CPD's Jeff Nichols draws out leads

Nichols helps identify suspects or create images from skeletal remains.

By Alicia Stice

Published March 19, 2010

Columbia Police Detective Jeff Nichols prefers to create images from skeletal remains or possible suspects the old-fashioned way: sketching.

The Boone County Sheriff's Department and the MU Police Department do not have their own sketch artist. Both departments have imaging software that creates a composite image, but when they need a sketch artist's unique skill set, they go to Nichols.

MUPD recently sought Nichols' assistance during the investigation of Jeong H. Im's homicide in 2005, MUPD Capt. Brian Weimer said. Nichols sketched a person of interest.

Nichols, an MU graduate, said he began college as an art major and eventually switched to biology before earning his master's degree in business.

"The MBA doesn't really lend itself to this kind of work, but the art gave me some kind of familiarization with sketching," Nichols said.

Nichols also received FBI training in hand-drawn composite sketches.

Composite sketch technology has improved over the years and investigators now have more tools available to them, Sheriff's Department Major Tom Reddin said.

"In the old days, there was an Identikit with a bunch of Mylar layers containing different facial shapes and features and the witness would work with the officer, layering different features together and come up with a composite," Reddin said.

This kit has now evolved into software investigators can use.

Composite sketches are mostly used in violent cases and robberies, but misdemeanors occasionally warrant that type of help, Nichols said. Information available to investigators also helps determine whether a sketch is created.

"It depends on the ability of the witness to describe the suspect," Nichols said. "If they have a good mental image of the person who committed the crime and they feel they can articulate the features, we consider doing a composite sketch."

Nichols can use imaging software to plug in information, such as hairstyle and face shape. The program then generates an image using this information.

"At that point, we can go ahead and manipulate the image to look more like the person the witness remembers," Nichols said.

Nichols also said the software is limited in some areas, such as changing hairstyles.

"Hairstyles change all the time so the software doesn't always have hairstyles or facial hairstyles that match current trends," Nichols said. "A sketch may require a hand drawn feature.

The training Nichols received from the FBI also included facial reconstruction, which involves creating an image of the deceased using their skull. This can be done in the form of a sketch or reconstructing the face using clay.

In this process, tissue depth markers are used as a guide in establishing facial features, Nichols said. Teeth provide clues for the mouth.

Nichols said he has a stronger background in two-dimensional work and is more comfortable sketching.

In one case, Nichols worked to identify the remains of a woman buried the mid-1800s. The woman was buried on a family plot, and no one was sure of her identity. Nichols used her remains to create a sketch of what she might have looked like.

Composite sketching and facial reconstruction are not always perfect. Nichols said he isn't looking for an exact replication of the person he is sketching.

"The closer we get, the better," he said. "We understand it's difficult when you're working from someone's mental picture. So if we can get the features and hairstyles close, that's about all we can ask for and hopefully it will generate some leads."