Identified! OK - Osage Co., Skull Found Near Tulsa, May'07 - April Washington

Identification Sought From Skull

OSAGE COUNTY, OK - In May of 2007, a dog discovered a skull in the 6700 block of North 41st West Avenue in Osage County just northeast of Tulsa. Since that time, investigators from the county have worked to determine the identity of the victim.

~snip~

According to the medical examiner's findings, the victim likely died only a few months before the remains were discovered. The report indicates the victim could be Native American between the ages of 25 and 45 and likely a male, although the skull exhibits some female characteristics. The examiner's report states the victim died of blunt force trauma to the head or a gunshot wound.

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=9324798 <photo at site
 
That's quite a grotesque reconstruction. I wish they would come up with a better sketch. The nose doesn't look Native American; perhaps the person was of mixed races?
 
I agree with todays technology one would think a reconstruction would be better. I watched a show on forensic reconstruction once and I know they are supposed to make the person appear expressionless but come on, this persons reconstrution looks like a deer caught in headlights. I am a graphic designer by trade and now I know what profession I may seek next. Only problem is that I am sensitive to photos of people who have died tragically or have been dead for long periods of time. If I could learn to desensitize myself of these I think I might take a course in forensic reconstruction.
I hope this poor man finds a name, from the reconstuction he doesn't look very native american, more pacific islander in appearance.
 
I don't want to question the skill of the artist but perhaps they could use a computer to digitally reconstruct the face by mapping the skull. I think the gaped mouth is particularly off putting, and I don't expect that those who knew the individual in life would recall such an anguished expression when thinking of their loved one. Honestly the reconstruction of this poor soul looks...tortured. It is very unsettling.
 
This actually looks somewhat familiar to me, BUT, my first thought was female when I looked at the pic....the thousands of missing/UID we have all stared at, oh my.

9324798_BG1.jpg


I totally wish I had a clue about forensic facial reconstruction....but, by most of the reconstructs I have seen after match it seems most have most logical things 'close'.....nose, eyebrow shape, eye shape, face shape, hair lines, teeth, etc...this are all things they should know from what they have to work with.....yes?

I know there are people on here that are in this line of work or close, and some in school...hope one of them jumps on this one.

I'd start with locals missing and work out. I heard recently of a case, this is no joke, a boy was hit by a bus walking a FEW blocks from his house and because it was a DIFFERENT COUNTY he remained UID for some time (I don't wanna fib so I am not saying how long, but it was long enough I gasped...like yrs IIRC).
 
The pic is so dark I can barely see the shape of the browline or forhead. Someone should be able to recognize the teeth though.
 
I think that picture is stretched horizontally. There's a picture of Oprah on the same page that has the same problem. I mean, the face still has a weird expression, but at least it's not quite so bizarre.
1226462607.jpg
 
They really do need to hire better reconstruction artists. However did this reconstruction should be ashamed of themselves and go into abstract art or something. Most reconstructions i've seen look a lot better than this. If they wanted to show the teeth; they could've just redid those seperately or took photos of the teeth, they didn't have to do the whole gaping mouth thing.
The nose does look more asian or pacific islander, as Julespa said.
It looks like they stuck a wig on the reconstruction. I don't see how that's helpful as we have no idea what type of hairstyle the victim may have had when alive, poor thing. I agree with txvicki, we need to see a hairline.
The eyebrows do look more female than male; yet that could be due to a bad reconstruction..
 
DNA tests link skull to missing Tulsa woman
May 07, 2009 22:56 EDT


TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Preliminary DNA tests suggest that a skull found in rural Osage County belongs to a Tulsa woman who has been missing for two years.

Sheriff's Capt. Dave Hinman says he hopes to find dental records and other evidence to confirm the remains are those of 34-year-old April Washington.

~snip~

Washington was last seen alive on May 10, 2007, and the skull was found 10 days later in a rural area of Osage County, northwest of Tulsa.

However, Washington had not yet been reported missing then. Her family initially believed she may have left the area on her own and didn't report her missing until July 2007.

http://www.kokh.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.ok/2bb7ed79-www.okcfox.com.shtml

I cannot find her listed on ANY site as missing! She isn't on OSBI or on TPD! No wonder we had no luck trying to find a match!
 
Again, it is all a "rendering". They are human, and make mistakes.

I think this artist may need some more courses or something.

But if there is one bad reconstruction among hundreds of good ones who have resulted in an ID, I am not quick to be harsh, I suppose.
 
No one would have recognized her from that recon, that's for sure.

Surprisingly enough, the family did recognize her from the reconstruction! "Family members of Tulsa resident April Washington (right), who disappeared in 2007, contacted authorities after seeing the picture. The reconstruction was based on a skull that was found May 20, 2007, in Osage County."
(Caption on the reconstruction picture at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090507_11_0_Askull822557)

Why this artist chose to model the face with a wide-eyed grimace, I can't imagine. I personally see no similarity. But it worked to identify her anyway.
One of the commentors says April was the nicest person you could ever meet.
 
I'm surprised the remains were already skeletal only 10 days after she was last seen alive. The first article even guesses it had been a matter of months since the UID died.

RIP, April and this was an amazing match.
 
That's quite a grotesque reconstruction. I wish they would come up with a better sketch. The nose doesn't look Native American; perhaps the person was of mixed races?

Agreed! What kind of reconstruction is that?! The artist made her look like a scared, angry monster.
 
Surprisingly enough, the family did recognize her from the reconstruction! "Family members of Tulsa resident April Washington (right), who disappeared in 2007, contacted authorities after seeing the picture. The reconstruction was based on a skull that was found May 20, 2007, in Osage County."
(Caption on the reconstruction picture at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090507_11_0_Askull822557)

Why this artist chose to model the face with a wide-eyed grimace, I can't imagine. I personally see no similarity. But it worked to identify her anyway.
One of the commentors says April was the nicest person you could ever meet.

Agreed... the only similarity I see... which is significant... are the teeth. I wouldn't be surprised if this is what caught the attention of her family (or whomever ID'd her).

20090507_missing2a.jpg


20090507_missing.jpg


9324798_BG1.jpg
 
The pic is so dark I can barely see the shape of the browline or forhead. Someone should be able to recognize the teeth though.

Hi Txsviki, That was my immediate thought too, tho I was offset by the horror expressed on the victims face!

I think the teeth are so unusual if you really look at them, that it is the one thing some one is going to recognize that knows the person. Lots of teeth, all crooked and maybe they are even baby teeth. I knew a guy once who had teeth like that once that were smaller than normal teeth - a full mouth of them too!

xox
 
I'm not sure it's a match. Except for having a lg. gap, the Washington woman's teeth don't appear to be as crooked as those on the reconstruct. Looks to me like the UID has a bad under bite.
 
I'm not sure it's a match. Except for having a lg. gap, the Washington woman's teeth don't appear to be as crooked as those on the reconstruct. Looks to me like the UID has a bad under bite.

I believe she's been identified (see my post #16 showing the victim) :)

This is the same lady... we were just debating the skills of the reconstruction artist.

See post #10 for the link and news story.
 

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