NL09 - The woman in the suitcase

Found in a red suitcase in the canal at Thorbeckesingel, in Schiedam, Netherlands.

Case name: The woman in the suitcase
Case code: 2023-NL09

Facial reconstruction of victim
Red t-shirt with white print, brand Lai Si Hao, size S/M
Blue sweatpants, brand Gateway
Victim’s socks
Light-blue underwear worn by the victim
Sheets that victim was wrapped in
Suitcase of the brand Line, largest of the 4-piece Albany Trolley Set.
Location where the body was found
Aerial photo of location where body was found
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  • Date of death (estimated): Around 28 September 2005
  • Date of discovery: 12 October 2005
  • Location: The Netherlands: In the water, in a residential neighbourhood, at Thorbeckesingel in Schiedam.
  • Sex: Female
  • Estimated year of birth: 1983 - 1989
  • Estimated age: Between 16 and 22 years old
  • Height: 164 cm
  • Skin tone: Light-skinned
  • Hair colour: Brown, dyed in a light colour
  • Eye colour: Brown
  • Clothing: The victim was dressed in a pair of large sweatpants with a small red shirt. The blue sweatpants had a double black line on the side. The brand was Gateway, size XL. The victim wore red and yellow socks with a print of a duck at the heel. She wore light-blue underwear with the number 69 printed on it. The woman also wore a red t-shirt with white print, of the brand Lai Si Hao, in size S/M. The texts ‘Victory’, ‘Power Cycle’ and others were printed on the shirt.
  • Tattoos, birth marks, scars: Unknown
  • Jewellery: None

The case

In the Autumn of 2005, a red suitcase was seen lying in the canal at Thorbeckesingel, in a residential neighbourhood in Schiedam, the Netherlands. The suitcase was there for some time. A municipality landscape contractor took it out of the water. The suitcase was found to contain the body of a young woman.

Characteristics

The investigation indicated that the victim spent her childhood in areas north and east of Germany and probably came from Northern Scandinavia, Poland, or Russia. The young woman probably moved around during her adolescence (possibly between ages 16 and 22). It is likely that she spent the last months of her life in Western Europe, possibly in the Netherlands.

The victim’s teeth were in very poor condition indicating that she had probably never been to a dentist.

Her body was wrapped in a white duvet cover with red/pink and blue flower pattern, and then put into a red suitcase. The suitcase was of the brand Line and was the largest of the 4-piece Albany Trolley Set. There was also an orange-coloured sheet in the suitcase.

 

Contact
If you have any information regarding the possible identity of this person, please contact the Dutch national police via the form below.

You can also contact them and view this case on their national police website.

 

Identify Me: NL09 - The woman in the suitcase

If you have any information regarding the possible identity of this person, please contact the national police.