A woman whose body was discovered in Spain over 20 years ago has recently been identified through an international police campaign led by Interpol. The woman, known posthumously as Liudmila Zavada, a 31-year-old Russian citizen, was named by authorities on Thursday.
Zavada is the third person to be identified through Operation Identify Me, initiated by Interpol in 2023. This program aims to identify women who have been murdered or died under suspicious circumstances across Europe.
Initially referred to as the woman in pink due to her distinctive clothing, she was found in July 2005 beside a road in northeastern Spain. Investigators deemed her death suspicious, as evidence indicated that her body had been moved shortly before its discovery. However, despite extensive investigations, authorities were unable to identify her for over two decades.
Last year, Zavada's case was added to the Operation Identify Me initiative, which allowed Interpol to release black notices seeking public help in identifying unidentified bodies for the first time. A breakthrough came earlier this year when Turkish police matched her fingerprints with records, and a subsequent DNA match confirmed her identity through a close relative in Russia.
Valdecy Urquiza, secretary general of Interpol, remarked that this identification would offer renewed hope to families of missing persons and provide new leads for ongoing investigations. He expressed the sentiment that after 20 years, an unknown woman has been given back her name.
While the identification is a significant step forward, police investigations regarding Ms. Zavada's death continue. Interpol is still working to determine the identities of an additional 44 women found in various countries, largely believed to be victims of murder.
