Police hunt for names of 22 murdered women and girls in bid to solve international crime mystery

The public has been urged to help police in Europe trace the identities of 22 women and girls they think have been murdered in three countries.

The women’s bodies were found in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands between 1976 and 2019 and now police from all three countries have joined forces for Operation Identify Me via Interpol to find out who the women are.

The hunt was prompted by the unsolved murder of a woman in Amsterdam who had been shot in the head and chest. She was discovered in a wheelie bin in a river in the Dutch capital in 1999.

Another woman’s torso was discovered in a suitcase in a canal in the city in September 1992 – with other parts of her body located elsewhere.

In a statement issued by the Netherlands police, Carina van Leeuwen, a forensic detective, and Martin de Wit, a police spokesperson, said: “Most of the 22 victims died violently, and some were also abused or starved before they died.

“Partly because the women are likely from countries other than where they were found, their identities have not yet been established. It is possible that their bodies were left in our countries to impede criminal investigations”.

The investigation marks the first time a transnational police organisation has released a list of victims as it calls for details about unidentified bodies.

Carolien Opdecam, of the Belgian police, said: “We want to stress that we are looking for names. The victim’s identity is often the key to unlocking the mysteries of a case.”

It is believed some of the murdered women may be from parts of Eastern Europe.

Anja Allendorf, who works for the German police, explained: “In similar investigations, establishing the victim’s identity ultimately has led to the arrest of a suspect.”

The Interpol website has released information about each case, including facial reconstructions of some of the murdered women. The site also reveals the estimated age, hair, eye colour and other physical traits of the victims.

DNA of most of the victims has been traced and the public has been urged to get in touch with the relevant police team if they know anything which could be helpful, especially anyone who has had a loved one go missing.

The hunt is being backed by high-profile women from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands – with celebrities releasing a video calling for members of the public to help.

For the first time in its history, Interpol has publicly revealed some details of “Black Notices” about the victims which are “used to seek information and intelligence on unidentified bodies and to determine the circumstances surrounding the death”. Such notices are generally only distributed within Interpol's global web of police forces.

Susan Hitchin, coordinator of Interpol’s DNA Unit, said: “Black Notices allow law enforcement agencies to collaborate and share information across borders, ultimately helping to bring closure to the families of the deceased and bring offenders to justice.

“Advances in technology across the different fields of forensic human identification have been significant in helping solve cold cases.”