Answer

A very troubling question; I have actually been thinking about it for some time.
At first glance, there is a rabbinic prohibition on a statue of a human figure that is not for idolatry (Maimonides 3:10, and likewise in Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De’ah 141:7). But the Shulchan Arukh there writes that if something is missing from the figure, it is permitted. And several halakhic decisors also wrote that if it is clear that it has nothing to do with idolatry, there is room to permit it as well (such as dolls for children). In general, nowadays the concern about actual idolatry seems far-fetched to me. It is difficult to permit it outright because of the lack of authority (when the reason falls away, the enactment does not automatically fall away), but one may be lenient based on any possible opinion or reasoning. In any case, nowadays it does not seem to me that people are strict about this, and not without reason.
In the case you described, these are images of specific individuals, and it is clear that they are made for decoration and as a keepsake. In my opinion, one may be lenient.