Lyon, France

A woman was found murdered 31 years ago in a river in Belgium. She has finally been identified with the help of her flower tattoo, Interpol said on Tuesday (Nov 14).

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Rita Roberts, a British national, found on Jun 3, 1992, lying against a grate in an Antwerp river, had a tattoo of a black flower with green leaves and the inscription "R'Nick" on her right forearm. 

The policing agency Interpol said in a statement that "a family member in the United Kingdom recognised the tattoo on the news and notified Interpol and Belgian authorities". 

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The Interpol said that Roberts moved to Antwerp from Cardiff in Feb 1992 at the age of 31. She last communicated with her relatives via postcard in May 1992. As per Interpol, "For three decades, the victim remained nameless." 

However, the authorities were able to find details after the police group launched a campaign in May to identify 22 women believed to have been murdered in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. The identities remained a mystery in cases spanning decades.

In a statement, Interpol said: "A family member in the United Kingdom recognised the tattoo on the news and notified Interpol and Belgian authorities." 

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Interpol said that Roberts had been "formally identified" by her family who travelled to Belgium to meet investigators. 

The family has also asked for privacy during the grieving period and urged the media to not contact them. 

"Whilst the news has been difficult to process, we are incredibly grateful to have uncovered what happened to Rita," the family was quoted in the statement as saying. 

Durham Constabulary called the case "historic". Durham police quoted a statement from the family, who had asked to remain anonymous, saying they had last heard from her via a postcard from Belgium in May 1992.

"The news was shocking and heartbreaking. Our passionate, loving, and free-spirited sister was cruelly taken away," the family said.

"There are no words to truly express the grief we felt at that time, and still feel today.

"Rita was a beautiful person who adored travelling. She loved her family, especially her nephews and nieces, and always wanted to have a family of her own," the family said. 

"She had the ability to light up a room, and wherever she went, she was the life and soul of the party. We hope that wherever she is now, she is at peace." 

(With inputs from agencies)