Date: Dec 04, 2015 Source: (
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For more than two years, he has terrorized at least a dozen women, peeping into windows and slipping into bedrooms to watch them sleep. He has touched several women's feet or hair -- some, he has sexually assaulted.
The media dubbed him the "Serial Creeper," and police are desperate to find him. In September, they released a sketch of a dark-haired, dark-eyed Latino man with smooth skin, high cheekbones and a pointed chin. But the sketch wasn't drawn by a police artist based on eyewitness accounts. The Creeper has kept his face covered in every assault, says Kelly Denham, a police officer in Coral Gables, Fla. "He's never been seen."
So local police had to pursue a less-conventional route: They bought a computer-generated image based on the Creeper's DNA. For $4,500, a company based in Reston, Va., called Parabon NanoLabs analyzed DNA that the Creeper left behind at crime scenes. The analysis zeroed in on genetic clues linked to hair color, eye color, facial features and ancestry. Then, Parabon crafted a digital mash-up of the Creeper's face.
The images Parabon creates don't offer an exact picture of a suspect, says Ellen Greytak, Parabon's bioinformatics director. "We work with law enforcement to give them an idea of who they should be looking for," she says -- or which people to cross off the suspect list.
In the last few years, several scientists and companies have ventured into the new world of appearance prediction. It's a hazy place, where the roots of a person's looks hide out in their genetic instruction books. Scientists dig up these roots by linking people's physical features with tiny landmarks in their DNA. If investigators could use DNA to predict nose width, say, or eye size, they might have an easier time tracking down criminals.
Proponents say the technology can do more than give investigators a lead in a case. It could also help put a face to ancient people -- long-lost ancestors, or perhaps even Neanderthals. Some even imagine giving parents-to-be a glimpse at their unborn child's visage, though that's still a far-off dream.
