Two new Dutch cases in second international campaign to ID murdered women
The Dutch police, along with the police in five other countries and Interpol, have launched a second campaign to identify women whose bodies were found but whose identities could never be determined. Most of them were killed or died under suspicious circumstances. The second Identify Me campaign includes two new Dutch cases, as well as the nine Dutch cases that formed part of the first campaign.
The first campaign was launched by the Dutch, Belgian, and German police in May 2023. It generated approximately 1,800 tips and resulted in the identification of a woman found murdered in Antwerp in 1992. Her relatives in the United Kingdom recognized her tattoos and identified her as Rita Roberts from Wales. “If it hadn't been for this first campaign, I would never have found Rita and she would have been lost forever. There are so many unidentified deceased people found all over the world, we need to reunite them with their families,” Rita’s sister Donna said.
Due to this success, the Netherlands has transferred control of the Identify Me campaign to Interpol, which launched a second campaign with the three original countries and Italy, France, and Spain. The second campaign involves 46 cases, including 21 new ones. Like in the first campaign, famous women from the participating countries appeal to the public on behalf of the victims to help identify them.
The Netherlands has 11 cases in the second campaign, including two new ones. The tenth Dutch case (NL10) concerns a woman found in the Meijendel dune area near Wassenaar on 4 July 2004. “For over 20 years, it has been unclear who she is and how she ended up in the dune area. It is also unclear how she died.” Isotope research indicated that the woman spent the last five years of her life in Germany or the Netherlands. She also had a key with her that had once been delivered to a company in Bottrop, Germany.
The other new case (NL11) concerns a woman found near the Maas river in Libmurg on 6 January 2013. “She probably flowed with the river from the Belgian direction and ended up on the bank near Pietersplas and the Grindgat Oost-Maarland in the Netherlands.” The police believe she spent a long time in the water and, as a result, it is no longer possible to determine what she looked like. She wore several striking rings, including one of the brand Clio Blue with a small fish charm. This ring was sold a lot in the Belgian city of Liège at the time. “Although a cause of death could not be determined, a crime is obvious,” the Dutch police said.
Several of the cases listed by the other participating countries have clues that could indicate a connection with the Netherlands, the Dutch police said. “For example, the body of a girl who was found in a German river in the Frankfurt region was weighted down with a parasol base of Dutch make. Two women who were found in Belgium were both found not far from the border with the Netherlands. Near the Spanish Girona, the body of a woman was found who the Spanish police believe may have come from the Netherlands, Germany, or Poland. And in the French Villefranche sur Mer, a woman was found with a hip prosthesis of a type that was placed in the Netherlands, among other places. The woman was wearing a ring with the inscription: Jean & Nelly 1960.”
More information about the 11 Dutch cases can be found here. All cases are listed here.
