The Belgian, German and Dutch police together with Interpol have launched a global appeal to identify 22 women who were found dead, some years ago.
From the young woman with artificial nails whose naked body was found in the Albert Canal in Belgium to the partially charred body of a young woman found in the forests of Altena in Germany, most women included in the international campaign, dubbed "Identify Me," were violently killed.
"Each case involves (young) women who, despite extensive other investigative efforts, could never be identified, but where there is good hope that this international call could possibly lead to a breakthrough," a press attaché at the Federal Police told The Brussels Times.
From Wednesday, the 22 cases of women found dead in Belgium, Germany or the Netherlands will be compiled on the Interpol website. By bringing the cases to international attention, the various police forces hope to reach their relatives, friends or other acquaintances of these women.
A summary has been made of the available information for every case, including facial reconstructions, videos and photos of jewellery and clothes, and other more specific clues about the person, from estimated age to their hair and eye colour. DNA is also available for comparison purposes.
The initial and main focus of the campaign, which is supported by well-known women from participating countries, is uncovering the identity of the victims, but the hope is that the identification of the victims will also lead to the possible perpetrators.
Belgian cases
The Federal Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office selected seven cases for the campaign. All cases include sufficient unique elements to make the women's identification possible – such as that of the woman with a tattoo of a black flower, who was found against a grate near the water pumping station in a river in Deurne, near the Sportpaleis venue, in 1992.
It is hoped unique features such as the flower tattoo will make it easier to identify the victims. Credit: Federal Police
It also includes the 32-year-old case of the woman found in the well in 1991 near Leuven, for which a fresh appeal for witnesses was recently launched.
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The most recent case is that of the partially charred skeleton of a woman found in the Parc de Cointe, south of Liège in the summer of 2019. She was wearing a vest with buttons, which could be from the French navy, bearing the logo 'HCC'.
People who recognise one of the women are being asked to provide the police with as much detailed information as possible. For Belgian files, this can be done at opsporingen@police.belgium.eu or 0800/30.300.
