The victim of the horrific subway fire incident is yet to be identified as the woman’s body was scorched beyond recognition. The New York Post reported that the police are now considering using anthropological facial reconstruction to solve the case. The process of recreating the face is one of the few options available for investigators, who have been trying to use DNA analysis in the five days since the horrifying murder.
Almost a week after the horrific incident in which Guatemalan illegal migrant Sebastian Zapeta Calil set a sleeping woman on fire in an NYC subway car, the identity of the woman has not been established. NYPD found a walker from the site indicating that the victim had mobility issues for which she could not immediately respond to the fire and could only get up when she was completely burnt.
Social media users wrongly identified the woman as one Amelia Carter and an AI-generated image went viral while in reality the investigators are trying out all options available to identify the woman. No relatives or friends came forward claiming to have known the victim — indicating that she was probably a homeless person.
“Facial recognition or approximation comes in when you’re really trying to shake the trees, because you’ve kind of hit a dead end, nothing’s showing up database, days and weeks have gone by and you want to call in the public to say, ‘Does anybody know who this person is?’” said Nathan Lents, a professor of Biology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
“Getting DNA from a badly burned body can be challenging, but a lot of times ‘badly burned’ just means badly on the outside and beyond visual recognition,” said Lents.
“There may be plenty of bones and internal soft tissue that is accessible for DNA extraction, unless the body has been completely incinerated, as in a cremation.”
Authorities announced Friday they were making strides with the DNA extraction, but not enough to identify the victim.
“As many of you know, the criminal court complaint and the indictment at this time indicates the death of a Jane Doe. The police and the medical examiner’s office and many investigators are working to identify her,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said at a press conference. “The body was badly burned, and so advanced fingerprinting efforts are being made, as well as advanced DNA evidence to identify her. We have made some progress in that area, but I’m not at liberty to get into specifics now,” he said.
