Dixon artist offers insight into her crime-solving career

OREGON – Bethe Hughes used her artistic skills to help solve crimes. On Saturday, Aug. 17, she shared those skills, mixed with some of her own memories, during a forensic art presentation at the Coliseum Museum of Art, Antiques and Americana.

“As a forensic artist you want to reach into a person’s memory. You want to get them to talk, go back to the events of the day, their routine,” said Hughes, a retired special agent with the Illinois State Police. “Then, when you get to the part that was traumatic, hopefully they can remember.”

Hughes, a Dixon resident, said memories from victims or witnesses are essential in creating an accurate drawing of the perpetrator, which police investigators can then use to solve a crime.

She began her 20-year career as an ISP special agent and crime scene investigator, and she became a forensic artist after her talent for perspective was noticed when she was asked to gather fingerprints on a window.

“The prints were along the sill and the window glass, so I presented them like that in my report,” Hughes said. “When my supervisor saw what I had done, he said, ‘That’s in perspective – have you ever thought about being a forensic artist?’ And I said, ‘OK.’”

She trained at the FBI Academy for a year and then worked in forensics for five years before retiring.

“My mom was an artist, and I grew up with art,” she said. “My mom only allowed us a box of eight crayons. She said we could create colors from those eight. But I didn’t discover my own artistic skills until I was with the FBI.”

Twenty-two people attended Saturday’s workshop and were immediately tasked with creating a composite of a “suspect” from portions of photos that Hughes cut up from magazines. However, she cut the photos into pieces – upper third, brow line, middle third, eyes and lower third – giving each participant different pieces of each photo.

They were given paper with a rectangle with those areas marked along with pencils and a small eraser and began creating their sketch as Hughes offered drawing tips interspersed with her experiences.

“I always start with the eyes and work my way out,” she instructed. “Look at the shape of each eye, then the nose – is it wide or narrow or average? This is going to be a problem-solving venture to see how the features go.

“What happens if it looks wrong? That’s how it works in real life. You erase and try again,” she said. “When I worked with victims they would often say, ‘No, that’s not it,” and then I would start erasing. You want to try and get all the features first and then put them all together.”

A witness or victim who is detailed with their description can help the artist create an accurate drawing.

“You want someone who is very descriptive. If it was a very traumatic event, it may take some time,” she said, referring to the length of an interview.

She recalled one incident where a witness was returning to her job as a bank teller when she walked in on the bank being robbed.

“She had the best view of the suspect, but another teller signaled her to go, and she ran to the alley. The suspect followed her, and he took off his mask and was going to attack her. She was scared to death and fighting for her life because she thought he was going to come and get her,” Hughes said. “She knew he had seen her see him. She was too traumatized to help. I told the FBI that she needed psychological help, and they got it for her.”

However, another witness to the same armed robbery had only seen part of the suspect’s face and asked to be interviewed by Hughes. “She only had a side view, but we did a drawing and the police were able to use it, and they ended up arresting the robber,” Hughes said.

In another case, an older disabled woman had been a victim of a crime and had difficulty remembering details until Hughes worked with her to take her back to routine events that happened earlier in the day before the crime occurred.

Hughes said the woman remembered seeing someone at the laundromat who was washing a T-shirt with a similar logo on it that the suspect was wearing.

“When one of the investigators heard that, he remembered a woman who had a son with that T-shirt design. He jumped up and went to talk to them,” Hughes said. “I was still drawing, and they had him arrested. The witness has to be with you in it. She was guiding me, and it led to solving the crime.”

Hughes said forensic artistry is now being replaced with digital options, and she fears the interview process with victims and witnesses could be lost. She said showing victims or witnesses photo arrays before they have a chance to work with a forensic artist often muddles memories.

“The investigators want to get it solved, but I would always ask them not to do photo arrays before I could do my interview,” she said.

Forensic artists also can examine remains and create sketches of what a victim may have looked like, sketch victims or suspects based on surveillance footage and photographs, create age progressions to help identify missing persons or suspects, and make 2D and 3D reconstructions of crime scenes or evidence such as clay sculpting.

Ashlyn Foster, 17, of Savanna, was one of the participants in Saturday’s workshop.

“My plan is to be a forensic pathologist. That is my dream,” Foster said.

Foster’s rendition of her pieced-together “suspect” looked a lot like him, while some of the other participants’ drawings did not.

Kent Lawrence’s sketch looked like a werewolf.

“I think it kind of looks like him,” the Oregon resident said.

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Retired forensic artist Bethe Hughes of Dixon talks about how to draw suspects during a workshop on forensic art at the Coliseum Museum of Art, Antiques, and Americana in Oregon on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. Hughes worked as a special agent for the Illinois State Police for 20 years before retiring. (Earleen Hinton)

Upcoming CMAAA classes and workshops

Photography is Jazz with a Camera, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. Presented by Rich Ankeney.

This presentation draws parallels between camera work and jazz improvisation. Beyond that, it suggests many ideas on composition and the creative process that are applicable to the work of any visual artist. It has been enjoyed by college students at Knox College and by several other groups in Peoria and Galesburg.

Ankeney has been making photographs for more than 50 years and recently started painting again. He has exhibited widely, and his work has received numerous awards. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and photography from Quincy University, a master’s degree in art education from Illinois State University and a master’s degree in instructional technology from Western Illinois University.

Ankeney completed more than 40 hours of coursework to achieve Apple Teacher Institute certification. He taught art and photography classes at Carl Sandburg College for more than 25 years. In 2002, he received an Outstanding Alumni Award from the Art Department at Quincy University.

There is no charge, but registration is required. Registration closes at noon Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Glass Workshop Trinket Tray, 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Oct. 12. $30 members, $35 nonmembers. Instructor is Valerie Butcher.

In this workshop, you will make a 4-inch square tray. Projects will be ready for pickup one week after the workshop. Fee includes all materials, safety glasses and firing. Please wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. For ages 10 and older. An adult must accompany students younger than 13. Registration closes at noon Wednesday, Oct. 9.

The museum is located at 124 N. Fourth St., Oregon. For information, visit cmaaa.org or call 815-595-5810.