European police reopen 46 cold cases in effort to identify women’s remains

PARIS (Reuters) – Police in six European countries and Interpol are reopening investigations into 46 women who were murdered or died under suspicious circumstances in an effort to identify their remains, the international police agency said on Tuesday.

“We want to … bring answers to families and deliver justice to the victims,” Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said in a statement.

The effort, named Operation Identify Me, expands a 2023 initiative involving Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany and brings in France, Italy and Spain.

The first phase sought to shed light on the names and fates of some 22 women whose bodies were found over the years.

That yielded some 1,800 tips from the public, including information that led to identification of British woman Rita Roberts’ remains through her flower tattoo, 31 years after her body was found in Belgium.

Stock said the public’s help was crucial. “We can’t do it alone,” he said.

In the new probe involving 46 cases, police forces will pool analytical capabilities and forensic methods, such as DNA profiling and facial reconstruction.

Interpol has published on its website extracts of so-called Black Notice alerts on the cases, which are requests for information on unidentified bodies traditionally only circulated among police. The alerts include details ranging from biometric data to physical descriptions of the body or clothing.