CALGARY — Mugshots aren't supposed to be memorable. They're identification photographs — face the camera, stand still and let police document what you look like.But every once in a while, the resulting photograph becomes almost impossible to forget.Some feature faces covered in words, numbers and elaborate tattoos. Others capture wild hair, enormous beards or expressions that make the viewer look twice. And in a few cases, there is nothing particularly strange about the person at all — until the story behind the photograph changes the way it looks.Canada does not routinely publish booking photographs to the same extent as many American jurisdictions, so this list also includes official police identification photographs where a traditional mugshot isn't publicly available.The ranking is based primarily on how bizarre, unusual or unsettling the photograph itself appears, rather than the severity of the crimes connected to the person pictured..10. Jesse Van Rootselaar — the Tumbler Ridge shooterThere are no elaborate facial tattoos. No exaggerated expression. No wild beard or intentionally menacing pose.That's precisely what makes Jesse Van Rootselaar's photograph unsettling.The official image released by BC RCMP shows the 18-year-old with long, dark hair falling down either side of the face. Van Rootselaar looks directly toward the camera with a relatively subdued expression, the mouth almost completely neutral. Compared with the faces that follow on this list, there's remarkably little that would ordinarily make someone stop scrolling.The context transforms it.RCMP identified Van Rootselaar as the shooter responsible for the February 10, 2026 attack in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. Police responding to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School ultimately found the shooter dead inside from what investigators described as an apparent self-inflicted injury.The photograph is not technically a mugshot. Van Rootselaar was never arrested or booked. BC RCMP released the confirmed photograph several days after the shooting because images of an unrelated person had begun circulating online alongside false claims identifying that person as the shooter..9. Jonas Sewap — the dishevelled grinJonas Sewap's police photograph stands out less because of elaborate tattoos and more because of the expression caught by the camera. With dark hair, a heavy-set face and a direct stare into the lens, the image has the stark, unpolished appearance typical of a police identification photo. Against the plain background, there is little to distract from his expression.Saskatchewan RCMP listed Sewap among its wanted persons in September 2026. Police identify the 51-year-old as also using the name Jonas Ballantyne, and describe him as five-foot-four, approximately 220 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes and a scar on his right forearm. RCMP said he may be in the Deschambault Lake or Pelican Narrows areas. According to the RCMP listing, Sewap is wanted on allegations of discharging a firearm, pointing a firearm, uttering threats and failing to attend court. The allegations have not been proven in court. For this list, it's the simplicity of the photograph that makes it work. Unlike some of the entries dominated by extensive facial tattoos or dramatic hair, Sewap's image is comparatively stripped down: plain background, straight-on framing and an unwavering expression..8. Xavier Smith — ‘INSANE’With Xavier Smith, there is absolutely no question where your eyes go first.Across his forehead, in large capital letters, is one word: INSANE.And that's only the beginning.Move downward and there is a teardrop beneath his left eye. Beneath the right is “5150.” Saskatchewan RCMP identifies another tattoo on his left cheek reading “STK,” while “NINETEEN” runs along his left jaw.Then there's his chin: “TWENTY.”Put together, Smith's photograph looks less like a face containing several tattoos and more like a collection of words, numbers and symbols arranged around his natural features. Even his eyes are essentially bracketed by separate markings.The photograph was circulated by Saskatchewan RCMP in August 2025 while officers were trying to locate the then-25-year-old. Police said Smith was wanted on charges including aggravated assault, pointing a firearm and unauthorized possession of a firearm stemming from an alleged February 23 incident.RCMP said Smith was known to travel around Montreal Lake First Nation, Sturgeon Lake First Nation and Prince Albert. The search ended the following month when Prince Albert Police Service arrested him on September 22, 2025..7. Allan Legere — the Monster of the MiramichiLong before modern high-resolution police photographs, there was Allan Legere's 1987 mugshot.And age hasn't made it any less unsettling.The black-and-white image presents Legere from both the front and side. His beard is enormous — thick, dark and projecting outward around his jaw. A heavy moustache nearly disappears into it. Above, equally unruly hair surrounds his head while thick eyebrows frame a direct, unsmiling stare.There's nothing particularly elaborate about the image. No tattoos or modifications create the appearance. The combination of Legere's hair, beard and the grainy black-and-white photography does all the work.By the time Legere's name became infamous across New Brunswick, that appearance had become attached to a terrifying story. Legere was serving a life sentence for the 1986 murder of shopkeeper John Glendenning when he escaped custody during a hospital visit in May 1989. For roughly seven months, he remained at large in the Miramichi region.Legere was eventually captured in November 1989 and subsequently convicted of murdering Annie Flam, sisters Linda and Donna Daughney, and Rev. James Smith during his time as a fugitive. He became widely known as the “Monster of the Miramichi.”He remained incarcerated for the rest of his life, dying at Edmonton Institution in March 2026..6. Michael Eugene Oros — the wilderness fugitiveMichael Eugene Oros' old police photograph barely looks like a conventional mugshot.The first thing you notice is the hair.Thick, shaggy hair surrounds the top and sides of Oros' head, while an equally substantial beard covers much of his cheeks and jaw. A heavy moustache obscures part of his mouth. Between all of it, his eyes stare toward the camera.The photograph's age contributes considerably to the effect. There is none of the clean lighting or neutral digital clarity of a modern RCMP handout. Instead, the rough image makes the dark areas of Oros' hair and beard blend together, creating an appearance that seems almost tailor-made for the wilderness-fugitive story attached to him.Oros became notorious in northern British Columbia after spending years living in remote wilderness and repeatedly encountering authorities. He was linked to killings in the region and became the target of a major police operation.That pursuit ended violently in March 1985 near Teslin Lake. RCMP Cpl. Michael Buday was fatally shot during the operation to apprehend Oros. Oros was also killed during the confrontation.RCMP continues to include Buday on its honour roll for officers killed in the line of duty..5. Medhani Yohans — the eyesMedhani Yohans proves you don't need a single tattoo to produce one of the strangest police photographs on this list.His picture comes down to two things: The hair. And those eyes.Yohans' thick black hair rises dramatically above his head before spreading outward in uneven sections. Against the plain police background, it creates an enormous dark silhouette around the upper half of his face. Then you notice his stare.His eyes are opened extraordinarily wide and pointed directly toward the camera. The eyebrows sit slightly raised above them. But what makes the photograph particularly unusual is how little the remainder of his expression seems to participate.His mouth is closed. The lower face is relatively neutral. There isn't a corresponding smile, grimace or obvious expression explaining why his eyes are so wide.The result is an intense stare sitting in an otherwise surprisingly still face.Guelph Police have repeatedly described Yohans as a high-risk offender and said his history includes two stranger sexual assaults. Police have warned that they believe he poses a particular risk to women.His releases from custody have repeatedly generated police warnings and subsequent headlines. In August 2026, Yohans was arrested only hours after being released from Maplehurst Correctional Complex after police said he travelled into downtown Guelph despite a probation order prohibiting him from entering the area. Police subsequently laid nine counts of breaching probation..4. Emil Cuthand — devil horns and the reaperEmil Cuthand has devil horns tattooed onto his forehead.The horns sit immediately above his eyes, effectively extending the natural shape of his eyebrows upward into a deliberately demonic design. A large tribal-style tattoo covers his chin, while other dark markings spread across his face.But the most extraordinary tattoo isn't the horns.On Cuthand's cheek is an image that police descriptions identified as a reaper shooting an RCMP officer.That means Cuthand's photograph doesn't simply contain lettering or abstract facial ink. His face effectively becomes the canvas for an entire scene — one with a particularly provocative subject considering the image was being distributed by police.Edmonton police circulated the photograph in 2019 while seeking Cuthand on a Canada-wide apprehension and suspension warrant related to his statutory release. Police warned at the time that he had a history of violence.The bizarre collection of tattoos also made identifying him relatively straightforward: devil horns on the forehead aren't exactly an easily concealed distinguishing feature..#3 — Dylan Sherief — the barbed-wire foreheadDylan Sherief's police photograph is equally distinctive, although his facial tattoos are arranged quite differently. Rather than covering almost every inch of his face, the markings appear in separate, prominent designs, each drawing attention to a different feature.Perhaps the most recognizable is the barbed-wire tattoo stretching horizontally across his forehead, resembling a band running just above his eyebrows. Beneath it, large cursive lettering occupies much of the upper forehead, while smaller words, symbols and colourful tattoos appear across his cheeks. Blue markings are particularly noticeable along one side of his face, contrasting with reddish ink on the other.Sherief's thick dark beard and slightly unkempt hair frame the tattoos, giving the photograph a visually crowded appearance despite its otherwise ordinary police-photo composition. His wide, direct gaze and closed mouth create a relatively neutral expression, while the tattoos provide most of the photograph's unusual character.The image resurfaced in January 2026 after Toronto police launched a search for Sherief, then 33, who had failed to return to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health following an authorized pass. Police said he had previously been found not criminally responsible for second-degree murder and was subject to a warrant of committal requiring him to remain under psychiatric supervision.CAMH confirmed that Sherief had left on an authorized pass and explained that such passes are a standard part of forensic psychiatric treatment. Police urged members of the public not to approach him while the search was underway.Sherief earns his place near the top of the ranking because of the striking contrast between the photograph's straightforward presentation and the complexity of his facial tattoos. The barbed-wire design, oversized lettering and coloured markings create a distinctive image that is immediately recognizable, even alongside some of Canada's more unusual police photographs..#2 — Jordan Keenan — the tattoo-covered faceJordan Keenan-Quewezance's police photograph is one of the most visually striking on the list, largely because of the sheer amount of ink covering his face. From his closely shaved head to his chin, elaborate tattoos occupy almost every visible area of skin, leaving relatively little of his natural complexion untouched.Across his forehead, dark lettering and overlapping designs create a dense pattern that extends toward his eyebrows. Additional markings surround his eyes, travel down the bridge of his nose and spread across both cheeks. A dark tattoo stretches across his upper lip, while smaller symbols and lettering appear beneath his eyes. Facial piercings, including a nose ring and eyebrow jewellery, add to an already distinctive appearance.What makes the photograph particularly memorable is the combination of intricate tattooing and Keenan-Quewezance's subdued expression. His eyes are partially lowered, his mouth is relaxed and he appears to be looking slightly downward rather than directly into the camera. The red hooded sweatshirt contrasts with the muted background, drawing further attention to his face.The photograph became central to a public appeal in June 2024, when Lloydminster RCMP sought Keenan-Quewezance in connection with an alleged unprovoked machete attack on June 21. Police said he was wanted on warrants for aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and breach of probation, and warned that he could be armed and dangerous. He was arrested on June 26, bringing the search to an end..1. Michael Stamatakos — the stitched faceMichael Stamatakos doesn't just have facial tattoos. His tattoos appear to rebuild his face.Start at the forehead. Lettering stretches across it, including repeated “HA HA” markings that contributed to comparisons between Stamatakos and the Joker when police photographs began circulating publicly. Move downward and the design becomes stranger.Dark tattooing surrounds portions of his eyes, making the sockets appear deeper. A heart and teardrop are incorporated among the smaller markings around the face. Then come the cheeks.Large stitch-like lines run across them, creating the illusion that portions of Stamatakos' face have been crudely sewn together. Because those markings follow the natural contours of his cheeks rather than sitting separately from them, they change the way the viewer perceives the shape of his face. And then there's the mouth.Tattooed skeletal teeth extend outward from his actual lips, transforming his natural mouth into what appears to be an enormous permanent grin. The teeth, stitches and dark eye markings work together so that the tattoos don't simply decorate Stamatakos' face — they create an entirely different face on top of it. The effect continues below the jaw, with extensive tattooing covering his neck.Ontario police repeatedly sought Stamatakos in 2023 after authorities said he breached the conditions of his statutory release. He was serving a two-year sentence for offences including arson causing property damage, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police, uttering threats and possession of a Schedule I substance.His distinctive appearance became a central part of public appeals to locate him. Police eventually arrested Stamatakos in Hamilton.
