Up next in 10
Forensic artist helps catch over 1000 criminals
Apr 10, 2024
Lois Gibson is used to coming face-to-face with treacherous criminals.
As a Forensic artist for the Houston Police Department in Texas, her visionary talent has helped to positively identify 751 criminals and secure over 1,000 convictions.
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
So the first time I worked a murder for the Houston Police Department and it was a crummy
0:13
pitiful, sketchy sketch. But when I realized that pitiful piece of art could stop a murderer who killed the same
0:21
way I almost got killed, somebody tried to kill me, I stopped somebody that did that
0:27
in our memorial park. And I had planned on not ever trying to do it again because doing that sketch was so
0:34
horrific emotionally. But once I realized that it caught the guy, I knew I was hooked
0:40
You get addicted to catching criminals once you realize that you can catch them with just
0:45
a little bitty sketch that took less than an hour. I'm completely addicted and I never want to quit helping catch criminals with my art
1:07
I'm Lois Gibson. I work at the Houston Police Department in Houston, Texas and I held the Guinness World
1:13
Record for solving the most crimes of any forensic artist in the entire world
1:18
I've been challenged to do the editor of Guinness World Records. His name is Craig, who I've never seen before, so I have here a wonderful volunteer witness
1:28
named Jeff Wagner and he's an officer with Houston Police Department for how many years? 32
1:34
Only 32 years? Only 32. He started when he was an infant
1:38
Okay, this person that you're going to describe, was he white, black, Chinese, Mexican, what
1:44
was he? White. He was a white male. Okay, he's a male
1:48
Before becoming a forensic artist, I danced on TV in L.A. and I modeled
1:57
And then I went to UT Austin and got a degree in fine arts
2:04
The reason why I got into this work is when I was 21, a garden variety serial killer
2:11
rapist, whatever he was, he attacked me and he tortured me almost to death
2:16
The entire time he was attacking me, he was choking me. And then finally I survived, barely
2:24
When he left, I had blood coming out of my eyes and down my throat
2:29
So I know what it feels like to ponder my own death at the hands of somebody for no
2:32
reason but that they are just a horrible person. After that attack, of course, I wanted to leave L.A., I did
2:40
I went to San Antonio and did the 3,000 portraits on the Riverwalk
2:45
And then when I moved to Houston, because I'd done the 3,000 portraits, it's easier
2:49
for me to draw portraits than to drive on the freeway. So I forced myself on the police department, assuming that I could get with a witness and
2:57
from their description draw a picture of the person that was trying to or that was committing
3:01
the crime in front of them. And sure enough, the first time I worked a murder, it got the guy caught
3:09
And my witness was crying and weeping and just hysterical. And I was able to get a sketch that once they put on the news, the roommate of the
3:18
murderer called up and turned him in. So he called the cops and said, hey, come on
3:23
And they searched this man's apartment and found the knife used in the killing and the
3:29
underwear with the blood from the killing wiped off in some underwear in a closet
3:36
The only thing I knew is that if I lived a normal lifetime, I would probably catch over
3:41
a hundred guys. And now to have help catch over 1,266. I just love it
3:48
I love it. And yes, I didn't know about longevity, but this is so easy and it's too much fun to catch
3:56
a guy by just doing a quick drawing from a poor, grieved witness
4:00
So I want to do it the rest of my life. And did he have a high, medium or low forehead
4:07
Was his hair high? High. Okay. Was his hair curly or straight
4:12
It's straight and parted on the right side. Parted on his right
4:16
Okay, here we go. Now I want you to look at the eyes
4:21
The way I put a sketch together is number one thing is you have to relax the witness
4:26
You have to be wonderful and make them feel as wonderful as possible considering the horrific
4:32
thing they've been through. And then you have a catalog that's got different eyes, lips and noses
4:38
You show them the catalog and they just pick out the feature. And you have your own book and you draw the feature that they pick out
4:44
So it's just drawing from pictures. It's really very easy. And the way I do it is I start at the top and go down so I don't smudge it
4:52
And it's actually, it's very easy for me to do right now because I've done now about 7,000
4:58
portraits in my life. But I've had witnesses that were screaming, I never saw the face
5:05
They scream they never saw the face. Well, here's two tricks. Number one is you ask them what kind of hair did they have
5:12
And everybody remembers hair. I mean, human beings are obsessed with hair
5:18
That's why high school is so hard. And then the other trick you use, if they are sure, they say no, I never saw the face
5:27
As you talk about something else, you become very nice to them and you ponder the character
5:32
of the person that attacked them. And then you say, what kind of expression did he have
5:38
If they answer that, they saw the face. So I had an officer that was shot in the head and shot in the back and run over and drug
5:45
under a car. Officer Paul Deason was patrolling one night and he didn't realize the guy that he stopped
5:51
to just give a regular ticket was an escape convict whose name was Donald Eugene Dutton
5:57
So Don Dutton, as soon as he gets stopped by Paul Deason, he jumps out of his car and
6:02
he shoots Paul in the head and in the back and Paul twirls around and falls down unconscious
6:08
on the ground. So Don Dutton got back in the car and on purpose ran over Paul, Officer Deason, and it drug
6:16
him down the street about 60 feet. So Paul is so tough, he gets up and walks back to his radio and calls in his own assist
6:26
and was semi-unconscious. And he told me, I didn't remember his face
6:29
I didn't see his face. I only saw the flash of the gun. So I talked about other things and said, Paul, you're going to live, you're going to be okay
6:37
And I said, what kind of expression did he have? And I'll never forget, he said, he looked like a shark, like he didn't care about anything
6:46
at all. And inside my mind I'm going, yee-haw, because that means he remembered the face
6:52
Anyway, Officer Deason swears he doesn't remember doing the sketch with me because I talked
6:58
to him years later and I've got it hanging on my wall. They released the sketch
7:02
Three days later, Don Dutton was caught trying to shoplift a chainsaw from a Sears
7:09
When he was arrested for the shoplifting incident, two of the guys at the jail thought he looked
7:14
like my sketch. So they held an in-hospital room video lineup for Paul Deason and he picked him out
7:23
And then they went to the parking lot of the shoplifting scene and they found a car with
7:27
pieces of Paul's skin and uniform hanging from the undercarriage. So he for sure did it
7:32
And I went to trial and he got life in prison and Paul reached over across the bench and
7:37
kissed me on the cheek, Officer Deason. We do not have us crooks that are wearing them bow ties on them robberies, okay
7:46
So this is different. Okay, Lois, here's a picture. Are you ready
7:56
Oh, nice! Good job! Yay! Give this sketch to the bartender and if he comes into the bar, they're going to call him
8:07
But who bought the tie for him? Who bought the tie? Having a Guinness World Record changed my life because it's given me entree to groups
8:18
who are interested and to other law enforcement agencies and it's helped students find me
8:24
And that's what I want. I want to spread forensic art, which it needs. Because law enforcement obviously does not take forensic art seriously or the UK would
8:33
have a forensic artist. They have none. So the world record has helped me gain legitimacy for my craft
8:41
Because I think a lot of people don't think the sketches are possibly effective and they
8:45
are very effective. And it's helped me prove that
#Movies
#Crime & Justice
#Law Enforcement
#Social Issues & Advocacy
#Thriller, Crime & Mystery Films