Dutch police use a hologram to solve an unsolved murder case involving an Amsterdam sex worker

CNN
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A hologram of a woman sits behind a window in Amsterdam's red light district. She looks at the passers-by and then seems to knock on the window pane and breathe on the glass. The glass appears to fog up and the word “Help” appears.

This hologram is modeled after Bernadett “Betty” Szabó, a 19-year-old Hungarian sex worker who was murdered in the Dutch capital in 2009. Now, more than 15 years after her death, police hope to find new information about her murder.

Szabó grew up in poverty in the Hungarian town of Nyíregyháza before moving to Amsterdam at 18 and starting working as a prostitute, Dutch police said in a statement. She quickly became pregnant but continued to work throughout the pregnancy and gave birth to her son in November 2008.

Three months later she was found dead in her study, lying in a pool of blood. She was stabbed “dozens of times,” Dutch police said.

Despite a large-scale investigation in which police monitored video cameras, interviewed witnesses and combed the crime scene, the case ultimately went cold.

The holographic depiction of Szabó was created to reach those who may have known about her murder but did not speak out when the murder occurred.

“It is difficult to determine what it will take to get potential witnesses in this case to share their information with us,” Benjamin van Gogh, coordinator of the Amsterdam Wanted and Missing Persons Team, said in the statement.

“Betty's hologram can create a certain connection with her and thus persuade a person to come forward. In cases like this, we always try to put a face on the victim so the informants know who they are doing it for, and the hologram is a way to go one step further.”

Police had discussed the campaign with Szabó's family, van Gogh said, adding that they were “committed to doing this with dignity and with the clear aim of achieving some form of justice for Betty by finding her or her murderers.” to reach”.

Eline Roovers, a spokeswoman for Amsterdam police, told CNN it is “never too late to talk.”

“Research shows that people who commit such crimes usually tell several people – 2.2 people to be exact – what they did. “That means there must be people who know more about Betty's death,” she said.

The reward for information related to the case has been increased to 30,000 euros (around $32,160). Amsterdam attracts tourists from all over the world, emphasized Roovers. Therefore, police are asking those who visited the city in February 2009 to contact us if they know more about the case.