A murder victim dubbed “the woman with the flower tattoo" has been identified, after 31 years, as British woman Rita Roberts.
The body of a woman was found against a grate in a river in Antwerp, Belgium on June 3, 1992, with evidence showing she had been violently murdered.
Ms Roberts remained unidentified for more than three decades, despite having a tattoo on her left forearm of a black flower with green leaves and with “R'Nick" written underneath.
In an unprecedented international appeal in May, Belgian, Dutch and German police launched a joint appeal with Interpol, Operation Identify Me, attempting to identify 22 women who are believed to have been murdered.
It led to the identification of the 31-year-old after a family member saw details of her distinctive tattoo in a news report and contacted police.
Ms Roberts, who moved to Antwerp from Cardiff in February 1992 when she was 31, last had contact with her relatives via a postcard sent in May that year.
Her family said in a statement: “The news was shocking and heartbreaking. Our passionate, loving and free-spirited sister was cruelly taken away.
“There are no words to truly express the grief we felt at that time, and still feel today.
“Whilst the news has been difficult to process, we are incredibly grateful to have uncovered what happened to Rita.”
They added: “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.
"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."
Belgian police are still appealing for anyone with information about the circumstances surrounding her death to get in touch via the Interpol website.
Interpol secretary general Jurgen Stock said: "After 31 years an unidentified murdered woman has been given her name back and some closure has been brought to her family.
“Such cases underline the vital need to connect police worldwide, especially when missing persons are involved."
The Operation Identify Me campaign marked the first time Interpol had made a list of so-called black notices public, seeking information about unidentified bodies.
The notices are normally only circulated internally among Interpol's network of police forces throughout the world.
The operation is still seeking to identify the other women who were the subject of the international appeal for information.
