Interpol's Operation Identify Me Brings Closure to Families of Europe's Forgotten Female Victims
British-born Rita Roberts was finally identified through Operation Identify Me, a joint European police appeal led by Interpol, thirty-one years after her body was discovered in an Antwerp river. This breakthrough highlights the critical work of Interpol's forensic DNA unit in solving cold cases involving unidentified female murder victims across Europe.
The Discovery of Rita Roberts
In June 1992, the body of Rita Roberts was found floating against the grate of a water treatment plant in the Groot Schijn River, near Antwerp's docklands and main arena. Belgian police determined she had been murdered but were unable to identify her. The only clue was a distinctive tattoo on her left arm depicting a black rose with green leaves and initials.
Without knowing her name, investigators struggled to find leads on her killer, and her case remained unresolved for nearly three decades. It was not until Dutch police recognized a pattern in their own cold cases involving unidentified women who had been murdered or died under suspicious circumstances that international collaboration began.
The Launch of Operation Identify Me
Dutch authorities suspected many of these victims were foreign nationals, possibly victims of human trafficking or individuals with family abroad unaware they were missing. They contacted Belgian and German police forces and eventually Interpol to propose an international appeal for information.
This initiative brought Roberts' case and others to Susan Hitchin, who leads the forensic DNA unit at Interpol's headquarters in Lyon, France. In 2023, Interpol launched Operation Identify Me, publishing details of dozens of women from across Europe who had been murdered or died in suspicious circumstances to locate family members and revive stalled investigations.
A Breakthrough in Identification
Hitchin recalls the moment when Roberts' family in the UK recognized her tattoo in news reports about the appeal and contacted her team. "It's one of those messages that sends a shiver down your spine, because you can see it's credible information – not just people trying to be helpful," she says. "You sit up and take notice."
While investigators have not yet solved how Roberts was killed, her family, who had lost touch with her before her death, finally received answers about what happened after she moved to Antwerp at age 31. This case underscores the broader crisis of unidentified deaths worldwide, with thousands of bodies discovered annually in Europe alone.
The Scale of the Problem
The lack of identity complicates murder investigations, and global femicide rates are not declining. Hitchin notes that the 47 cases Interpol has received from national police forces represent only the tip of the iceberg. She expresses frustration that more countries have not reopened cold cases involving unidentified women.
"When we hear from Rita Roberts' family what it means to people, knowing that someone's looking for their loved one, it brings back the frustrations about why more countries aren't participating and why this data sharing isn't systematic," Hitchin explains. "We still have situations where a body is found over a border and the two countries don't share that data so the person goes unidentified."
Cross-Border Challenges and Solutions
The case of Angelique Hendrix illustrates these challenges. Reported missing in 1990, her skull was found in 1991 just six miles from her home in the Netherlands but across a river and the Belgian border. Her remains were not identified for 34 years, and her parents died without knowing what happened to their daughter because Belgian law at the time prohibited sharing DNA data with Interpol's missing persons register.
As more people relocate across borders, Hitchin emphasizes the need for systems to share data on missing persons. "We can raise awareness and reach out through law enforcement channels, but ultimately it's down to the countries to have those policies in place," she says.
Vulnerable Victims and Ongoing Efforts
Women most at risk of dying anonymously tend to be migrants and those detached from their families or society. One recent case on Interpol's appeal list is a woman referred to as FR01, whose skull and left leg bones were found in a rubbish bag in Saint-Denis, a northern Paris suburb, in June 2021. Bone analysis indicates she was of African descent and about 20 years old.
French police believe she was murdered but have no missing persons reports or other means of identification. Although it is uncertain if she was a migrant, they hope the international appeal, including a forensic facial reconstruction, will help someone recognize her.
Raphaël Prieur, head of the Paris criminal investigation department, notes, "Someone who has friends and family will inevitably be reported missing. We don't like to generalise, but these cases tend to be people who are socially excluded, poorly integrated, and who lived in isolation. That's why it's even more important to take care of them."
A Mission to Restore Dignity
For Hitchin, the fear of victims being forgotten drives her work. "Sadly, this the killing of women by men is not going away, but what we can do is send out a message to society that we do care, that all lives are valuable and we will do what we can to acknowledge these women, even if they have become marginalised and fallen through the cracks in society," she says.
"We want to at least be able to give them their names back," she adds. "We want to give them back that dignity, even in death." Operation Identify Me continues to seek justice and closure for families, emphasizing the importance of cross-border cooperation in addressing the crisis of unidentified female murder victims across Europe.
