Operation Identify Me
{{short description|Interpol investigation}}
File:GermanyNetherlansBelgiumBORDER.jpg
Operation Identify Me was launched on 10 May 2023 by Interpol to solve cold cases across Western Europe to identify 22 unidentified women who were found deceased in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany between 1976 and 2019.{{Cite news |date=2023-05-10 |title=Police search for the names of 22 women murdered |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65456183 |access-date=2023-05-10}} Most of the women were murdered, and have never been identified.{{Cite web |last=Media |first=P. A. |date=2023-05-10 |title=International plea to find identities of 22 murdered women |url=https://news.stv.tv/world/interpol-launch-operation-identify-me-to-search-for-names-of-22-murdered-women-in-europe |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=STV News |language=en-GB}}
A public appeal was made for information surrounding the unidentified women.{{Cite news |date=2023-05-10 |title=These women were killed decades ago. Interpol wants help ID'ing them. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/10/women-murders-interpol-operation-identify-me/ |access-date=2023-05-10 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en}} Interpol alongside Dutch, German, and Belgian police forces released forensic facial reconstructions as well as other information used in the investigations.{{Cite web |title=Identify me: Dutch police release facial reconstructions of 22 unidentified murdered women |url=https://dutchreview.com/news/dutch-police-release-facial-reconstructions-unidentified-murdered-women/ |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=dutchreview |date=10 May 2023 |language=en-GB}} It is believed some of the murdered women may be from parts of Eastern Europe.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-10 |title=Police hunt for names of 22 murdered women and girls in bid to solve crime mystery |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/22-murdered-women-interpol-police-b2336194.html |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=The Independent |language=en}}
The second phase of the project was launched in October 2024.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-08 |title=Can you help? Interpol looks to identify 46 women found dead across Europe |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/interpol-missing-woman-dead-identify-b2625968.html |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=The Independent |language=en}} The 46 newly publicised cases were expanded to France, Italy and Spain.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-07 |title=Interpol asks public to help crack murdered women cold cases |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2yx77gyxro |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}
Cases (2023)
The suspected murder cases in the first phase span five decades.{{Cite news |last1=Henley |first1=Jon |date=2023-05-10 |title=Interpol calls for help naming 22 women murdered across Europe in past 50 years |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/10/interpol-calls-for-help-naming-22-women-murdered-across-europe-in-past-50-years |access-date=2023-05-10 |issn=0261-3077}} The bodies were discovered between October 1976 and August 2019.{{Cite web |title=Police from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands need help to identify 22 dead women and girls |url=https://news.sky.com/story/police-from-belgium-germany-and-the-netherlands-need-help-to-identify-22-dead-women-and-girls-12877425 |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=Sky News |language=en}} Their average ages range from 15 to 30.{{Cite web |last=King |first=Jordan |date=2023-05-10 |title=International police need help identifying 22 murdered women and girls |url=https://metro.co.uk/2023/05/10/interpol-need-help-identifying-22-murdered-women-and-girls-18758412/ |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=Metro |language=en}} Most of the women suffered violent deaths.{{Cite web |last=Gorman |first=Sally |date=2023-05-10 |title=A summary of Interpol's cases to identify 22 dead women |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/world/arid-41136220.html |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=Irish Examiner |language=en}}
Cases (2024)
Further inquiries
On 16 May 2023, it was reported that police had received over 200 tip-offs regarding the cases,{{Cite news |last=Cuddy |first=Alice |date=2023-05-16 |title=Police get 200 tip-offs for 22 unidentified murdered women |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65611049 |access-date=2023-05-17}} with 122 tips from Germany, 55 from Belgium and 51 from the Netherlands, some of them with names.{{cite web | url=https://www.politie.nl/nieuws/2023/mei/16/00identify-me-campagne-2023.html | title=Nieuwe hoop in moordzaken door tipgevers Operation Identify Me | date=16 May 2023 }} Near the end of August, the number of tips had increased to over 500.{{cite web| date=29 August 2023|title=International appeal to identify dead child in Germany|url=https://www.interpol.int/News-and-Events/News/2023/International-appeal-to-identify-dead-child-in-Germany|access-date=2023-09-01}} By November police said they had received about 1,250 tips.
On August 29, 2023, Interpol made a public appeal on the identification of an unidentified dead boy in Großmehring, Bavaria, Germany. While the unknown dead child was not officially added in Operation Identify Me, he was part of an effort to publicly request tips for unidentified decedents.
In November 2023, "The woman with the flower tattoo" was named as British woman Rita Roberts.{{Cite news|date=2023-11-14|title=UK woman Rita Roberts identified 31 years after Belgium murder|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-67407020|access-date=2023-11-15}} Roberts was 31 years old when she moved from Cardiff to Antwerp in February 1992 but was reported missing months later.{{Cite web |title=Rita Roberts: 'Woman with the flower tattoo' identified 31 years after her body was found in Belgium|url=https://news.sky.com/story/rita-roberts-woman-with-the-flower-tattoo-identified-31-years-after-her-body-was-found-in-belgium-13008085 |access-date=2023-11-15|website=Sky News |language=en}} Due to the publicization of the case, a member of her family in Britain recognised the tattoo and contacted the Belgian authorities to formally identify the body.{{Cite news |last=Henley |first=Jon |date=2023-11-14 |title='Woman with the flower tattoo' killed in Antwerp in 1992 is identified as Briton |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/14/rita-roberts-identified-british-woman-flower-tattoo-killed-antwerp-1992 |access-date=2023-11-15 |issn=0261-3077}}
In mid-March 2025, a second phase case called "The woman in the shed" of 2018 was identified as Ainoha Izaga Ibieta Lima from Paraguay through fingerprints comparison. She was last contacted in 2018 and was reported missing by her brother months later.{{Cite news|date=2025-03-20|title=Transcontinental cold case solved as victim dubbed "woman in the chicken coop" is identified|language=en-US|work=CBS News|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/first-trans-continental-cold-case-solved-interpol/|access-date=2025-03-21}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.interpol.int/News-and-Events/News/2025/Spanish-cold-case-resolved-through-international-public-appeal|title=Spanish cold case resolved through international public appeal|website=Interpol|date=2025-03-20|access-date=2025-03-21}}
See also
- Body identification
- Cold Case Files
- John Doe
- DNA Doe Project
- Disaster Victim Identification
- The Gentleman of Heligoland is a case looked at amongst many by Locate International.
- Operation Captura, another multi-country appeal for citizen crime assistance.
- The Vanished (podcast)
- Vidocq Society
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.interpol.int/What-you-can-do/Identify-Me Operation Identify Me]
Category:2023 establishments in Europe
Category:Violence against women in Europe
Category:History of women in the Netherlands
Category:History of women in Germany
Category:History of women in Belgium
Category:Unidentified murder victims
Category:Unsolved crimes in Europe
Category:Unsolved murders in Europe
Category:Unsolved murders in Belgium
Category:Unsolved murders in France
Category:Unsolved murders in Germany
Category:Unsolved murders in Italy