NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Some of the most specialized work at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is done with the simplest tools.
"Very high technology here. It's paper and a piece of charcoal," said Special Agent Forensic Scientist Glen Glenn.
Glenn is the artist behind a series of age-progressed portraits of one of Tennessee's most dangerous fugitives — Robert Houston Sanders.
Sanders escaped from the Tennessee State Prison in 1990, where he was serving an 81-year sentence for kidnapping and armed robbery. He would be 62 years old today.
He was the first person placed on the TBI's Most Wanted List when the program launched in 1993.
"We never stop. We've got several fugitives on our list that are all equally important — equally bad — they are the worst fugitives in the state of Tennessee," said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Caleb Utterback.
Leaders at the bureau say decades of investigative work into Sanders informed the creation of eight images depicting what he might look like today.
"We've conducted in-depth intelligence analysis of Mr. Sanders, his family, his familial relations, friends that he had back in the '90s before he went to prison," Utterback said.
Glenn said there was a range of possibilities for how Sanders may have aged.
"There's a lot of possibilities, and we can still draw some more pictures," Glenn said.
The portraits account for a variety of life circumstances Sanders may have experienced during his 36 years as a fugitive.
"Somebody who has a lot of sun exposure, or outside in cold, bitterness — all these will weather the skin to a degree," Glenn said.
Authorities do not know how Sanders has lived during his time on the run — or even whether he is still alive.
Since the TBI's Most Wanted program began, tips from the public have helped authorities capture 541 fugitives. With the new sketches now public, investigators hope Sanders will become number 542.
"This could be your neighbor or friend. Look at all of these photographs carefully. And if you recognize someone in the photographs, please call us at 1-800-TBI-FIND," Utterback said.
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