"This gives me a last look at Ricky I never thought I would get"

The picture — created using the same forensic science police use to work out what missing children might look like today — is the one thing which brings her comfort in her darkest hours, insists Amanda.

So-called ‘age-progressed’ photos of lost loved ones are a phenomenon that started in America, where bereaved parents can pay about £60 for a computer-generated picture of their dead child to see what they would have looked like as an adult. The service is increasingly being used by British parents and causing some psychologists to question whether this is exploitation of vulnerable people and could actually prolong their grief.