Will a life-size hologram of a murdered sex worker finally solve this Amsterdam cold case?
Bernadett ‘Betty’ Szabo, 19, had given birth three months before she was killed in her workroom in Amsterdam’s red light district
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In Amsterdam’s red light district, a hologram of a woman who was brutally murdered 15 years ago stares back at you through a window.
The life-sized rendering of 19-year-old sex worker Bernadett “Betty” Szabo leans forward and breathes on the glass, unveiling the word “help”.
Detectives hope the powerful appeal will help jog memories enough for them to finally solve the cold case murder, after Ms Szabo was found in a pool of blood in the early hours of 19 February 2009.
The Hungarian teenager, who loved gardening and excelled at the violin, left her home in Nyíregyháza for Amsterdam aged 18, where she started a new life as a sex worker in the city’s red light district.
The blonde teenager, who had a large tattoo of a dragon which snaked across her stomach and chest, later became pregnant and was nicknamed “pinguin”, Dutch for penguin, as she continued to work throughout the pregnancy.
Her son was placed in foster care and was never given the chance to know his mother, who was murdered just three months after she gave birth.
On the night of her death, two fellow sex workers realised they had not seen or heard from Ms Szabo. When they went to check on her in her workroom late that night, they found her lying in a pool of blood.
Despite a large-scale investigation, police in Amsterdam have never caught her killer. Now they are offering a €30,000 (£25,000) reward for information as they launch a fresh appeal for any witnesses to come forward.
Anne Dreijer-Heemskerk of the cold case team said while every murder case is tragic, Ms Szabo’s story is particularly moving.
“A young woman, only 19, taken from life in such a horrific way,” she added. “She already had a difficult life, working long hours as a sex worker and continuing until shortly before the birth of her son.
“Her son was placed in foster care and never had the chance to know his mother.”
The hologram will be visible in one of the windows in the city’s red light district for a week in the hope that it prompts information which could finally lead to her killer.
She added: “Betty was murdered in one of Amsterdam’s busiest spots, perhaps even one of the busiest in the Netherlands.
“It’s hard to believe that no one saw or heard anything unusual back then. People might have even talked about it elsewhere.”
A spokesperson for Amsterdam Police said they also want to reach out to people abroad who may have been visiting the city.
“The red light district is one of the busiest places in Amsterdam and one of the most international ones,” she told The Independent. “Many people with different nationalities pass by every day. This was no different in 2009.
“Therefore, we also want to reach out to people from abroad. Is there anyone who knows more? Have they visited perhaps the red light district on that very day (19 February 2009), or do they even remember visiting Betty herself?”