportunities for physical anthropologists to make meaningful contributions. Some facial imaging methods have considerably stronger scientific underpinnings than others (e.g. facial approximation versus face mapping), some currently lie entirely within the artistic sphere (facial depiction), and yet others are so aspirational that realistic capacity to obtain their aims has strongly been questioned despite highly advanced technical approaches (molecular photofitting). All this makes for a broad-ranging, dynamic and energetic field that is in a constant state of flux. This manuscript provides a theoretical snapshot of the purposes of these methods, the state of science as it pertains to them, and their latest research developments.