European police will reopen cold cases to identify 46 remains of women | Crime News

The campaign, which began in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands in 2023, has expanded to France, Italy and Spain.

Interpol and police in six European countries are reopening investigations into the cases of 46 women who were murdered or died under suspicious circumstances in order to identify their remains, the international police agency said.

“We want to… give answers to the families and bring justice to the victims,” Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said in a statement on Tuesday.

The initiative builds on Interpol’s 2023 “Identify Me” appeal to identify 22 deceased women, which generated around 1,800 tips from the public, and to identify a woman found murdered in Belgium 31 years ago as Rita Roberts, one British, led.

The new initiative has been expanded to include cold cases from France, Italy and Spain, in addition to Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, which were part of the original project.

“Even the smallest piece of information can be critical in solving these unsolved cases,” Stock said.

“Whether it’s a memory, a tip or a shared story, the smallest detail could help reveal the truth.”

Roberts was identified by a tattoo of a black flower with green leaves that a family member recognized.

Police forces will combine analytical skills and forensic methods such as DNA profiling and facial reconstruction to identify the 46 women.

Interpol has published on its website excerpts from so-called “black notices” on the cases, which are requests for information about unidentified bodies that are traditionally only circulated among police. The alerts include details ranging from biometric data to physical descriptions of the body or clothing.