Case name: The woman with the Belgian connection
Case code: 2024-NL11
Date of death (estimated): Probably 2012
Date of discovery: 6 January 2013
Location: The Netherlands: Maastricht
Sex: Female
Estimated year of birth: 1947-1992
Estimated age: 20 to 65 years old
Height: Around 170 cm
Skin tone: Unknown
Hair colour: Unknown
Eye colour: Unknown
Clothing: None
Tattoos, birthmarks, scars: Unknown
Jewellery:
The woman’s jewellery may be the most important lead to her identity as she wore several distinctive pieces, although they are not precious. They included:
• A silver ring with a stamp of the “Clio Blue” French brand in size 58. The ring is striking because it had a pendant of a small fish with a pink stone set in it. Worn on her right index finger.
• A stainless steel ring with a small stone, worn on her right middle finger.
• A silver-coloured Japanese “Q&Q” quartz watch worn on the woman’s left wrist. The watch has little stones around the dial (product number GQ20J204Y). According to the manufacturer, this specific model was not very common and was not sold in the Netherlands. Worldwide, 1,400 pieces of this specific model were sold, most of them in (Eastern) European countries, and were worth EUR 30 to 50.
• The woman had a silver-coloured tongue piercing.
• A stainless steel necklace engraved on the back with the letters “SL” and two small arrows, which could relate to a brand, be initials or stand for something else.
The case:
On 6 January 2013, a passerby found the body of the woman on the overgrown bank of a lake called the Pietersplas, also known as Grindgat Oost-Maarland. Her body lay amongst random items that had also been washed up on the bank.
The lake lies on the border between Belgium and the Netherlands near the city of Maastricht and is fed by the Meuse River (Dutch name, Maas) which flows through Belgium into the Netherlands. It is likely that the body ended up in the Meuse River near Liège in Belgium, or even further south.
Only a few details are available about the woman’s appearance because of the condition of the body when it was found. She must have been in the water for some time and the exact cause of death could not be determined. As she was not wearing clothes, the circumstances of her death are being treated as suspicious.
There was a match on her DNA against a blood sample from a Belgian police investigation. This did not lead to an identification of the woman, but it is an indication that she stayed or lived in Belgium before her death.
Although there are multiple indications that point to Belgium, it is also possible that the woman came from somewhere else.
Characteristics:
She was approximately 170 cm tall, of normal or stocky build, and she probably had large breasts and noticeably small feet, European shoe size 34 or 35. She was an adult, but her age was difficult to determine.
Based on her skull, a facial reconstruction was made, but this can only be an indication of how she may have looked. Her teeth had amalgam fillings which means she had received high-quality dental care.
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.
If you have any information regarding the possible identity of this person, please contact the national police.
