Interpol tackles historical femicide cases > Can you help identify any of these women?

 

'Overdue justice': Interpol launches campaign

to identify remains of 46 women

Interpol has launched a new European campaign to try to resolve a series of “cold cases” by asking the public to help it identify the remains of 46 women who were found murdered or appear to have died under suspicious circumstances. “Whether it is a memory, a tip, or a shared story, the smallest detail could help uncover the truth,” the global police body said in a statement. Interpol has posted pictures of the women’s faces on its website, along with pictures of jewellery, tattoos and other possible identifiers. In November last year, a similar appeal helped police identify a British woman 31 years after she was found dead in Belgium.

By:NEWS WIRES

Global police body Interpol on Tuesday launched a new campaign to identify 46 women whose remains have been found across Europe in unsolved cases some dating back decades.

Most of the women were “murdered or had died in suspicious or unexplained circumstances,” the Lyon-based organisation said.

The initiative builds on an “Identify Me” appeal launched by Interpol in 2023 to identify 22 deceased women, which saw some 1,800 tips received from the public.

It has been expanded to include cold cases from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, as well as unexplained deaths from new participating countries France, Italy, and Spain.

“Even the smallest piece of information can be vital in helping solve these cold cases,” said Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock.

“Whether it is a memory, a tip, or a shared story, the smallest detail could help uncover the truth,” he added in a statement.

The Identify Me campaign notched up one major success in November last year with the announcement that the body of a woman found murdered 31 years ago in a Belgian river had been identified as Briton Rita Roberts.

She had been identified over three decades later thanks to a tattoo of a black flower with green leaves which was recognised by a family member in Britain.

Interpol is publishing images of the women’s faces as well as images of items such as jewellery and clothing, which were discovered at the various sites where the remains were abandoned.

“Our goal in the Identify Me campaign is simple. We want to identify the deceased women, bring answers to families, and deliver justice to the victims,” said Stock.

“The public could be the key to unlocking a name, a past, and in delivering long-overdue justice.”

(AFP)

=====================================================================================

FBI Looking for Man in Child Sex Abuse Investigation

Do you know this man?

The FBI reached out on Tuesday as part of a national effort to identify a "John Doe" agents believe has critical information for an ongoing child sexual exploitation investigation.

"This is a national push," said Amy J. Thoreson, spokeswoman for the FBI Baltimore. "However, someone in our area may have information or recognize the john doe."

The man – identified only as John Doe 29 – first came to the attention of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in January 2008, the FBI said.

The man is believed to have information about the identity of a victimized child, the agency said in a statement.

He is described as 30-45 years old, with dark hair and a tan complexion.

In addition to his photo, investigators for the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released enhanced images of a distinctive ring he wears on his left ring finger, one of the victim's blue and white Nike brand tennis shoes with hook-and-loop closure and the area where the photos were taken.

The background where the images were taken. Additionally, the individual is seen wearing a white, black, and red shirt with what appears to be a design and/or writing on the sleeves.

Authorities say there is no evidence that he has any connection to Maryland, D.C. or Virginia, saying, "there are no specific details linking the man to a particular state or region of the United States, and both his identity and whereabouts are currently unknown."

The effort to identify the man is part of the FBI's Operation Rescue Me and Endangered Child Alert Program initiatives, both partnerships of the agency and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to identify victims shown in child exploitation materials including pornography.

The FBI added, however, that there are no charges against the man, wanted only for questioning.

Anyone with information is asked to give tips at https://tips.fbi.gov/ or on the FBI's toll-free tip line at (800) CALL-FBI or (800) 225-5324.

Adults in US Learning to Identify and 'Out' Sexually Abused Children

Residents to be trained to identify child sex abuse

COOS COUNTY, Oregon -- Thousands of adults in Coos County will become Stewards of Children, trained to identify and report child sexual abuse.

The Kids Hope Center recently received a $105,000 grant from the Ford Family Foundation and will be one of 10 Oregon pilot sites offering the training program.

The goal is to train 5 percent of Coos County residents -- nearly 2,000 people in total.

Last year, more than half of all child abuse cases in Coos County involved sex abuse.
"There's clearly a lot of need,” said JoAnne Shorb, Program Director at the Kids Hope Center.

“Us being the Child Abuse Intervention Center for the county, we see all of the cases of child abuse, and when we keep seeing these repeated instances of childhood sex abuse, and talking to parents who had their children victimized, they say, ‘If only I knew. If only I was aware of this. If only I knew the signs and symptoms.’"

The 2-hour training is free of charge.

Classes will begin in April throughout the county.

Coos Bay, Oregon

Enough Abuse Campaign launched to prevent child sex abuse

Las Vegas, Nevada (KTNV) -- About 50 people packed into a room inside the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department headquarters for the Enough Abuse Campaign.

It's a movement to educate adults on how to recognize child sex abuse when it's happening. 

"You know, I think the problem is worse than people realize," said Danielle Dreitzer, executive director of the Rape Crisis Center. No kidding!

The Rape Crisis Center is making this campaign happen, along with Prevent Child Abuse Nevada and a two-year grant from the Englestad Family Foundation.

"It's actually way too late to be taking action," said Dreitzer. "We actually should have taken action decades ago, but you know, every journey starts with a first step, right?"

Friday's meeting was mostly to bring together case workers, church leaders, educators, and more people who work with kids every day and may be able to speak up when our youngest victims can't.

"Each year, we have about 5,000 substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect," said Amanda Haboush-Deloye, Ph.D. and director of programs at Prevent Child Abuse Nevada. "Out of that, about 5.3-percent are actually confirmed for child sex abuse. And only about one in ten victims actually report cases or instances of sex abuse."

But what if more adults didn't just know the signs, but knew tactics to get kids who may be victims to open up? That's another goal of this campaign. And it's why these experts say it's going to take professionals and parents from all over the valley and more discussions like the one on this day.

"We would love the community to get involved and learn this information and learn how to spread it because it takes a whole community to be able to implement these prevention efforts," said Haboush-Deloye.

For more information on the campaign or on how to get involved, call the Rape Crisis Center at 702-366-1640

Las Vegas, Nevada