Credit: INTERPOL
In May 2023, relatives of Rita Roberts were taking in the news when they saw something they hadn’t seen since Roberts left her home 31 years earlier: her tattoo. The news was covering INTERPOL’s “Identify Me” campaign, which began just two days earlier in an effort to identify 22 unidentified female murder victims from Belgian, Germany and the Netherlands.
Roberts’ family called the hotline to report the sighting, and Identify Me had its first successful identification after only 48 hours.
INTERPOL is hoping to build on that success with the launch of the second phase of “Identify Me.” This phase highlights 46 cold cases involving unidentified women whose remains were found in France, Italy, and Spain, in addition to Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. Most of the women were either murdered or died in suspicious or unexplained circumstances.
“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. But we can’t do it alone. That is why we are appealing to the public to join us in this effort. Their help could make the difference,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock.
This is only the second time INTERPOL has made public extracts from a Black Notice—an alert normally issued to police worldwide seeking information about unidentified bodies.
Second phase
Details on each case have been made available on INTERPOL’s Identify Me web page, with facial reconstructions of some of the women, if available. Users can also sort the cases by country in which the bodies were found, as well as year in which they were found, estimated year of death and estimated age of victim.
Additionally, the “Do you recognize any of these items?” tab on the site shows items such as jewelry, clothing, tattoos, etc., of the victims. For example, intricate nail art is shown for “the woman with the artificial nails,” while unique fish-themed jewelry is shown for “the woman with the Belgian connection.” A ring from another case is even personalized—“Jean and Nelly. 25.06.60.”
Four cases have photos of tattoos on the victims’ body—one including extensive butterfly tattoos, and another with a unique panther and scorpion tattoo.
“Even the smallest piece of information can be vital in helping solve these cold cases. Whether it is a memory, a tip, or a shared story, the smallest detail could help uncover the truth. The public could be the key to unlocking a name, a past, and in delivering long-overdue justice,” said Stock.
DNA and other forensic tools
INTERPOL says it is working closely with participating member countries to leverage analytical capabilities and advanced forensic methods, including DNA profiling, facial reconstruction, and isotopic analysis. These techniques can provide significant clues about the victim's origin, lifestyle and cause of death.
INTERPOL will also use its I-Familia tool, a global database designed to use DNA of relatives to identify missing persons or unidentified human remains around the world. Launched in 2021, the I-Familia database contains about 20,000 profiles from almost 80 countries. It has already helped solve a number of cases through international family DNA kinship matching. These cases draw on voluntary DNA contributions made by relatives of the missing, and underline the role played by the public and partners when it comes to identifying missing persons.