## 2 Background Information on the Two Real Cases  
### Case 1: Gottingen (Germany) 1993  
In 1993, an unknown corpse was found in Holzerode near Gottingen (Germany). A post-mortem examination carried out at the Institute of Forensic Medicine Gottingen (Germany) revealed massive violence to the neck with bony injuries to the larynx and hyoid bone as the cause of death. On the basis of the available remains, the death was considered a homicide. The victim was not yet identified. In order to clarify the identity of the unidentified man, extensive examinations were carried out at the time, including the alleged victim's tattoos, teeth, and dental status, in particular the crowns. Furthermore, records were used to create a biological profile, which formed the basis of a manual facial soft tissue reconstruction in 1993, and the digital FSTR was also part of this publication. The following information regarding the biological profile and external appearance of the individual was known before the reconstruction:  
* Sex: male; age: about 30-40 years; height: about 170 cm. * Dark hair, about 10 to 15 cm long. * European ancestry and a robust skeletal structure. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{p{56.9 pt} p{113.8 pt} p{113.8 pt} p{113.8 pt}} \hline
**Method** & **Type** & **Advantages** & **Disadvantages** \\ \hline American Method & Manual, analog (sculptural) & Objective and reproducible & Relies heavily on the accuracy of reference depth tables; loss of skull; 3D replica required for modeling; skill-dependant \\ \hline Russian Method & Manual, analog (sculptural) & Anatomically detailed and expressive & Subjective and non-standardized; requires expert anatomical and anthropological knowledge; loss of skull; 3D replica required for modeling; skill-dependant \\ \hline Manchester Method & Manual, analog (sculptural) & Combines objectivity of depth markers with individuality of muscular structure & Inherits limitations of both muscle-based and depth-based methods; loss of skull; 3D replica required for modeling; skill-dependant \\ \hline Digital Drawing & Manual, digital (2D illustration) & Non-invasive (skull remains intact); fast and low-cost; easy to distribute & No depth info; skill-dependent; limited anatomical accuracy \\ \hline Superimposition Technique & Manual, digital (2D overlay) & Non-invasive (skull remains intact); requires minimal resources & Needs antemortem photos; subjective comparison; not a full reconstruction \\ \hline
3D Sculpting using CAD Software (e.g., Blender) & Manual/semi-automated, digital (sculptural) & Non-invasive (skull remains intact); faster than manual methods; partially automatable & Suffers from the same conceptual limitations as its underlying manual approach \\ \hline
3D Morphing from Databases & Semi-/fully automated (data-driven morphing) & Non-invasive (skull remains intact); fast and data-driven; less subjective than manual methods & May lack individual-specific traits; dependent on dataset quality and diversity; output may appear generalized \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Comprehensive comparison of classical manual and modern computer-assisted methods used in forensic facial soft tissue reconstruction, highlighting their procedural types, methodological advantages, and inherent limitations. The table includes traditional sculptural techniques (American, Russian, and Manchester) as well as digital 2D and 3D approaches such as drawing, overlay, CAD modeling, and morphing algorithms. * Broad, oval face with a slightly protruding midface. * Slightly arched eyebrows and a relatively low forehead. * Rather voluminous eyelids and pupil distance of approximately 60 mm. * Large nose with a saddle-shaped, straight bridge and slightly protruding nostrils, with the width of the nostrils being approximately 35 mm. * Mouth with narrow lips, moderately curved and weak philtrum, with a broad and firm chin. * Neutral gray-brown eye color, taking into account typical correlations between eye and hair color, as well as general population traits associated with ethnic background.