Fine art students turned forensic artists hope to solve cold cases
SARASOTA, Fla. - Each fine detail sculpted by hand brings a face back to life.
"I had a lot of really distinctive features. It started off with just sort of an imagination of what this person probably looked like," said Leighton Karpina.
For five days, Leighton Karpina, a freshman at Ringling College of Art and Design, has refined and added details.
She is working on a facial approximation.
Building a sculpture out of a 3-D printed skull from a cold case based out of North Fort Myers.
"You could see some just over bite, flat face and the profile. Skull shape," she said.
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The workshop held at Ringling College of Art and Design could be the last hope to identify 17 people.
Each one a mystery, waiting to be solved.
"My case is from last November, actually was when the skull was found. Anything if somebody recognizes these skulls if somebody can see them and say that’s my family member," said Karpina.
The goal is to get as many eyes as possible on these facial reconstructions in hopes of bringing closure to each and every case.
"There’s 17 different stories here that need to be told and they don’t have an ending, so we can answer these questions for these families," said Joe Mullins.
Mullins is a renowned forensic artist.
He has guided students though the process.
"Everything we are trying to prevent here is we don’t want cases to sit on the shelves so long," he said.
Olivia Pope put her finishing details on a case from 2008.
A woman found dead in the Bronx.
"It’s mind-blowing to think that from a skull that you can build an entire face. You would think that is almost impossible, but it’s amazing how much information is there," she said.
From fine artist to forensic artist.
The work done brings a new purpose for a mission to close each case.
"These skulls were just sitting on a shelf before we were given them, so these were the coldest of the cold cases. If this can help these family members and people get found, we’ve done something right."
If you do recognize any of the faces seen in this story, the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office, Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Glades County Sheriff’s Office are investigating.
Hendry County Sheriff’s Office contact is Capt. Mike Rowan and Cap. Susan Harelle at 863-674-5600.
The contact person at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office is Capt. James Roncinske at 239-477-1140.
The contact person at the Glades County Sheriff’s Office is Lt. Gary Johnson at 863-946-1600.
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