Dubai Police use 3D facial reconstruction to identify dead man

Dubai Police have used 3D facial reconstruction technology to generate the image of a man who was found dead at sea.

The authority is now seeking the help of the public in identifying the person, who is thought to be between 35 to 45 years old.

Officials said reconstructing the face was very challenging as the body was badly decomposed and there were no DNA samples or fingerprint to rely on.

"An elite team of coroners, digital forensics experts, and professionals from the General Department of Artificial Intelligence at Dubai Police worked tirelessly to compile an identikit of deceased using the latest technologies in digital facial reconstruction," said Major General Dr. Ahmed Eid Al-Mansoori, Director of the General Department of Forensic Evidence and Criminology.

"It was very difficult to determine the person’s skin colour and tone as the body’s pigments had disappeared for it had been in the water for a long time," explained Dr. Yunus Al-Balooshi, a forensic consultant at Dubai Police.

"Our forensic experts were able, through specialized tests, to determine that the deceased had moderately pigmented brown skin similar to Asians and middle easterners," he added.

Major Dr. Hamad Al-Awar, Head of the Visual Evidence Analysis Department, said "Upon receiving the anthropology report, we initiated the process of digitally reconstructing the face by taking an x-ray image, and performing a three-dimensional scan of the head area and skull."

Al-Awar added that Dubai Police have been using the digital facial reconstruction technique since 2007.

Police have urged anyone with information about the man to call 901.

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— Dubai Policeشرطة دبي (@DubaiPoliceHQ) March 7, 2021