Identified! Belgium. Fem 20-50 yrs, 169-70 cm, flower tattoo on left forearm, grate in river ‘Groot Schijn', near the Ten Eekhovelei, 3 June 1992 - Rita Roberts

[JennieM]

INTERPOL Black Notice: Operation Identify Me - Police search for the names of 22 women murdered

Operation Identify Me is a public appeal to identify 22 women, believed to have been murdered in Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands, but whose identity was never found. Most are cold cases; women who died 10, 20, 30 or even 40 years ago. Despite extensive police investigations, these women...

www.websleuths.com

Identify Me: BEL02 - The woman with the flower tattoo

Operation Identify Me: Seeking the names of unidentified victims of murder

www.interpol.int

Case name: The woman with the flower tattoo
Case code: 2023-BEL02

• Date of death (estimated): Cannot be determined.
• Date of discovery: 3 June 1992
• Location: Belgium: The woman was lying against a grate in the river ‘Groot Schijn', near the Ten Eekhovelei in Antwerp.
• Sex: Female
• Estimated year of birth: Between 1942 and 1972
• Estimated age: Between 20 and 50 years old
• Height: 169-170 cm
• Skin tone: Light-skinned
• Hair colour: Dark
• Eye colour: Cannot be determined
• Clothing: She wore a t-shirt (dark blue, purple and light green) with the inscription ‘SPLINTER’ and ‘1990’. She wore dark blue Adidas training trousers with three green stripes and dark brown walking shoes, size 40, brand ‘DAG’.
• Tattoos, birth marks, scars: Tattoo on her left forearm showing a black flower with green leaves and ‘R'NICK’ written underneath.
• Jewellery: None

​

The case​

River Groot Schijn runs through the Antwerp city district of Deurne. This river flows from the Provinciaal Groendomein Rivierenhof towards the water pumping station Groot Schijn, near the exit ‘Deurne’ on the A1 motorway.

It is a busy area with residences and shops nearby. The Antwerp Sportpaleis is also close by. On 3 June 1992, the body of a woman was found against a grate in the water of the river ‘Groot Schijn’ near the Ten Eekhovelei. The woman had been killed by violence. To date, her identity is unknown.

Characteristics​

At the time, she was between 20 and 50 years old. She was around 1m70 in height and had a stout build. She was light-skinned and had mid-length dark hair. Her teeth were in good condition. On her left forearm, she had a tattoo of a black flower with green leaves and ‘R'NICK’ written underneath.

She wore a t-shirt (dark blue, purple and light green) with the inscription ‘SPLINTER’ and ‘1990’, dark blue Adidas training trousers with three green stripes and dark walking shoes, size 40, brand ‘DAG’.

Contact
If you have any information regarding the possible identity of this person, please contact the Belgian national police via the form below.

You can also contact them and view this case on their national police website.

 

[JennieM]

The tattoo on the woman's left forearm showing a black flower with green leaves and 'R'NICK' written underneath.

The victim's clothing: a t-shirt (dark blue, purple and light green) with the inscription 'SPLINTER' and '1990' and dark blue Adidas training trousers with three green stripes




Dark brown walking shoes, size 40, brand 'DAG'

Identify Me: BEL02 - The woman with the flower tattoo

Operation Identify Me: Seeking the names of unidentified victims of murder

www.interpol.int

 

[Bit of hope]

De vermoorde vrouw met de bloementatoeage: wie of wat is ‘R’Nick’?

“Wij herkennen het als ‘R’Nick’. Is het een naam? Verwijst het naar een zekere Rick of Nick?” Iris Albrecht heeft geen idee van wat het tekstje betekent onder de opvallende bloementatoeage van een onbekende vermoorde vrouw. Maar het is een van de enige aanwijzingen die ze heeft naar de...

www.hln.be

​

The murdered woman with the flower tattoo: who or what is 'R'Nick'?​

The water of the Groot Schijn ripples calmly from the Rivierenhof park towards the Antwerp Sportpaleis. A few grids of the pumping station hold back waste. It is a few meters from these grilles that on June 3, 1992, a passerby discovered the body of a woman. She was gruesomely murdered: “When the police took the body out of the water, it turned out that she had been killed with serious violence. She had knife stabs and cuts,” says Albrecht. ​

The woman was between 20 and 50 years old and had dark medium length hair. What immediately stands out is the special tattoo of a rose that the woman has on her left forearm.

Who or what is the mysterious 'R'Nick'?​

The tattoo is still a mystery after more than thirty years. Not only because the rose is black, but also because there is a text that no one has been able to decipher until today. Albrecht: “We recognize this as 'R'Nick'. Maybe it refers to a certain Rick or Nick? But it could also mean something completely different.”

I associate a black rose (if this is a rose at all and not another flower) tattoo, with a banner underneath and a -kind of- name, with somebody's passing, death, grieve and mourning. It could also mean a metaphorical loss, such as the death of a relationship, a friendship, or to mark the end of a specific phase of life.

This particular black rose has a yellow/golden lining. Maybe it means hope.

It also remembers me of the way Amsterdam is sometimes written: A'dam.

 

[Bit of hope]

I'm wondering about the shoes. Never heard about DAG. There is a very clear horse logo on there that I associate with the Mustang brand, but maybe it's slightly different or it's a rip-off.



Example of a shoe with the Mustang logo.

 

[UnlicensedPI]

I'm wondering about the shoes. Never heard about DAG. There is a very clear horse logo on there that I associate with the Mustang brand, but maybe it's slightly different or it's a rip-off.

View attachment 429002

Example of a shoe with the Mustang logo. View attachment 429003

It looks like DAG is an actual brand. They're made in Italy

Vintage DAG Turquoise Nylon and Grey Suede High Top Lace up Sneakers - Etsy

This Mens Tie Sneakers item by BoBoVintage has 11 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Slovenia. Listed on Dec 15, 2023

www.etsy.com

 

[Bit of hope]

It looks like DAG is an actual brand. They're made in Italy

Vintage DAG Turquoise Nylon and Grey Suede High Top Lace up Sneakers - Etsy

This Mens Tie Sneakers item by BoBoVintage has 11 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Slovenia. Listed on Dec 15, 2023

www.etsy.com

Great find! Thank you. With a little help from my WS friends I could find it now. Another vintage shoe with the logo.

 

[Carovb5]

There’s a website founded by investigative journalist Kurt Wertelaers, crime reporter for a major newspaper. He focuses on unsolved murder and disappearance cases together with others, passionate and talented people who all want to contribute to the search for the truth. All based on their own expertise: online and offline research, data analysis or profiling. They are the experts, but work under the radar..

A‘Cold case investigation research’ called ‘Bureau VanMeerbeeck’.

They’re searching for the identity of this Jane Doe & have found info about the shoes & clothes & are searching regarding the tattoo. They post their findings like a blog on their website.

Sorry, it’s in Dutch. But online translators these days aren’t too bad.

De zaak Jane Doe

 

[Carovb5]

Great news today: she's identified! She was Rita Roberts, a British woman, 31 years old. Someone from her family recognised her tattoo after new campagne from Interpol 'Operation Identify Me'.
She moved from Cardiff (Wales) to Antwerp in february 1992. The last contact with her family was a postcard, wich was send the 6th of may 1992, a month before they found her body.

Police will now try to uncover who killed her. Police ask to contact them if you knew her or if you know more about her circumstances --> opsporingen@police.belgium.eu

Vermoorde vrouw 31 jaar na vondst lichaam in Antwerpen geïdentificeerd: “Ze was dol op reizen”

Het lichaam van een vermoorde vrouw die in 1992 werd gevonden in Antwerpen, is na 31 jaar geïdentificeerd. Het gaat om een Britse vrouw van toen 31 jaar. Een familielid herkende haar bloementatoeage in een opsporingsbericht van de Interpolcampagne ‘Operation Identify Me’. Ook het...

www.hln.be

 

[Teignmouth 22]

UK woman Rita Roberts identified 31 years after Belgium murder

The UK family of Rita Roberts saw her distinctive tattoo in a BBC News report and contacted police.

www.bbc.co.uk

Let's hope they can now find the person(s) responsible.

R.I.P. Rita. Condolences to your family and friends.

 

[JennieM]

'The woman with the flower tattoo' is identified after three decades: Murder victim found in a river in Belgium in 1992 is revealed to be missing British 31-year-old - as hunt for killer continues​

• The body of Rita Roberts was identified by a relative who recognised her tattoo

'The woman with the flower tattoo' is identified after three decades

Rita Roberts was violently killed before her body was dumped in a river in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1992. For three decades, she remained nameless, until an international effort to identify her was launched.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Bit of hope]

I'm pleased to see Rita is identified! "Broadcasting" about the unidentified and asking the public for help seems to work, in anticipation on a hopefully soon to come permission to use familiair DNA for all UIDs found in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Rest peacefully now Rita. Sincere condolences to family and friends. May justice come swift.

UK woman Rita Roberts identified 31 years after Belgium murder

The UK family of Rita Roberts saw her distinctive tattoo in a BBC News report and contacted police.

www.bbc.com

Belgian authorities are now calling on the public to come forward with any information they have about Ms Roberts or the circumstances surrounding her death.

 

[iamshadow21]

Durham officers support family of

www.durham.police.uk

Within days of the launch, a family member in the UK contacted police, having recognised the tattoo, to say they believed it was Rita Roberts, 31, from Cardiff, in Wales.

The last time they heard from her was via a postcard in May 1992.

The family, some of whom live in the Durham Constabulary force area, were put in contact with specially trained family liaison officers from the force, to support Belgian authorities in investigating the death and confirming her identity.

The investigation revealed further information, which helped confirm who she was.

Officers have continued to support Miss Roberts’ family, during what has been a heartbreaking time for them.

 

[PinkButtercup]

Durham officers support family of

www.durham.police.uk

Within days of the launch, a family member in the UK contacted police, having recognised the tattoo, to say they believed it was Rita Roberts, 31, from Cardiff, in Wales.

The last time they heard from her was via a postcard in May 1992.

The family, some of whom live in the Durham Constabulary force area, were put in contact with specially trained family liaison officers from the force, to support Belgian authorities in investigating the death and confirming her identity.

The investigation revealed further information, which helped confirm who she was.

Officers have continued to support Miss Roberts’ family, during what has been a heartbreaking time for them.

It is interesting that some of her family members are from the Durham area, as this might help explain Rita's tattoo.
In some parts of Britain, especially northern England, close family members are often referred to with the prefix 'our', for example 'our Sam' or 'our Jenny' etc. Northern accents can sometimes make the word 'our' sound like an 'r'.
I think the tattoo is a memorial to someone close to Rita called Nick, hence the affectionate "R'Nick" banner.

MOO

 

[rightsaidfred]

Roberts was born in 1960 and lived near the docks, at that time a challenging neighbourhood. There appears to be no mention of her disappearance in back issues of the South Wales Echo, but there are two reports of court appearances by a woman called Rita Roberts whose age and other details match the missing woman. Two date from the 1980s and one from November 1991, just a few months before she went to Belgium.

How Interpol traced the identity of ‘the woman with the flower tattoo’

Is anyone (who's better than me at newspaper archives) aware of the nature of her convictions?

For background, it does say she was living in the docks end of Grangetown, otherwise known as Tiger Bay (before its rapid gentrification and transformation into Cardiff Bay, as it's now known). It was something of a red light district at that time, and the fairly well known murder of sex worker Lynette White happened in the area in 1988

Murder of Lynette White - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[LucyOso]

RIP Rita. Glad you have been identified.

 

[ZaZara]

Revealed: Difficult past of Rita Roberts, as body finally identified


It has emerged that Rita, who was no stranger to the police and courts, was on the run when she was killed.

She had fled to mainland Europe after being caught up in a feud, in the downtrodden area of Cardiff where she'd lived, and had been involved in arson, prostitution, theft and blackmail, to name just a few of the misdemeanours in her short life.

Yet to her family, who had spent 31 years — the equivalent of her life on earth — searching for the 'passionate, loving and free-spirited' young woman, this identification has brought both relief and sorrow.

In Cardiff, an extraordinary tale has emerged of the family who endured an 'agonising search' for a loved one who simply vanished into thin air.

They scoured the UK and Europe looking for her. At one point they feared she had died in the Dutch airline disaster of 1992, when a Boeing 747 freight plane careered into a block of flats in Amsterdam, killing 43 people.

On Friday, Rita's younger brother Jason, 54, spoke to the Mail and said he had never given up hope of finding his big sister, whom he described as a 'female Peter Pan, full of life and laughter'.

Jason had visited Holland and Belgium twice looking for Rita, and had met with police in both countries, but said they weren't interested in helping.

'I was stonewalled all the way —all they did was refer me to the Salvation Army and to the police back in the UK,' he says with bitter regret.

'I think we all knew that something terrible had happened. Rita would send birthday and Christmas cards to my mother without fail.'


BBM

More at link

 

[HmmMysterious]

Revealed: Difficult past of Rita Roberts, as body finally identified


It has emerged that Rita, who was no stranger to the police and courts, was on the run when she was killed.

She had fled to mainland Europe after being caught up in a feud, in the downtrodden area of Cardiff where she'd lived, and had been involved in arson, prostitution, theft and blackmail, to name just a few of the misdemeanours in her short life.

Yet to her family, who had spent 31 years — the equivalent of her life on earth — searching for the 'passionate, loving and free-spirited' young woman, this identification has brought both relief and sorrow.

In Cardiff, an extraordinary tale has emerged of the family who endured an 'agonising search' for a loved one who simply vanished into thin air.

They scoured the UK and Europe looking for her. At one point they feared she had died in the Dutch airline disaster of 1992, when a Boeing 747 freight plane careered into a block of flats in Amsterdam, killing 43 people.

On Friday, Rita's younger brother Jason, 54, spoke to the Mail and said he had never given up hope of finding his big sister, whom he described as a 'female Peter Pan, full of life and laughter'.

Jason had visited Holland and Belgium twice looking for Rita, and had met with police in both countries, but said they weren't interested in helping.

'I was stonewalled all the way —all they did was refer me to the Salvation Army and to the police back in the UK,' he says with bitter regret.

'I think we all knew that something terrible had happened. Rita would send birthday and Christmas cards to my mother without fail.'


BBM

More at link

You know, I think Rita would have been identified much more earlier, if Belgian police actually cared. Rest in peace