Torso found in A'dam river in 2013 confirmed to be Russian art dealer Aleksandr Levin

The person whose torso was found dumped in the IJ river in Amsterdam in 2013 is the missing Russian art dealer Aleksandr Levin, the Amsterdam police confirmed to De Telegraaf and ANP. The cold case team hopes that releasing the 65-year-old victim’s name will help them make contact with his family.

Passersby found the torso, wrapped in blue plastic, floating in the IJ near the NDSM estate in Amsterdam-Noord on January 30, 2013. The police’s cold case team reopened the case last year. The team quickly identified the victim as the missing art dealer but did not release his name because his family had not yet been informed.

Due to the war in Ukraine, the Dutch police have no contact with the Russian authorities. They hope that by now releasing Levin’s name, his family will make contact with them.

According to the Telegraaf, Levin was involved in trading art and antiquities. In 1999, he was convicted of art smuggling. He spent a lot of time in Amsterdam.

The Dutch police are still investigating Levin’s murder. One of the theories they’re working on is that Levin became the victim of extortion by a Russian gang or the Russian secret service, the newspaper wrote.