On the Job 

An age-progression photo technique used by the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) can put the spotlight on unsolved missing persons cases.

The technique, performed at no cost by a forensic artist with the BCI Missing Persons Unit, involves updating an original photo of the missing person to take the passage of time into account. 

The case of a Parma woman missing for 27 years is back in the spotlight after a forensic artist at BCI created a photo showing what the woman might look like today.

Elaine Johnson, who was 41 at the time of her disappearance in 1990, was last known to be at her apartment in the 5900 block of Stumph Road. Her money, credit cards, and identification were found in her residence, but her keys were missing. Johnson’s car was found in the apartment complex’s parking lot, and a load of Johnson’s laundry was in the complex's laundry room, where her storage locker was open.

Johnson’s daughter, Jodi Malcolm, sought BCI’s help because there have been few leads in the case.

Malcolm shared photos of her mother and her mother’s brother with BCI Criminal Intelligence/Missing Persons Analyst Samantha Molnar.

“It’s useful to have photos of the missing person’s parents and siblings taken at the age that the missing person would be now,” Molnar said. “You can see how their family members aged, and that gives you a better idea of how the person may have aged.”

To start, Molnar chose a photo of Johnson in which her whole face is visible and she is looking directly at the camera. Then, using photos of similar-looking women of the same age and ethnicity of Johnson today, Molnar copied and pasted some of their features to the original photo using photo-editing software. She also thinned Johnson’s lips and added some age lines.

Molnar gave Johnson, who would be 69 years old, a youthful appearance in her age-progression photo because she was known for being particular about her image.

“When doing this type of photo, you have to make sure you are hitting all the elements and aging each part of the face but also taking into consideration what kind of lifestyle they lived before they went missing.

“If she were a person who didn’t really care about her looks, this photo would look a lot different.”

After finishing the photo, the artist shared it with Malcolm and forwarded it to the Parma Police Department, which sent it out to the media.

Anyone with information on Johnson’s disappearance or whereabouts is urged to contact the Parma police at 440-885-1234.

Law enforcement officials or family members of missing persons interested in learning more about the services offered by BCI's Missing Persons Unit should call 855-BCI-OHIO (855-224-6446).

Photo-related services offered at BCI

Age-progression photos: Using software and artistry to show what a person would look like with the passage of time.

Age-regression photos: Using software and artistry to show what a person looked like in the past.

Composite images: Working with a crime victim to create a sketch of the suspect.

Photo modifications: Using digital editing to make changes to a photo.

Post-mortem imaging: Turning cadaver photos into lifelike images that can be released to the public.