VANCOUVER -- Police across British Columbia are hoping that new facial reconstruction technology will help solve the mystery of unidentified human remains found across the province over several decades.
The RCMP partnered with the New York Academy of Fine Art on the project to reconstruct the faces of 15 unidentified men found in B.C. and Nova Scotia from 1972 to 2019.
Mounties provided the school with 3D-printed versions of 15 skulls, and at the beginning of January, the students reconstructed the faces using clay.
Mounties reached out to coroners and medical examiners across Canada to find skulls for the project, and the ones selected were in the best condition. The RCMP has more than 700 unidentified human remains in its national database.
Fourteen of the people Mounties are hoping to identify were found in B.C., and one was found in Nova Scotia. That man has since been identified. His remains were found at Sandy Cove Beach in 2019, and he was identified through DNA analysis. Mounties said the deceased person was a 43-year-old man from Saint John, N.B., who was reported missing in the summer of 2018. His death is not considered suspicious.
Here are the photos and profiles of the 14 men whose remains were found in B.C.:
Chilliwack—Found Sept. 18, 1972
The man is believed to be about 18-35 years old, with brown hair and brown eyes. He had two fillings and Mounties describe his teeth as "well-looked-after." He was found wearing grey canvas running shoes with a rubber sole.
Hollyburn Mountain—Found Apr. 23, 1984
The man's remains were found east of Cypress Bowl Road along the Skyline Trail. He's believed to be about 20-40 years old and was wearing leather cowboy boots.
Whistler Mountain—Found on Aug. 12, 1987
Mounties describe him as white with long brown hair and about 30-49 years old. His skeletal remains were found near the Franz Run on Whistler Mountain, and Mounties believe he could be from South Africa or the U.S.
Mounties describe him as white, about 45-70 years old with long brown hair. He had several healed fractures, including in his skull, right jaw, and fingers.
Mounties say he had extensive dental restoration work and could have been American. He had a healed fracture to his left collarbone which had been repaired with a surgical wire. He also recently had surgery for ingrown toenails on both feet.
North Vancouver—Found Aug. 25, 1994
Police believe his death may be suspicious. His remains were found in Cates Park, and he had a healed fracture to his right wrist and an old lower back injury. He's described as Asian with stained teeth and was found wearing a tweed Le Chateau blazer.
He was found wearing underwear from the Edmonton Psychiatric Centre. Mounties believe he may have been from Alberta and died more than a year before his remains were found. He's described as 40-60 years old and had osteoarthritis in his neck and back.
West Vancouver—Found March 24, 1996
The man's remains were found near the Upper Levels Highway and had recently healed from injuries including a fractured skull, nose and ribs, possibly from a major accident.
Port Coquitlam—Found July 2, 1998
The man was missing an upper front tooth on the left side of his mouth, and he had a deformity in his left knee. His remains were found north of the cemetery in Port Coquitlam, and he appeared to have been suffering from Osgoode-Schlater's disease.
He's described as Asian, about 30-49 years old, with long black hair and good teeth. He was wearing a cross necklace and a Bugle Boy brand t-shirt.
His remains were found on the shore of the Fraser River in Richmond. He had a gold tooth in his lower left jaw and was found wearing a black nylon fanny pack.
He had badly worn dentures for his upper and lower teeth, and his remains were found floating in the Fraser River. He also suffered from severe coronary artery disease.
Police believe he may have died several years before his remains were found, and his remains were found near an old landing strip.
He's believed to be between 40 and 60 years old and was wearing a green hoodie with "Athletic" printed on the front. Mounties say he was found in a forested area in North Burnaby and they believe he may have gone missing in 2013.
