The Washington County Sheriff's Office, Utah, posteda picture on its Facebook timeline claiming to show a "much clearer image of the suspect compared to others we have seen in the media."

Rating

DW Fact check: Fake The same picture has appeared on X multiple times (here, hereand here). These are all examples of misinformation. At first glance, the image resembles a close-up of the FBI-released photo. Upon closer inspection, several indicators suggest it is fake, AI-generated, to be more precise. First: The image in question was never officially released by the FBI. Second: A side-by-side comparison reveals differences in eye level, color sharpness, and texture. The AI-generated image features unnaturally smooth skin, wax-like facial features, and painted-like colors, unlike the grainy original. The image posted by the Sheriff’s Office also contains obvious AI mistakes: The suspect appears to wear a watch on the left wrist, which is absent in the original. The cap displays a gibberish symbol, and the flag on the t-shirt is distorted. The face lacks wrinkles, and the background includes a person in black trousers who doesn’t appear in the original image. In contrast, the FBI's original image shows someone descending stairs in a light-colored shirt behind the suspect, not standing directly behind him. The FBI has released six CCTV images taken before R. was caught, related to the Kirk investigation, only one of which shows the person's frontal face, when they are apparently climbing stairs. The rest are from the back or side, revealing little about the individual’s identity. The person is wearing a cap and sunglasses, making recognition difficult.

Reviewed by Deutsche Welle ↗ · September 15, 2025