A woman whose body was discovered in Spain more than 20 years ago has been identified through an international police campaign.
The woman was named on Thursday as 31-year-old Russian citizen Liudmila Zavada.
She is the third person to be identified through the Operation Identify Me initiative, launched by police in 2023 to identify women who had died under suspicious circumstances in Europe.
Valdecy Urquiza, secretary-general of Interpol, stated that the latest identification gives fresh hope to the families and friends of missing persons and provides new leads for investigators.
Ms. Zavada's body was found in July 2005 beside a road in Barcelona. Notably referred to as the woman in pink, her identity remained a mystery until recently. Her case was incorporated into Operation Identify Me last year, leading to her identification via fingerprint and DNA matching with a relative in Russia.
While police continue investigating the circumstances surrounding her death, this development highlights ongoing issues of gender-based violence and the complexities involved in identifying victims of such crimes across borders.
Authorities are still attempting to identify an estimated 44 other women found dead in European countries, further reflecting the need for continued efforts in missing persons investigations.
