Composites

Split composite with drawing as left half and photo as right

T

he most common service a forensic artist provides is composite drawing. Composites are drawn to identify an unknown suspect of a crime. The victim or witness sits with the forensic artist who will conduct a cognitive interview. During the cognitive interview the victim/witness will provide the artist with a full description of the subject. After the initial interview the victim will go through a Facial Identification Catalog in order to choose facial features that most closely resemble or remind him or her of the subject. The artist will then complete an initial drawing and submit it to the victim/witness for approval. Changes will be made until the victim/witness is comfortable with the likeness.

"They want to blame my son for all those rapes, and I don't believe he did it," said the suspect's mother. "I think they picked him up because he looks like the sketch."
- The Miami Herald
DNA subsequently linked the subject to a number of sexual assault cases.