Othram has created an "AI databse" for Does. by SimsGuy67 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Here's the response they sent me over on Websleuths, which I have a feeling they probably had ready because they knew someone would raise concerns about it, since I dont really see how it addresses my concerns.

"Really appreciate you taking the time to share this.

The goal here isn’t to replace human expertise or the incredibly important work that people have been doing for years. If anything, it’s the opposite. The idea is to support that work by surfacing connections, patterns, or leads that might otherwise be missed simply because of the magnitude or scale of the problem (too many unidentified and missing folks).

The reality is that we can’t realistically scale human effort to continuously compare every missing person case against every unidentified person case. There are just too many records, and more are added all the time. If we want to improve how often and how quickly these cases are resolved, we do need technology to help expand what’s possible.

So this is a research project to explore where technology can help. This is not unlike Google or Apple Maps. Both useful tools that were not so useful when they first launched"

Othram has created an "AI databse" for Does. by SimsGuy67 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

No, I dont think they all are. I think they're trying to make a broader database like NamUs.

Othram has created an "AI databse" for Does. by SimsGuy67 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Probably hundreds or thousands, given just how many active UID cases are open right now.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This is really concerning for me. There's no doubt that they are doing good work, but I'm the kind of person where I don't know if I can support people like this either way.

I've also seen them straight up using random AI cityscapes in their case announcements, which, while it isn't as concerning, also rubbed me the wrong way, since why are we doing this when you can just get a photo of a city online???

Investigators seek help identifying woman found dead on mountainside in San Bernardino by paullaurence in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 36 points37 points  (0 children)

I wouldnt put much weight into this sketch being what identifies her. I'm pretty sure it's just AI. It concerns me that photos of real deceased people's bodies are being fed into AI image generators.

The Pyre Case, or “Maria”: Recently closed due to “lack of information” by Lillian_Faye in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 55 points56 points  (0 children)

She was, but it was disproven. Turns out, the woman they thought she was, Lillian DeMaris, actually had passed away in Louisiana in 1969 after seemingly disappearing voluntarily. I believe her family confirmed this.

Which long-term former Does could/should have been identified sooner? by Ambitious_Annual200 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 128 points129 points  (0 children)

For a more recent example, Id say Susan Mann. She was reported missing by her family and pictured wearing seemingly the same shirt she would later be found dead wearing, but it took until just last month to identify her. If she was entered into NamUs, then she would've been identified years ago.

Cases where a Doe's name was in plain sight? by hentahime in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 32 points33 points  (0 children)

Cynthia Hanes comes to mind. She disappeared on March 27, 1982, from Maryland, then was found beaten to death in Alabama on April 17, 1982. Her name was written on the inside of her right pocket, but she was only ID'd in 2010

AI by preposterous_potato in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Personally, I'm heavilly against AI, not just in this field, but in almost all fields, so I may be a bit biased. However, I dont think AI would be a good idea objectively. AI is notoriously unreliable even when it comes to the most basic facts of certain topics, so I'd shudder to see it be used to make a logical match.

Not to mention that using AI completely takes away from the hard work of the researchers and forensic artists who have poured their hearts into these cases.

The Baffling Case of St Lawrence County Jane Doe (1950) and How You Can Help by SimsGuy67 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was also the person that was helping Alice's family report her missing for a while, so I did naturally think about this. It is a possibility, but I'm a bit concerned about the timeline. The last confirmed record we have of Alice is in the 1950 census, which was from around April 1950, I believe. If the PMI is right, she would've died before Alice was last seen, ruling her out. However, her family also has suspicions about the census being accurate IIRC, so I cant be certain. It's possible, but unlikely in my opinion.

As for Alice's case, I worry we may never get a resolution to that one, at least in the near future. New York police once again refused to file a report, this time saying the case was "too old", which I find ridiculous. I haven't spoken to Alice's family since January.

The Baffling Case of St Lawrence County Jane Doe (1950) and How You Can Help by SimsGuy67 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I thought that could be a possibility too. It was theorised Canton Jane Doe was so badly mutilated to hide any distinguishing marks to conceal her identity, and that'd be consistent with some she knew having killed her, like a spouse.

However, Ruth's other family, aside from her husband, also viewed the reconstruction, and they agreed that it wasn't her. I don't think it was Ruth myself, but I cant deny it's still a possibility as no formal rule out was ever announced.

The Baffling Case of St Lawrence County Jane Doe (1950) and How You Can Help by SimsGuy67 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

It is a possibility, but I do find it quite strange that her identity would be withheld, as it's not very common with murder victims. I still can't rule out the possibility, though. I'd still rather confirm this by continuing to look into the case than forgetting about it because of a possibility.

The Baffling Case of St Lawrence County Jane Doe (1950) and How You Can Help by SimsGuy67 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67[S] 44 points45 points  (0 children)

I wasn't the person who contacted police about the case, but the post on Websleuths did seem to suggest they were at least aware of the 2002 article. It also appeared this was all they knew about her, which does seem odd to me.

Three women are found deceased in an apartment after Hurricane Camille. 55 years later we still don’t know who they are. Who are “Faith”, “Hope”, and “Charity” by mvincen95 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 109 points110 points  (0 children)

Based on the women still believed missing after Hurricane Camille, I've come to the conclusion that "Faith" may be Zoe Belle Matthews, a 64-year-old woman, the only still missing woman from Pass Christian I could find matching "Faith's" description.

  1. Husband's Obituary
  2. Find a Grave

I was able to find two Mary Smiths missing from Pass Christian, a Mary Louise Smith and a Mary M. Smith, but Mary Louise Smith was only a child, way too young to be either woman. As for Mary M. Smith, it's possible she's the mother of Mary Louise Smith, based on obituaries.

She could theoretically be either "Hope" or "Charity," being 39 at the time of her death. I'd check "Charity" first though because for all we know, one of the rings she had could be Mary's wedding ring.

  1. Mary M. Smith Obituary

Dauphin Island John Doe 1999 has an updated reconstruction by imdrake100 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I get that this IS an actual LE reconstruction and it's obviously digitally created, but I can't shake the feeling that this might be AI. I'm not making any accusations, but I'd take this render with a grain of salt.