In 1992 Elizabeth Ortiz fled her decaying marriage and headed to Mexico with her 2-year-old son Jonathan. It took police eight years to find the East Palo Alto, Calif., woman and bring her back to the U.S. Unfortunately, they couldn't find Jonathan. "We had no way to identify him," says police Sgt. Kathryn Anderson, pointing out that the last photos showed a toddler. "We needed a picture to help officers recognize—and legally detain—Jonathan in case he came to California to visit his mom in jail."

Anderson contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Va., where Glenn Miller, 56, one of the country's leading practitioners of age-progression technology, worked up a portrait of the boy as he might look now. The image was then transmitted to law-enforcement authorities in Mexico and in California, where it was posted in the jail where Ortiz was being held. About a month later Anderson got a call from a guard at the California prison. "He said, 'There's a little boy at the jail who's the spitting image of the photograph on the poster,' " she says. The next day, 10-year-old Jonathan was reunited with his father. "It was pretty incredible."

The same might be said for many of the 346 cases in which Miller's team has age-progressed a missing child who was ultimately located. "People always ask us for the software that ages a kid from 10 to 12, but the computer doesn't age a child—we do," says Miller, a retired Fairfax County, Va., detective and former police composite artist. "What I do is mechanical, but the outcome can be magical."

When Miller and his staff of two forensic artists are asked to produce an age-enhanced portrait, they begin by examining the most recent photos of the missing child—school or professional portraits are far better than snapshots—as well as pictures of parents and siblings. Then, using an ordinary computer and Photoshop software, Miller enlarges the child's face. "In years 2 through 7, massive growth takes place in the lower two-thirds of the face, so that's the area we focus on for maturation," he says. Next, he turns to the predictable effects of aging—reducing the relative size of the iris, for example, and elongating the nose. Also, "as children age, they lose baby fat, so their cheek bones become more prominent," says Miller. "At the same time their lips and neck become fuller."

The changes in some facial features—eyebrows, for instance—are difficult to predict. "When children are younger, brows are bushy," says Miller. "But as girls get older, they pluck them, sometimes pencil-thin." Other changes are virtual certainties—the replacement of baby teeth, for example. And one feature—the area around the eyes—stays virtually the same over time. "Eighty percent of our unique identity is there, and it's where our genetic likeness comes from," says Miller. "So we try to preserve it."

Finally, Miller cuts and pastes specific features—a nose or receding chin from a mother's photograph, for example—relying on the computer to layer in these final touches. The end product is a working portrait that can be widely circulated and, with luck, result in the successful return of a missing child. "For me, this job is very emotional," says Miller. "Every time I sit down to do an age progression I remember that the picture I'm working from is someone's little girl or boy."

Angela Isidro Bresnahan in Washington, D.C., and Andrew Downie in São Paulo, Brazil

More From This Article

A Photo's Progress
Kennd Pereira, the middle of three children, vanished from Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 11, 1986. His parents had dropped the 4-year-old and his older sister at his grandmother's for a short visit. The grandmother thought he was visiting neighbors, but when his parents returned, Kennd was gone. He is still missing. At far right is a portrait of him as he might look at age 18, created by Steve Luftin of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

STEP 1 Creating an age-progressed portrait of Kennd Pereira began with obtaining the last photo of him available before his abduction (left) and a clear image of his father, Pedro (above).

STEP 2 Stretched to create cranial growth, Kennd's face was merged with his dad's.

STEP 3

Mouth from a photo of his sister Karina—chosen because of the resemblance of this feature—is blended.

STEP 4 The artist takes the eyes from a picture of Kennd's mother, Divanei, and layers them in.

STEP 5 Reference photos of kids at age of the progression help adjust hair, clothing. Finally, the image is airbrushed.

One Success Story
While as accurate a portrait as possible is the goal of age-progression technology, "what we want is a reasonable resemblance that will spark some recognition," says expert Glenn Miller. Case in point: Jonathan Ortiz (below).

Improving the Odds

For all the effort that goes into creating the age-enhanced picture of a missing child, it represents only half the battle, Miller says: "You can have the best age-progressed photo, but if no one sees it, it won't work." To that end, his team's portraits are distributed on ADVO direct-mail cards reaching up to 85 million homes each week, in displays at 3,300 Wal-Marts, and to law-enforcement agencies. The result: One in seven of the missing children whose portraits are circulated is recovered. To further aid the process, NCMEC recommends:

•Be sure to get some professional shots of your children, particularly ones that clearly show the child's face.

•Schools should attach a child's photo to his or her file, offering immediate access to a high-quality photo if needed.

•Even if you're divorced, have a current photo of your ex—photos of both parents are crucial for an accurate likeness.

Have You Seen These Kids?
Reuben Blackwell Jr.* Disappeared May 6, 1996 Clinton, Md.

Alexander Hillman** Disappeared June 15, 2000 West Tisbury, Mass.

Karla Rodriguez Disappeared October 20, 1999 Las Vegas

Shakeima Cabbagestalk Disappeared July 22, 1993 Dillon, S.C.

Christopher Kerze Disappeared April 20, 1990 Eagan, Minn.

Victor Shoemaker Disappeared May 1, 1994 Kirby, W.Va.

Karen Grajeda Disappeared January 11, 1996 Tucson

Morgan Nick Disappeared June 9, 1995 Alma, Ark.

Jacob Wetterling Disappeared October 22, 1989 St. Joseph, Minn.

*Noncustodial father charged with kidnapping **Noncustodial mother charged with kidnapping

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