The skulls from three bodies discovered on the North Shore over a number of years are part of a joint Canada-U.S. effort to close a number of cold cases using 3D printing.
The B.C. Coroners Service provided the RCMP with the skulls from 14 unidentified human remains investigations in B.C. dating back to 1972. Along with another skull from Nova Scotia, 15 total skulls were recreated using 3D printing technology and then transported to the New York Academy of Art where students performed facial reconstruction using clay.
The hope is that with the public’s help investigators will be able to put names to faces and shed light on several decades-old mysterious deaths, according to B.C. Coroners Service spokesman Andy Watson.
One of the skulls being used for the reconstruction project is from an unidentified man believed to be aged 20 to 40, who was discovered east of Cypress Bowl Road along the Skyline trail on Hollyburn Mountain on April 23, 1984.
Also in West Van, the skull from the remains of a man aged 50 to 65 found near the Upper Levels Highway on March 25, 1996 is being used. The skull from the remains of a man aged 25 to 40 found in Cates Park/Whey-ah-Wichen in North Vancouver, on Aug. 25, 1994, is also being used as part of the effort.
There are 179 unidentified remains investigations open in B.C., according to the coroners service.
The reconstructed faces will be on display in New York in April 2020.
View the reconstructions here.
