A 20-year-old cold case has finally been solved.
Image: Interpol
A two-decade-old cold case has yielded results as French authorities finally make an arrest.
The body of a woman who was found in a rainwater collector 20 years ago in France has been identified as Hakima Boukerouis. At the time, she was dubbed ‘the woman in the Richmond Dental Crown’.
The Gendarmerie Criminal Investigation Section based in Metz, France, which is leading the investigation, confirmed the arrest of a suspect linked to her death.
The case forms part of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) international campaign, Identify Me.
This campaign, which includes six European countries such as Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain, aims to identify 47 women whose bodies were found in Europe over recent decades.
One of those cases, known as ‘The woman with the Richmond dental crown’, dated back to January 7, 2005, when the mutilated body of a woman was discovered concealed in a rainwater collector in the French village of Saint-Quirin. The victim had been wrapped in black rubbish bags tied with cords. She is believed to have died between September and October 2004.
For two decades, her identity remained unknown, but a breakthrough came when the victim was identified using familial DNA searching.
According to Interpol, this marks the first arrest linked to a case featured in the Identify Me campaign. As investigations and judicial proceedings are ongoing, limited details can be shared at this time.
Interpol Secretary General, Valdecy Urquiza, said this identification underscores how important it is to keep investigating unresolved cold cases.
“As part of the Identify Me campaign, the efforts of the French authorities have helped identify a murder victim whose case had remained open for many years. Progress like this also shows the real impact of making full use of available identification tools. Interpol remains committed to supporting its member countries in identifying unknown deceased persons and strengthening investigations through continued cooperation,” Urquiza said.
This case is the fifth successful identification linked to Identify Me.
Interpol has made a public appeal for information on the cold cases, which also provides an opportunity for case files to be reviewed and updated by investigators, with renewed calls for international cooperation and sharing of forensic information.
Details of each case are also published online and shared with the media, including facial reconstruction images and descriptions of personal objects or tattoos, in the hope that a member of the public might recognise something.
According to Interpol, it is the first time it has publicly shared extracts from Black Notices.
Black Notices are used to disseminate information globally on unidentified human remains, to determine the circumstances surrounding a death, and to identify the individual. The shared information may include details such as the location of discovery, biometric data (DNA, fingerprints, facial images), dental records, physical descriptions of the body or clothing, and any other relevant details that can help identify the deceased.
Interpol’s Yellow Notices are another critical tool to identify missing persons.
A Yellow Notice is a global police alert for cases of parental abduction, criminal kidnapping, or unexplained disappearances, which can increase the chances of a missing person being located, particularly if there is a possibility that the person might travel or be taken abroad.
“Since 2021, Interpol has been providing investigators with a new global tool, the I-Familia database. It currently contains 32,000 DNA profiles from 82 countries and has already solved cases by helping identify unknown bodies through international family DNA kinship matching. This process relies on the voluntary DNA contributions made by relatives of the missing, which are used solely for the purpose of identifying missing persons and are not matched against criminal databases. Such cases underline the crucial role played by the public and partners in supporting these efforts,” Urquiza said.
The Identify Me campaign continues, with 42 unresolved cases of unidentified women still seeking answers.
“We urge anyone who may have information, particularly those who remember a missing friend or family member, to visit our dedicated website and contact both Interpol and the relevant national authorities,” Interpol said.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
IOL