A woman who was found murdered 31 years ago, known as the “woman with the flower tattoo,” has finally been identified. According to Interpol, a Lyon-based global police organisation, the woman was Rita Roberts, a British national. She appeared to have been “violently killed" at the age of 31.
Rita was reportedly found lying against a grate in a river in Antwerp on June 3, 1992. She had a prominent tattoo of a black flower with green leaves on her forearm. The tattoo contained the inscription "R'Nick".
The breakthrough comes after an international appeal was made on Interpol's Identify Me web page. With its help, as many as 22 women found dead in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands in the recent decades have been identified, according to Interpol.
“On 3 June 1992, a woman’s body was found against a grate in the water of the river ‘Groot Schijn’ near the Ten Eekhovelei in Belgium. The woman appeared to have been violently killed. Her most striking physical feature was a flower tattoo with ‘R’Nick’ written underneath. For three decades, the victim remained nameless,” Interpol said on its website.
“Having exhausted all possible leads and suspecting she may have come from another country, Belgian authorities submitted this case to Operation Identify Me, hoping the woman’s tattoo would jog someone’s memory,” it added. “Several days after the launch of Operation Identify Me, a family member in the United Kingdom recognized the tattoo on the news and notified authorities. They believed the victim had moved to Antwerp from Cardiff in February 1992, and had never been heard from again after sending a postcard in May 1992.”
{{/usCountry}}“Having exhausted all possible leads and suspecting she may have come from another country, Belgian authorities submitted this case to Operation Identify Me, hoping the woman’s tattoo would jog someone’s memory,” it added. “Several days after the launch of Operation Identify Me, a family member in the United Kingdom recognized the tattoo on the news and notified authorities. They believed the victim had moved to Antwerp from Cardiff in February 1992, and had never been heard from again after sending a postcard in May 1992.”
{{/usCountry}}Rita has been "formally identified" by her family, CBS News reported. Her family travelled to meet with investigators in Belgium. "Whilst the news has been difficult to process, we are incredibly grateful to have uncovered what happened to Rita," the family said.