INTERPOL has initiated a new campaign to identify 46 women whose bodies have been discovered across Europe in unsolved murder cases, some of which have remained mysteries for decades.
The international police organisation, based in Lyon, France, announced on Tuesday that most of the women were either “murdered” or had “died in suspicious or unexplained circumstances.”
This latest effort expanded on INTERPOL’s 2023 “Identify Me” initiative, which sought to identify 22 women whose cases had gone cold, receiving approximately 1,800 tips from the public.
INTERPOL’s expanded campaigns have now included cases from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, while also taking on unexplained deaths from new participating countries such as France, Italy, and Spain. Images of the women’s faces, along with items found at the scenes—such as jewellery and clothing—were being published in an attempt to gather fresh leads.
“Even the smallest piece of information can be vital in helping solve these cold cases,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Jurgen Stock. “Whether it is a memory, a tip, or a shared story, the smallest detail could help uncover the truth,” he emphasised.
The “Identify Me” campaign achieved a major breakthrough last November when Interpol announced that the body of a woman found 31 years ago in a Belgian river was identified as Briton Rita Roberts. Her identity was confirmed after a family member recognised a tattoo of a black flower with green leaves on her body.
Speaking on the goal of the campaign, Stock stated, “Our goal in the Identify Me campaign is simple. We want to identify the deceased women, bring answers to families, and deliver justice to the victims. The public could be the key to unlocking a name, a past, and in delivering long-overdue justice.”
