MistyWaters
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One thing about composite sketches....we have heard so many times people's recollection of faces are not perfect so we shouldn't think of the sketches in this case like photographs. I'd go so far as to say that "not perfect" should be replaced by a more clear phrase like "extremely fragile."
Many sketch artists in the US (including Trooper Bryant, who made the "young" sketch) work with a system where they ask witnesses to look at isolated features and choose eyebrows that match what they saw from this set of choices, and lips from this other set of choices. It's debatable whether the human brain actually stores facial information in this piecemeal way. So this is one reason that LE will tell you, this sketch is not a picture of the suspect. There may be a feature or two here that reminds you of someone whose face you know.
The other thing about composites is that the very act of working with LE to create a sketch likely alters the witness's physical memory of the actual face. Witnesses who helped LE create sketches usually have trouble later identifying the person from a photo lineup. It is an unfortunate consequence of how our brain chemistry works to create memory.
Source:
SAGE Journals: Your gateway to world-class research journals
By the time people began sifting through stranger’s FB photos looking for a match I’m sort of disappointed LE didn’t loudly stress the fact a sketch isn’t a photo and memories are certainly not always precise. Or that the 2nd sketch was already 2 years old so there was a high likelihood the suspect didn’t look exactly the same 2 years later, even if the sketch was roughly accurate at the time.
Carter’s later attempt to backtrack by suggesting the suspect might look something between the two sketches further muddied the waters as it still gives the notion both sketches were a precise recreation of exactly who different people saw. Maybe because he didn’t want to say the suspect is between the ages of 18 and 60, caucasian with 2 eyes, a nose and a mouth.
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