Abstract
The phenomenon of missing persons draws the attention of authorities, who implement measures to address the issue. Missing Children Argentina (MCA) is a non-profit organization that supports the families of missing individuals in Argentina. MCA receives support with age progression techniques from the Italian non-profit organization Italian Missing Children (IMC). MCA and IMC have been collaborating since 2020, processing nine cases of digital aging. This paper presents the case of a missing girl, and her age progression is reported as an example to document the collaborative work between the two organizations. The age progression technique, performed due to photographs of the missing person's relatives, is based on scientific standards of facial aging. Through the use of Adobe Photoshop (2022®), specific facial morphological features were identified in high-resolution reference photos and combined to create an updated image of the missing individual. The digitally aged image is then included in a poster and shared on social media. The poster includes the time and place of the disappearance, personal details of the missing person, contact information for potential sightings, original photos taken closest to the time of disappearance, and the digitally age-progressed images. It is crucial to inform the public about the possibility of requesting age progression for long-term missing persons. This technique can update the appearance of the individual and significantly support search efforts.
Keywords
Introduction
The phenomenon of missing persons has become a global crisis, affecting communities across all continents. Each year, countless individuals vanish under mysterious, tragic, or criminal circumstances, leaving behind families in anguish and societies grappling with unanswered questions. The causes of disappearances are diverse—ranging from armed conflict and human trafficking to natural disasters and systemic neglect—and highlight both individual vulnerability and structural failures in law enforcement, international cooperation, and social protection systems. This is not a localized problem: it is a global emergency that demands a coordinated international response. 1
To help address this serious issue, a group of volunteers in Argentina established the non-profit organization Missing Children Argentina (MCA) in 1999. In 2020, MCA began collaborating with the Italian non-profit Italian Missing Children (IMC) to support the families of missing persons through the use of age progression techniques. IMC creates updated images of missing individuals by digitally modifying photographs to reflect their probable current appearance. These images are then used in posters and social media campaigns to increase the chances of recognition.2,3
Since 2020, nine age progressions have been produced for MCA, aiding in the search for missing individuals and supporting their families. Through interviews and social media outreach, Argentine families are increasingly being informed about the value of age progression and its role in updating and disseminating images of missing persons.2,3
In this paper, the authors present the 2015 case of a missing Argentinian child as an example of how age progression can support investigations into missing persons.
Case report
Camilla Cinalli is an Argentinian girl who disappeared at the age of 15 on August 30, 2015, under unknown circumstances. She would now be 24 years old. 4
Camilla's family contacted MCA for assistance in disseminating her photograph, despite the many years since her disappearance. With parental authorization, MCA provided Camilla's and her parents’ photographs to IMC to begin the age progression process.2,3 The age progression technique was developed through several phases: photo analysis, study of facial features, and the aging process.5–9
Photo analysis
The first phase involves examining the photographs provided by the family. Lighting conditions and image resolution are evaluated to determine which facial features can be reliably identified. Both overexposure and underexposure can obscure important facial details or make them invisible altogether. 10
It is also important to assess the orientation of the faces in the photos, as this can affect the visibility of facial traits. Aging parts of the face that are not clearly visible in the original image may result in inaccurate reconstructions.11,12 Therefore, collecting multiple photographs of the missing person is recommended, as this increases the likelihood of accurately identifying the greatest number of facial features. 10
Study of facial features
This phase involves analyzing somatic features in the photos of the missing person, including the shape of the face, eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth. The same analysis is repeated for the photos of the parents. These facial traits are classified according to standard morphological categories.13–16
By determining the morphology of the missing person's features and comparing them with those of the parents, it becomes possible to identify shared traits. This comparison helps predict how the missing person's unique features may have changed over time. Parental images can also serve as visual references for the aging process. 10
Aging process
The technique is carried out using photographic references, which are represented by high-resolution pictures depicting facial traits categorized by shape. The reference images consist of photos of different parts of the face, such as lips, eyes, and nose, which are grouped based on their morphology according to the standard classification. 13 Photographic references are selected based on the current age of the missing person, to account for changes occurring as a result of aging phenomena.
Once the needed shapes of facial traits are detected, the age progression is performed through graphical reassembly to obtain an aged portrait of the missing individual.5–8,16–28 The process of reassembling the selected facial features is conducted using tools provided by Adobe Photoshop (2022®). Each image representing a part of the face is merged with the others using the blur tool to prevent the outlines of each inserted image from being visible. Furthermore, tone and brightness adjustments are made using the software's dedicated tools to obtain a homogeneous color tone in the final result. 29
Finally, the result of the age progression technique is added to the poster of the missing person. To create the poster, some information is required, like a photo of the child at the time of disappearance, full name, sex, age, medical conditions or disability, if any, and any unique features, what kind of clothes the child was wearing when he/she disappeared, where he/she was last seen and when, and contact person information in case of sight.
Once the parental consent has been obtained, the poster is shared via social media.
Results
Photo analysis
Different levels of resolution in the available photographic material were observed: the photos portraying the father's (Figure 1(a)) and the mother's face (Figure 1(c)) are of low resolution, which is evident when the image is zoomed in. In contrast, the photo of Camilla has a higher resolution (Figure 1(b)).
Photo of Camilla's father (a), Camilla (b) and Camilla's mother (c). Please note that Camilla's eyebrows are wavy (b), similar to her father's (a), while those of the mother are arched (c). The eyefold is absent both in Camilla's and her father's eyes (b, a), while the mother has a lateral eyefold (c). Camilla's upper lip and lower lip are flat (b), similar to those of her parents (a, c). The shape of the nose is similar both in the parent's and in Camilla's face (a–c).
The lighting is homogeneous in the photos of the father and mother (Figure 1(a) and (c)). Camilla's photo shows lighting discontinuities due to more shaded areas and strong illumination on the tip of the nose (Figure 1(b)). Despite this lack of homogeneity, it is still possible to observe the morphology of the facial features.
The facial orientation in all three images is similar, as all subjects face forward in anterior view (Figure 1(a) to (c)). Minor differences are present: the mother's face is oriented slightly upward, Camilla's slightly downward, and the father's is directly frontal (Figure 1(a) to (c)).
Study of facial features
The parents provided only photos depicting them at their current age. The shapes of the facial traits were nonetheless identified, though with lower accuracy.
Camilla's eyebrows are classified as wavy (Figure 1(b)), similar to her father's (Figure 1(a)). Those of the mother are classified as arched (Figure 1(c)). The eyefold is absent both in Camilla's and her father's eyes (Figure 1(a) and (b)), while the mother has a lateral eyefold (Figure 1(c)).
Camilla's upper lip and lower lip are flat (Figure 1(b)), similar to those of her parents (Figure 1(a) and (c)). The shape of the nose is similar both in the parent's and in Camilla's face (Figure 1(a) to (c)), though only partially visible in the parents’ images due to low resolution.
Aging process
The search for the photographic references took into account the physical changes that occur between 15 and 24 years. 30 According to forensic anthropological methodology, skeletal maturity occurs at approximately 21 years of age, making the transition from sub-adult to adult. In the cranial region, bone maturation includes: fusion of spheno-occipital synchondrosis (13–18 years), closure of the jugular growth plate (22–34 years), an increase of approximately 1.5 cm in the opening and nasal height (13–22 years), fusion of the ethmoid and vomer (20–30 years), and fusion of the vomer with the perpendicular plate of the ethmoid (20–30 years). Facial soft tissues do not show visible signs of loss of tone between the ages of 15 and 24. The element that most indicates the progression of facial aging is the migration of facial fat, which moves slightly downwards, following the force of gravity. 13
In Camilla's case, all these variations are mainly defined by a lengthening of the nose, a transition from a rounded to a more oval shape of the face, and a slight decrease in fat located in the cheekbone area.
After identifying the photographic references, they were resembled using Adobe Photoshop (2022®), and tone and brightness were adjusted. The result of the age progression technique was shared with Camilla's relatives, who approved the image. Consequently, a poster was created with the purpose of dissemination (Figure 2).
Poster showing biographical info about Camilla's disappearance, her photo at the time of disappearance, her age progression and contact info in case of sight. Please note that the age progression technique predicts morphological changes including lengthening of the nose, a transition from a rounded to a more oval facial shape, and a slight reduction of fat in the cheekbone area.
Discussion
Since 2015, the monitoring of missing persons in Argentina has highlighted a very significant increase.1–3,31–36
In order to support government activities aimed at combating this phenomenon, civilian volunteers have created a non-profit organization called MCA, which supports the families of missing people. 2 Due to the use of the internet, this organization has expanded the dissemination of mug shots of missing persons. Furthermore, in cases where missing people have not been found for years, this organization has enlisted the help of age progression technology through international collaboration.
Non-profit organizations, such as MCA, have taken advantage of the possibility of exploiting this technique to demonstrate to the families of the missing that, even after a long time after the disappearance of their loved ones, there are methods that can offer hope and increase the chances of locating their loved ones.
Camilla's case is one of nine supported by the age progression technique in collaboration with MCA. These cases involved missing children, whose families showed interest in using age progression to support the search for their missing loved ones. The positive reaction of families to the proposal to use age progression indicates how important it is to provide them with new means for disseminating mug shots of the missing.
Camilla's case represents an example of how it is possible to support the search for missing persons through the use of modern technology. The age progression technique made it possible to circulate an image online that shows how Camilla's face might appear today (Figure 2). An updated version of the missing person's face, adjusted to their current age, can increase the chances of recognition and provide support to law enforcement operators involved in the search.
The example of age progression reported in this study also highlights the challenges and limitations associated with the available photographic material. In this case, the main limitations were differences in lighting between the photos and the very low resolution of the parental images. These issues may result in difficulty and increased uncertainty in determining the morphology of facial features. Despite these obstacles, the final age progression image was approved by Camilla's family, who gave their consent for its public dissemination (Figure 2).
Due to forensic anthropology techniques, in addition to classic applications such as the study of human remains and facial reconstruction, it is also possible to provide valuable support to the search for the missing person, such as age-progressed portrait.37–39
The age progression technique represents an innovative tool for optimizing the search for missing persons. It gives an additional possibility in the management of cold cases, showing the possible current appearance of the missing person and how his appearance may have evolved over time.
Footnotes
Consent for publication
This paper presents a case involving a missing child in Argentina, for which forensic age progression technique was applied. The child's parents gave informed consent for participation in the study and publication of the present work to the authors and to the Italian Missing Children Association. The research presented here was conducted in accordance with the principles embodied in the Declaration of Helsinki and in accordance with local statutory requirements.
Author contributions
All authors contributed equally to the conception, design, analysis, and preparation of the manuscript. Each author has reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and agrees to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Declaration of conflicting interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Guarantor
Laura Donato is nominated as the guarantor for this work. She accepts full responsibility for the integrity of the content, the accuracy of the data presented, and the overall conduct of the study.