Forensic artist creates 3D likeness of victim in 1973 Loudoun County cold case

Forensic artist and George Mason University adjunct professor Joe Mullins played a critical role in a 1973 cold case investigation by creating a clay facial reconstruction of an unidentified homicide victim. The victim, a Black woman in her late 20s or early 30s, was found in Loudoun County, Virginia, in 1973. Despite efforts at the time, authorities were unable to identify her, and she was buried as "Jane Doe."

In 2023, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office exhumed the body to use modern forensic techniques, including DNA analysis. Mullins, a professor in both the forensic science department and the school of art at George Mason, created a lifelike bust based on a 3D-printed model of the victim’s skull, offering a new perspective on what she may have looked like at the time of her death.

View the coverage of this story by NBC4, Northern Virginia Mag, and the Washington Post.