Buzz
DNA serves as the unique genetic blueprint for each individual, yet there is another distinguishing feature that sets us apart—our face. Whether you cherish it or not, every detail, from your nose's width to the shape of your ears, is one-of-a-kind.
When an unidentified body is discovered, the skull holds the key to revealing that person's appearance, even after time has passed and decay has set in. For over a century, law enforcement has relied on composite sketches to identify both victims and suspects, but forensic artists take the process of recreating faces to a much higher level.
Forensic artists carefully analyze the skull and measure the depth of the tissue to craft a detailed replica of the individual's face. The portrait, often sculpted from clay, will include unique traits like broken bones and dental features. While hair and eye color remain speculative, the essence of the face can still be remarkably reproduced.
Forensic reconstruction is a remarkable art that not only restores the identities of nameless bodies but also brings to light the faces of ancient people and forgotten victims of crime from the past.
10. Chicago Jane Doe
In a quiet Chicago alley, an unassuming cardboard box went unnoticed until a group of curious scavengers peered inside, discovering human remains. The decomposed body of a woman was found in January 2007, but her identity was a mystery, leading authorities to dub her 'Chicago Jane Doe.'
Forensic artist Karen Taylor was given the task of reconstructing the victim's face from the skull. Clues such as the woman’s hair and ponytail elastic were still visible, alongside a distinct chipped front tooth and traces of orthodontic bands from recent dental treatment.
A photo of the reconstruction, paired with dental X-rays, was published in the Illinois Dental News. A receptionist recalled the woman from previous visits to their office, and soon it was discovered that the victim was Marlaina 'Niki' Reed, a 17-year-old who had disappeared from foster care. DNA testing confirmed her identity.
9. Cheddar Man
Deep within a limestone cave in Cheddar Gorge, England, the body of a man remained hidden for nearly 10,000 years. Discovered during excavations in 1903, his skeleton was displayed at London’s Natural History Museum as an example of a Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) man. The cool, stable temperatures of the cave helped preserve his valuable DNA, and in 2018, a team from the museum extracted samples from the petrous bone (inner ear) of Cheddar Man to delve deeper into his origins.
Analysis of his DNA suggested a 76% probability that he had light blue eyes and “dark to black” skin pigmentation, traits more typically seen in people from sub-Saharan Africa, not ancient Britain. Using this new data, forensic artists measured and scanned the skull to reconstruct a model of his face.
Previously, researchers believed that early humans gradually evolved lighter skin after migrating to Europe around 45,000 years ago. This shift was thought to be influenced by the arrival of farmers from the Middle East and the need for pale skin to better absorb UV light in colder climates. It was also assumed that lighter eyes and blond hair evolved much later.
The discovery of Cheddar Man, with his blue eyes and dark skin, completely overturned this established theory.
8. Twinsburg John Doe
While dumping trash behind an abandoned factory in Twinsburg, Ohio, workers stumbled upon a skull and various body parts stuffed inside a garbage bag. The victim had been brutally stabbed, beaten, dismembered, and then set on fire in an attempt to erase his identity. An autopsy determined he was an African American male, aged between 20 and 35 years. Unfortunately, no one recognized him, and his body, discovered in 1982, was given the name 'Twinsburg John Doe.'
In 2016, police enlisted the help of forensic artists to create a clay reconstruction of John Doe’s face using his skull and teeth, though his mandible (lower jaw) was missing. Images of the reconstructed face were circulated, but no leads were generated.
In 2018, a breakthrough came when the DNA Doe Project, a volunteer organization focused on identifying remains through genealogy databases, made a match. John Doe was identified as Frank Little Jr., a former soldier and guitarist for the R&B group The O’Jays. Little had left the band in the late 1960s and lost contact with his family around the mid-1970s.
The details of his life after that point remain a mystery.
7. Jane from Jamestown
The Jamestown colony in Virginia, established by English settlers in 1607, endured severe hardships including drought, famine, and disease, reaching a grim peak during the winter of 1609, known as the 'Starving Time.'
Historical accounts reveal that the desperate hunger in the colony led settlers to consume horses, dogs, and even their own leather footwear. New evidence now suggests that cannibalism played a crucial role in the colony's survival.
In 2012, archaeologists working at James Fort in Williamsburg uncovered fragments of a human skull alongside animal bones in an abandoned cellar. Using a CT scanner, they reconstructed the female skull. From this, a 3D facial model was made, and anthropologists from the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History named her 'Jane.'
Jane was identified as a 14-year-old girl from Southern England, with a diet rich in protein, suggesting she came from a wealthy family. Marks on the back of her skull, indicating blunt force trauma that cracked her head open, pointed to a desperate attempt to remove her brain, tongue, and cheeks—clear signs of cannibalism.
While it’s unlikely that Jane was murdered, it seems she may not have been the only victim of cannibalism during the Jamestown colony's desperate struggle to survive.
6. Pleasant Prairie John Doe
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
While walking near railroad tracks in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, a photographer stumbled upon a severely decomposed body. The autopsy revealed that the body belonged to a male, aged between 40 and 60, with long black hair and missing front teeth. A tattoo featuring leaves and a bear claw on his forearm raised hopes of identifying him, but no one recognized the man.
Subsequent DNA analysis revealed connections to the Catawba Nation of South Carolina and relatives in Mexico.
After 23 years, the skull of John Doe was finally submitted for a complete facial reconstruction. In 2016, a clay model of his face was revealed at a press conference, yet his identity remains a mystery.
5. Spitalfields Roman Lady
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
London, a city rich in history, became the site of a remarkable discovery in the 1990s when extensive construction work uncovered an ancient Roman cemetery beneath Spitalfields Market. Among the many graves, one stood out—its lead coffin, adorned with seashells, contained the remains of a Roman elite who had passed away around AD 350.
The exquisitely preserved female skeleton was found dressed in robes crafted from Chinese silk, intricately embroidered with pure gold thread. Her coffin contained jars of fragrant oil and a pillow made of bay leaves, designed to accompany her into the afterlife.
Additional tests revealed that she was originally from Italy, and it is believed she arrived in Roman-occupied London as the wife of a centurion.
In 2000, a facial reconstruction of the Spitalfields Lady was created from her preserved skull and is now displayed at the Museum of London.
4. Boulder Jane Doe
In 1996, Silvia Pettem visited Boulder’s Columbia Cemetery and came across a modest grave marked 'Jane Doe, Age About 20.' Pettem discovered that the headstone had been funded by the people of Boulder after the woman’s mutilated remains were discovered near a creek in 1954, her identity still unknown.
Pettem revisited old case files and autopsy reports, pushing the police to reopen the investigation. In 2004, Jane Doe’s body was exhumed, and a forensic artist used the skull to craft a 3D reconstruction of her face.
The great-niece of a woman who had vanished from Phoenix in 1954 was scouring the internet and stumbled upon Pettem’s website. She believed Boulder Jane Doe might be her missing relative, Dorothy Gay Howard. Dorothy had left home at 18 and was never seen again. In October 2009, DNA tests confirmed it was Dorothy’s remains.
Authorities suspect Dorothy fell prey to serial killer Howard Glatman, who had hinted at a murder in Colorado. Glatman was executed in 1959.
3. Santa Claus
What image comes to mind when you think of Santa Claus? Perhaps twinkling blue eyes and soft rosy cheeks? Not quite. The real St. Nicholas had dark brown eyes, an olive complexion, a strong jawline, and a broken nose.
The quest to uncover St. Nicholas’s true appearance began in the 1950s, when his remains were exhumed from an Italian crypt. Anthropologists used X-rays and measured his skull in great detail. However, it wasn’t until 2004 that technology advanced enough to build a virtual clay model of his face. A team from Manchester University in the UK used these precise measurements to create the 3D image. His eye color and skin tone were matched to people from the same region of Asia Minor, now known as Turkey.
Research into 4th-century religious art, from the time when St. Nicholas was Bishop of Myra, revealed that he most likely had the same white hair and beard that modern depictions of Santa Claus feature.
Over time, this Greek bishop evolved into the iconic red-suited figure from the North Pole we recognize today as Santa Claus. The name “Santa Claus” derives from the Dutch celebration of St. Nicholas’s feast day—Sinterklaas.
2. Body 115
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
In November 1987, a tragic fire at London’s Kings Cross station claimed the lives of thirty-one people. The blaze was sparked when a discarded cigarette landed on a pile of garbage beneath a wooden escalator, quickly engulfing the station.
One victim was never identified. Known only as “Body 115” due to his mortuary tag, the man stood 157.5 centimeters (5 feet 2 inches) tall and had recently undergone brain surgery. Despite numerous inquiries from the families of missing persons, no matches were made for Body 115.
Forensic artists used the remaining parts of his skull and severely damaged features to recreate his facial appearance.
Alexander Fallon’s family had long wondered if he had been among the victims of the fire. After his wife’s death, Fallon left Scotland and moved to London, living on the streets. His sporadic letters stopped arriving in 1987. Forensic experts compared the measurements of his skull with Body 115 and confirmed the man was 72-year-old Fallon.
Fallon had been laid to rest in a shared grave alongside Ralph Humberstone, another victim whose identity was recently discovered. Fallon’s name has since been inscribed on a memorial plaque, replacing the inscription that once read “Unknown Man.”
1. Viking Warrior Woman
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
In Norway, a Viking warrior’s tomb was discovered, containing a dangerous assortment of weapons placed there in tribute to a legendary figure. While it was previously believed that only Viking men fought in battle, the skeleton found in this grave belonged to a woman.
In 2019, researchers from the University of Dundee examined the 1000-year-old skeleton and found a significant crack in her skull, severe enough to damage the bone. The woman had survived a vicious sword blow, making her the first known female Viking with battle scars on par with those of her male counterparts.
Scientists reconstructed the face of the 18- or 19-year-old by layering skin over the muscles, creating a striking image of her appearance. The detailed model, featuring a swollen eye and a bloody head wound, can now be viewed at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo.
