I'm sorry if this thread has already been made, but has anyone one else developed a fear of police sketches because of Unsolved Mysteries? Is there a term for a fear of police sketches? I started watching Unsolved Mysteries when I was 6. Sadly, I still have a fear of police sketches.

I know Unsolved Mysteries has had a bunch of scary sketches, but the two that come to mind are.

(1) The male who tries passing himself off as Beverly McGowan.
(2) The sketch of one of the I-70 victims. It didn't even looked human (I don't recall the sketch of the killer, I was probably too scared to look

I don't consider myself to be scared of police sketches, but I will admit there have been some that gave me the creeps. One was the composite drawing of the man suspected of the 1988 murder of four-year-old Barbara Jean Horn.

I am scared of them too. How about the one of the two guys who steals the teenagers Camaro then they put his body in the back of a pick-up truck. The one guy who did it killed himself but the otherone is still on the run.

I thought the police sketch of Wadada was pretty bad.

I don't consider myself to be scared of police sketches, but I will admit there have been some that gave me the creeps. One was the composite drawing of the man suspected of the 1988 murder of four-year-old Barbara Jean Horn.

I agree 100%. That particular sketch still give me nightmares, and I will never forget it for the rest of my life.:eek: Btw, I think that the sketch doesn´t look anything like Walter Ogrod, the alleged murderer of Barbara Jean Horn.

Oh the one that made me scream, and I mean SCREAM, as a child was of the man suspected of kidnapping Michela Garret(sp?). :eek:

You can practice this online.

http://www.policeguide.com/cgi/sketch-artist.cgi

I thought the bowling alley massacre sketches were pretty creepy when I was a kid, but now when I'm looking at them I can't help laughing cuz one of the guys kinda look like Eddie Murphy :lol:

Also, the guy who allegedly assaulted Dorothy Wacker looked pretty creepy :eek:

however, I don't agree with valutime20 about the "Sam"-sketch in the Bev McGowan segment though :p

You can practice this online.

http://www.policeguide.com/cgi/sketch-artist.cgi


WOW!!! That's kinda cool! ;)

As for the Beverly McGowan sketch, that ALWAYS gives me the creeps!! :eek:

There are several others that do the same, especially when you're watching UM at night! :eek:

I don't know that I'm afraid of them exactly, but they are creepy. THey usually have a certain inhuman/humanoid quality to them --- like the photonegative image of something: almost it, but not quite. I don't know. Weird.

I don't know that I'm afraid of them exactly, but they are creepy. THey usually have a certain inhuman/humanoid quality to them --- like the photonegative image of something: almost it, but not quite. I don't know. Weird.

I can relate, I thought I was the only one thinking that :eek:

Yeah some are..
Some of the re-enactors are as well
Dont remember the man's name- but the door -to door child molester
with the humongous Ambervisions

You can practice this online.

http://www.policeguide.com/cgi/sketch-artist.cgi

:lol:

:lol:

Hey, I fell for it on another site about a year ago. That's how I remembered it for this instance.

Similar to the drivers license gag, where you supposedly can look up any drivers license photo online. Now that one, I really could have made use of :lol: :

http://www.license.shorturl.com/

Oh the one that made me scream, and I mean SCREAM, as a child was of the man suspected of kidnapping Michela Garret(sp?). :eek:

Oh sweet Moses, that one was scary.

The one of the blond haired guy involved in the Son of Sam killings was creepy, as was the drawing of the prime suspect in the Megan Curl murder.

Yeah some are..
Some of the re-enactors are as well
Dont remember the man's name- but the door -to door child molester
with the humongous Ambervisions

Are you talking about the guy who would pose as some police officer who was checking milk? Yeah, that guy looked pretty creepy.

I've gotten over my fear a lot (like I said I was only 6 when I started watching the show.) But still, a lot of sketches give the creeps, especially late at night. I was watching the case about the 4 year old who was put in the TV box. The sketch was way off, and the guy they caught looked demented as well.Z

How often do police sketches actually help catch criminals?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Unabomber-sketch.png/200px-Unabomber-sketch.png
http://www.francesfarmersrevenge.com/stuff/unabomber/_30008_unabomb300.jpg

HAHAHAHA! My friends and I were JUST talking about how crappy the sketch of the Unabomber was! Very timely post. :)

On a lighter note, I've had several people point out to me that they think the police sketch of the man Sarah Powell identified as one of the intruders to her house was really hot. :lol:

The 2 sketches of the men of "interest" in the Stanley Gryziec´s case, also give me the creeps.omg:

I am LOVING that avatar. Montana represent! :)

HAHAHAHA! My friends and I were JUST talking about how crappy the sketch of the Unabomber was! Very timely post. :)

Actually, while it didn't look like Reddy Teddy currently, when they showed his college picture, the resemblance was distinctly uncanny.

The sketch artist even got the pursed half smile dead on ballz accurate.

OMG !!!
I remember which case you are referring to. I was so freaked out by this guy that during the commercial break, I ran upstairs to check that my front door was locked!

To Originally Posted by hovaslash
Yeah some are..
Some of the re-enactors are as well
Dont remember the man's name- but the door -to door child molester
with the humongous Ambervisions


OMG !!!:eek:
I remember which case you are referring to. I was so freaked out by this guy that during the commercial break, I ran upstairs to check that my front door was locked!

The 2 sketches of the men of "interest" in the Stanley Gryziec´s case, also give me the creeps.omg:

Yup. Those are pretty creepy.:eek:
But the Sam composite in the Beverly McGowan episode made me scream out loud.
What's even freakier is those facial reconstruction plasticine models to identify
jane and john doe's, like the ones on the Doe Network.
The National Center for Missing adults even shows a few postmortem pictures of unidentified victims. There is a strong disclaimer before you enter the Unidentified Persons section. http://www.theyaremissed.org

Yeah, clay composites don't bug me so much... but as far as postmortem pictures go, does anyone want me to mention the postmortem picture of the man in the steamer trunk? :eek:

What? Is this a recent case?
I've heard of a small boy found in a box in 1957, but that's it.
http://www.courttv.com/news/hiddentraces/boyinthebox/boyinthebox_page1.html

No, it was the case of an elderly man whose body was found inside a steamer trunk. In an effort to identify the man, UM showed a picture of the body. It was pretty bad. I think CD has it on one of her collections, but here's a link to the info from the UM webpage. (Don't worry, no pictures of the man on the page-- just a sketch.)

http://www.unsolved.com/0144-Unsub.html

Hope that helps. The man was eventually identified and his former caretaker stands trial for his murder.

Yikes. Creepy.
Thank you for sending me the link. :-)
I don't have cable right now, so my only UM source is YouTube.

Although it is not a police sketch, I am still hauting by the polaroid picture related to the Tara Calico case. Scarier than all the police sketches combined.

Just ran across this thread...those sketches used to scare me too and still creep me out to this day. They are unbearable to my g/f...she freaks out bad.

As for the child abductor guy that was going around supposedlly checking milk, you're talking about Kenneth Robert Stanton. He had those big 80s glasses. I was in 3rd grade when this case aired. It freaked me out because he lived in my home city, Mobile, at one point, I believe, and traveled around the Southeast with his crimes. He also lived in Macon, GA. The next day in school, my 3rd grade teacher mentioned that her husband knew a neighbor of his or something--I forgot the connection, but I was scared going to bed that night after watching the show. He was captured eventually.

I don't know if there is a "phobia" word for fear of police sketches, but you're right in saying that there sure are some disturbing ones. :eek: I DO know there is a "phobia" term for the fear of having peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth (I'm totally serious), but I don't recall the exact word at the moment. :lol:

I am scared of facial reconstructions of unidentified victims. Even Frank Bender makes them creepy. I wonder how this guy does it. :eek:

I am scared of facial reconstructions of unidentified victims. Even Frank Bender makes them creepy. I wonder how this guy does it. :eek:

After watching the segment on the Blind River Murders in Ontario, I have to say that the type of composite (made up of facial features found in a database) is also very unnerving. They look so real yet so nonhuman. Does that make sense?:crazy: :confused:

When I was younger, I won't lie, I was scared out of my mind of the sketches. I couldn't even look at them, like I'd anticipate a sketch and close my eyes or turn my head...I'd be at home alone and they would pop up in my head and i'd run outside! Does anyone have the I-70 killer sketch, or the mold for the Rest stop killer that killed that woman? Maybe even compile a collection of the scariest sketches.

I know this isn't a sketch, but I've yet to see the ATM grainy footage of the guy everyone says looked inhuman that was last seen in the case of the missing man in L.A. either!
Then again, I'm going to be in the house alone this weekend, so maybe I should just wait, lol.

HAHA me too. I was so little and terrified; I would look away or close my eyes. But 9 times out of 10 I would end of looking and then I'd have a hard time falling asleep at night and an even harder time getting up to go pee!

HAHA me too. I was so little and terrified; I would look away or close my eyes. But 9 times out of 10 I would end of looking and then I'd have a hard time falling asleep at night and an even harder time getting up to go pee!


lol, i don't know what it is, but as much as i tried/try not to look at them, something in your head makes you want to look!

When I was younger, I won't lie, I was scared out of my mind of the sketches. I couldn't even look at them, like I'd anticipate a sketch and close my eyes or turn my head...I'd be at home alone and they would pop up in my head and i'd run outside! Does anyone have the I-70 killer sketch, or the mold for the Rest stop killer that killed that woman? Maybe even compile a collection of the scariest sketches.

I know this isn't a sketch, but I've yet to see the ATM grainy footage of the guy everyone says looked inhuman that was last seen in the case of the missing man in L.A. either!
Then again, I'm going to be in the house alone this weekend, so maybe I should just wait, lol.

Well, by special request, here you go. Those afraid of police sketches and such may want to look away.

speaking about pics, I loved my Norman Ladner avatar, but it was hard to see, so I switched.

oops, didn't originally see that you also requested the I-70 killer. Here it is.

oops, didn't originally see that you also requested the I-70 killer. Here it is.


thanks! that I-70 was as bad as everyone said...

Well I-70 gets my vote, very creepy :eek:

Well, by special request, here you go. Those afraid of police sketches and such may want to look away.

speaking about pics, I loved my Norman Ladner avatar, but it was hard to see, so I switched.


Oh goodness the rest stop killer scares the crap out of me!!!!!!!!!!! Why'd you do that to me.........I wasn't expecting that!!!!!!!!!! :eek:

AUGH! Me neither! Me neither!

I'm with whoever said that they used to have to turn their heads when the composite sketches or pictures came up. I still find myself doing it from time to time, but it's mainly with pictures of victims. Anyone else get creeped out looking at pictures of someone you know is dead?

AUGH! Me neither! Me neither!

I'm with whoever said that they used to have to turn their heads when the composite sketches or pictures came up. I still find myself doing it from time to time, but it's mainly with pictures of victims. Anyone else get creeped out looking at pictures of someone you know is dead?

They totally creep me out as well, at the age of 37, I still cannot watch UM at night in my home by myself, because I JUST KNOW the killer is down the hall or listening outstide my bedroom window!! When they place the sketches up, I makes the story real!

The Doe Network of 'found people' which the majority of are dead, are also creepy as they are actual photos and they try to pin the eyes open and put a smile on the face of the deceased, WHAT IS THAT ABOUT!! Close their eyes and make them look like they are sleeping!!

I think what's creepy about composite drawings is that they're anonymous and you know they're lurking about, no one knows who they are. If you know the suspect's name and see a photo, not as scary because it's a name to a person.

The two sketches that made an impression on me was the Michaela Garecht kidnapper - the case in Oakland, CA where the guy jumps out of the car and snatches the girl from her scooter and tosses her into the car. Then the girl's friend who witnessed it was talking to the police and she looks up and sees the sketch staring back at her, in color, and immediately recognizes it as the kidnapper. You can see the sketch below. Years later, I joked that the guy looks a little bit like Kurt Cobain.

http://www.geocities.com/farmgirl1032001/michaela_garecht.html

The other one was the Wadada guy who raped the college student at the University of New Mexico and then beats her with a hammer while chanting some weird stuff. That one was also in color.

I have a childhood friend who was scared crapless of the Son of Sam drawings and the one where the creepy guy killed the black preacher and I think his wife too (same episode).

AUGH! Me neither! Me neither!

I'm with whoever said that they used to have to turn their heads when the composite sketches or pictures came up. I still find myself doing it from time to time, but it's mainly with pictures of victims. Anyone else get creeped out looking at pictures of someone you know is dead?

I get more scared when i know that person on my tv screen is dead. And it get worse when they zoom in on their faces.

does anyone have the sketch of Kenneth Robert Stanton

You know who the I-70 killer sketch reminds me of? Donald Blom! Even though you can tell the two drawings are of the same guy, the one on the right looks more like Blom. It just seems to be a spitting image of it. While Blom got LWOP here in Minnesota, most people always thought that the killing he is in prison for now wasnt his first murder.

If I had to list the top 10 composites that scared the crap out of me: The I-70 killer, the Blind River Rest stop killer, the Connecticut River valley killer, the night stalker composite, Dick Hansen's killer, the composite of Elaine Parent wearing the Cleopatra wig, the composite of the hitchhiker that killed Philip Frazier, the composite of the dude with the megadeth t-shirt in the Debra Poe case, Wadada, Eileen Mangold's killer's composite.

I was creeped out by the Son Of Sam sketches, especially the one where he's wearing the shaggy blonde wig.

DB Cooper still scares me!

As far as creepiness goes, how about the suspect in the murder of Philip Fraser? I always thought he looked like Chucky :eek:

The couple found murdered in South Carolina creeped me out! I know they weren't criminals but there was something so scary about the sketches!

You know, the killer of Philip Frazier looks like he could possibly be Native American or a Canadian Indian! Very creepy though his sketch, I might be biased since he killed Philip Frazier, but I can understand why those cafe owners were so creeped out by him. How about those people that let him spend the night in their house? Just creepy.

You know, the killer of Philip Frazier looks like he could possibly be Native American or a Canadian Indian! Very creepy though his sketch, I might be biased since he killed Philip Frazier, but I can understand why those cafe owners were so creeped out by him. How about those people that let him spend the night in their house? Just creepy.

Yes, could be... According to Stack he was Caucasian though.

Btw, didn't the cafe owner say: "we got a winner here!" when she saw him? :lol:

Btw, didn't the cafe owner say: "we got a winner here!" when she saw him? :lol:


I think so...to me, that composite looks like Larry, Moe, Curly, AND Shemp all had a baby.

I think so...to me, that composite looks like Larry, Moe, Curly, AND Shemp all had a baby.

:stooges:

I don't know if there is a "phobia" word for fear of police sketches, but you're right in saying that there sure are some disturbing ones. :eek: I DO know there is a "phobia" term for the fear of having peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth (I'm totally serious), but I don't recall the exact word at the moment. :lol:

Yup, it's not joke:
Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
http://www.phobialist.com/index.html :crazy:

Talk about your creepy composite sketches.....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21966999/

Talk about your creepy composite sketches.....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21966999/


How is that creepy? Baby Grace is beautiful.:confused:

The couple found murdered in South Carolina creeped me out! I know they weren't criminals but there was something so scary about the sketches!

Was this the couple in the 70s that was murdered and believed to possibly be brother and sister? The cops described them as attractive and beautiful. Was this case on UM?????

How is that creepy? Baby Grace is beautiful.:confused:

Ok - the real little girl was beautiful but that composite sketch is creepy.

Ok - the real little girl was beautiful but that composite sketch is creepy.


Nah, I beg to differ. I seen the sketch and was startled at how realistic it was and how pretty of a little baby it was that was found in plastic box! So sad!!!!

Was this the couple in the 70s that was murdered and believed to possibly be brother and sister? The cops described them as attractive and beautiful. Was this case on UM?????

Yes, that's the case! And it was briefly featured on UM with other unidentified individuals.

There was something so haunting about the sketches....

I was just reading today about the Baby Grace case. It said that the mother and stepfather had whipped her with a belt, held her head under water and threw her across the room. I certainly hope they spend the rest of their lives behind bars at the very minimum.

It wasn't so much the picture themselves I found scary, but the fact that it'd slowly zoom in on it set to scary music. Same thing with classic America's Most Wanted.

I was just reading today about the Baby Grace case. It said that the mother and stepfather had whipped her with a belt, held her head under water and threw her across the room. I certainly hope they spend the rest of their lives behind bars at the very minimum.

They were repremanding her for not replying with a "yes ma'am" or a "yes sir". Very sad case. It's very close to where I live so I hear a lot about it.
The "step dad" aka the monster, called in to work, so he could punish her for 6 hrs!!!!

Yes, that's the case! And it was briefly featured on UM with other unidentified individuals.

There was something so haunting about the sketches....
I read Websleuths a lot (don't have a valid email to join though) and they discuss this case a lot. Someone actually retouched the morgue photos so you could see them with their eyes open. Pretty creepy. They have a lot of additional info over there though...

I wont lie, some of those things are pretty strange..especially the ones of dead people who they dont know the identities of..its like woah!

WOW!!! That's kinda cool! ;)

As for the Beverly McGowan sketch, that ALWAYS gives me the creeps!! :eek:

There are several others that do the same, especially when you're watching UM at night! :eek:

The Beverly McGowan sketch being beyond creepy and Magic Rock being dumb are two opinions you can always count on as being universal on this board.

It is the unknown that is scary. A picture of someone who looks real, but it isn't human. I am the same way with age enhanced photos. Nowadays we see AI and realize something doesn't look particularly human, but back in the 1990s this is the best we had and you knew it wasn't a real person in that picture, although they looked real, and they might have looked just like a missing person. That's creepy.

The Beverly McGowan sketch being beyond creepy and Magic Rock being dumb are two opinions you can always count on as being universal on this board.

Yeah kinda like Rainboy too. These are such ridiculous segments but they sure have given us some good laughs over the years.