A woman whose body was found on a Netherlands beach in the year 2004 has become the fourth person to be identified through an global law enforcement initiative called Operation Identify Me
The woman was named on last Friday as thirty-five-year-old German national Eva Maria Pommer from Germany She was identified following a lead to authorities in the Dutch region
Her manner of death is still undetermined, and police are pursuing the case
Operation Identify Me was launched in 2023 to determine the names of women who had been killed or passed away in questionable or unclear circumstances in half a dozen European nations
Known as "the woman with the German keys", her remains was discovered resting in dune areas on a remote beach near the city of Wassenaar in July 2004 There were no obvious signs of harm or struggle
She was wearing plaid brown trousers and red shiny patent shoes – "atypical if you are taking a stroll on the beach"
Authorities also discovered she carrying a key that linked her to the German municipality of Bottrop, near the border with the Netherlands
However police were unable to trace the key to a precise address, and who she was remained a mystery for two decades
The previous year, they added the case to the Identify Me operation, which has seen international police "unidentified person alerts" - requesting details about unknown victims - distributed to the general population for the first time, and records such as fingerprint data shared with law enforcement agencies globally
It has also seen renewed publicity for the cold investigations
After an public request linked to the campaign was broadcast on German TV, Dutch police received a "crucial tip" about a German woman who had been unaccounted for for about two decades
This "sped up" investigations in Bottrop, and DNA testing subsequently verified the victim was Eva Maria Pommer
Growing global migration and trafficking of persons has resulted in more individuals being reported missing beyond their countries, which can make determining victims' identities more challenging
"This recent breakthrough is not merely an achievement in our continuing effort - it demonstrates to what we can achieve when countries stand together"
"Together with dedication of Dutch and German detectives another female victim has been identified"
"Our thoughts are with all the relatives who have at last obtained answers about their family members and with the kin who are still waiting for these answers"
The first woman to be named as a outcome of the involvement of the community through the Interpol-coordinated initiative was thirty-one-year-old British citizen Rita Roberts, who was killed in Belgium in 1992 Her family recognized her after seeing a image of her body art in a news report
Another victim found dead in a poultry shed in Spain in 2018 was then identified to be 33-year-old Ainoha Izaga Ibieta Lima
Last month, a woman whose body was discovered by the side of a road in a separate area of Spain in 2005 was named as 31-year-old Russian national Liudmila Zavada from Russia
Police are continuing efforts to discover the identities of another 43 women found dead in the Dutch region, German territory, Belgium, French zone, Italy and Spain
The majority of them are murder victims, believed to have been aged fifteen and thirty years Most died 10, 20, 30 or even 40 years ago
