Interpol receive over 200 tips to help identify 22 dead women following appeal
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Over 200 tips have been received by Interpol one week after the launch of an international appeal to identify 22 deceased women.
These bodies were found in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands over a period of 43 years. Most of the women met violent deaths — some were dismembered, while some showed signs of abuse or starvation — with the most recent body discovered in 2019.
The women’s unknown identities is frustrating detectives’ hunts for their killers and police launched Operation Identify Me last month, seeking the public’s help putting names to the women.
Since it was launched a week ago, the tips have provided police in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands with potential names of victims in several cases, and provided investigators with concrete leads.
Any breakthrough, at a minimum, mean police no longer have to identify the victims by their distinguishing features or apparel — “the woman with the flower tattoo”, “the woman with the artificial nails” — or locations where their remains were discovered.
The oldest of the cold cases dates back to 1976. That woman's body was found along the A12 highway in the Netherlands. She is believed to have been between 13 and 20-years-old when she died.
The tips included the potential origins of clothing or jewellery, while others pointed to possible names of specific victims.
Of the more than 200 tips, 122 relate to German cases, 55 are in relation to Belgian cases, and 51 were for Dutch cases.
In a statement, an Interpol spokesperson confirmed that the information is now being analysed, and should it lead to positive identification of one or several victims, after which the "first priority will be to inform families."
"Additionally, as the twenty-two women are presumed to have been murdered, any identification could lead to criminal investigations.
"Depending on the nature of the investigation, it may take some time before any information is made public," the spokesperson added.
Interpol are continuing to encourage people to share the appeal as wide as possible.
Interpol's DNA unit coordinator Susan Hitchin said: “We continue to call for any piece of information that could help investigators connect the dots and remind the public that full case details, including photos and videos, are available for consultation on interpol.int.