Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
https://interpol.int/IM - Identify Me initiative expands across Europe
Six European countries and INTERPOL have joined forces to solve 46 cold cases involving unidentified women whose remains were found across Europe years ago. Most of the women were either murdered or had died in suspicious or unexplained circumstances. Some of the cases date from decades ago.
The appeal features the participation of the following leading actresses, singers, and sports figures from the participating countries, to help raise awareness of the cold cases and encourage public involvement:
Belgium: Veerle Baetens and Axelle Red @AxelleRedCom
France: Marie-José Pérec and Sarah Biasini
Germany: Regina Halmich and Katrin Müller-Hohenstein
Italy: Carolina Kostner and Alice Bellandi
Netherlands: Carice van Houten and Stien den Hollander
Spain: Luisa Martin and Mabel Lozano
The initiative builds on the success of the Identify Me appeal launched in May 2023 to identify 22 deceased women, with some 1,800 tips received from the public. It has now been expanded to include additional cold cases from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, as well as cases from new participating countries France, Italy, and Spain.
The appeal highlights the importance of public involvement and international cooperation in solving cold cases. It provides hope that crucial leads can be generated, more of these women can be identified and that justice is served if murder has been established.
Identify Me has already seen noteworthy results after a case was solved after 31 years. Within two days of the launch of the first phase of Identify Me on 10 May 2023, relatives of Rita Roberts in the United Kingdom contacted the appeal hotline after they recognized their relative’s tattoo from news coverage.
Rita Roberts was 31 when she left Cardiff, Wales in February 1992. Her family last heard from her in May 1992, and her unidentified remains were discovered in Antwerp on 3 June 1992. An investigation determined that she was a victim of murder. That case remains part of the international effort to identify and seek justice for the 46 other women who remain unidentified.
https://interpol.int/IM - Identify Me initiative expands across Europe
Six European countries and INTERPOL have joined forces to solve 46 cold cases involving unidentified women whose remains were found across Europe years ago. Most of the women were either murdered or had died in suspicious or unexplained circumstances. Some of the cases date from decades ago.
The appeal features the participation of the following leading actresses, singers, and sports figures from the participating countries, to help raise awareness of the cold cases and encourage public involvement:
Belgium: Veerle Baetens and Axelle Red @AxelleRedCom
France: Marie-José Pérec and Sarah Biasini
Germany: Regina Halmich and Katrin Müller-Hohenstein
Italy: Carolina Kostner and Alice Bellandi
Netherlands: Carice van Houten and Stien den Hollander
Spain: Luisa Martin and Mabel Lozano
The initiative builds on the success of the Identify Me appeal launched in May 2023 to identify 22 deceased women, with some 1,800 tips received from the public. It has now been expanded to include additional cold cases from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, as well as cases from new participating countries France, Italy, and Spain.
The appeal highlights the importance of public involvement and international cooperation in solving cold cases. It provides hope that crucial leads can be generated, more of these women can be identified and that justice is served if murder has been established.
Identify Me has already seen noteworthy results after a case was solved after 31 years. Within two days of the launch of the first phase of Identify Me on 10 May 2023, relatives of Rita Roberts in the United Kingdom contacted the appeal hotline after they recognized their relative’s tattoo from news coverage.
Rita Roberts was 31 when she left Cardiff, Wales in February 1992. Her family last heard from her in May 1992, and her unidentified remains were discovered in Antwerp on 3 June 1992. An investigation determined that she was a victim of murder. That case remains part of the international effort to identify and seek justice for the 46 other women who remain unidentified.
