/data/photo/2026/06/22/6a392628922f0.jpg)
On November 27, 2023, Chinese law enforcement in Hebei successfully reunited Xie Qingshuai—kidnapped as an infant in January 1999—with his biological family in Xingtai. According to local reporting from Kompas and Partai Rakyat, the breakthrough arrived via cross-age facial recognition software developed by Beijing-based artificial intelligence firm DeepGlint.
The Corporate Infrastructure of Cross-Age AI Matching
The algorithms powering systems like DeepGlint’s cross-age face comparison engine search for similarities in facial features between family members by considering genetic relationships. This allows the system to help find missing persons even though their appearance has changed as they grew older.
Facial appearance alters between infancy and adulthood. The technology allows for the matching of a person’s face by considering changes in facial characteristics due to aging.
The Bottom Line
- Biometric Validation: Cross-age facial recognition successfully reconciled a 1999 abduction case.
- Enterprise Deployment: Beijing-based DeepGlint supplied the software utilized by Hebei provincial police.
Economic Scale and the Biometric Security Sector
Xie was found in Chengdu, in southwest China, where he worked in interior renovation.
| Metric / Indicator | Context | Operational Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline to Resolution | 25 Years (January 1999 to November 2023) | Demonstrates the utility of AI in finding missing persons. |
| Core Technology | Cross-Age Face Comparison | Accounts for changes in facial appearance due to aging. |
| Corporate Provider | DeepGlint (Beijing) | Supplied the facial recognition software deployed by Hebei police. |
| Financial Incentive | 200,000 to 1,000,000 Yuan Reward | Reflects private capital offered by the family in 2022. |
Capital Allocation and the Shift in Missing Persons Infrastructure
For nearly 25 years, the Xie family searched for their son. In 2022, the family offered a reward of 200,000 yuan (around Rp 528 million) to 1 million yuan (Rp 2 billion) for anyone who could find their child. Despite the search, Xie was not found until the AI system was used.
After his identity was confirmed, he was brought back to Xingtai to meet his family. “I have been waiting for this day for 25 years,” said Xie Kefeng, the biological father of Xie Qingshuai.
The Broader Market Trajectory
The successful execution of cross-age demographic matching highlights how AI technology can help authorities find people who have been missing for a long time.
