Introduction

An explanation of the process of age progression and regression should begin with a definition of each. Age progression is the process of modifying a photograph of a person to represent the effect of ageing on their appearance. Digital image processing is the most common current technique, although artists’ drawings are often utilised. Age progression is most often employed as a forensic tool by law enforcement officers to show the likely current appearance of a missing person predicted from a photograph that may be many years out of date. Age regression is defined as the modification of a photograph of a person to simulate their appearance at a younger age. Each of these processes are useful tools for law enforcement to assist in the recovery of long-term missing children, identify fugitives and assist in criminal investigations. The process for creation of these images will be described in this chapter.

Age progression

There are two categories of age progression: juvenile and adult. Juvenile age progression is used to help find abducted and missing children. A face changes significantly throughout childhood and age progression images have proven very useful in the recovery of these children. In the case of Jaycee Dugard, who was abducted from a bus stop and held captive for 18 years, law enforcement issued many images depicting how Jaycee would currently appear while her family searched for her over the years. A third-generation age progression was close to how Jaycee appeared upon her rescue. In this case the aged image did not aid in the recovery but it illustrates how these images can be effective and still allow recognition many years after a child goes missing. For more examples of age-progressed images, see the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website (NCMEC, 2011a).