The connection was made by Michigan State Police (MSP) forensic artist Tpr. Sarah Krebs of the MSP Detroit Post, and confirmed by a forensic odontologist. When previous methods of identification, including fingerprints and DNA, did not result in a match, D/Sgt. Charles Greenway, who was investigating the unidentified body, requested Krebs perform a 3-D facial reconstruction. When the reconstruction was in the final stages, Krebs began attempting to match the unidentified remains to missing persons reports. After reviewing 100 possible matches to no avail, she took to searching missing persons Web sites.

"One Web site I came across included the photograph of a missing man out of the Toronto area whose significant other had posted his photo on a missing person site," stated Krebs. "The image struck me immediately as being very similar to the reconstruction, including his distinctive teeth."

Upon further investigation, Krebs confirmed the clothing description was an exact match, right down to the brand name "Guess" jeans. She also learned Hudson's vehicle was previously found abandoned in Amherstburg, Ontario, which is across the river from Grosse Isle, Mich. Hudson's disappearance is being investigated by the Peel Regional Police in Ontario, Canada. His case had been featured on a Canadian television show three times since his disappearance.

Facial reconstructions of other unidentified human remains, as well as information on how postmortem reconstructions are done, can be found at www.michigan.gov/forensic_artists. The MSP Forensic Artist Program is one of the nation's only state-level teams with a network of artists available on a 24-hour basis.