Crystal Dike
A woman whose body was discovered in Spain more than two decades ago has finally been identified through an international police campaign.
Interpol on Thursday confirmed the victim as 31-year-old Russian national Liudmila Zavada, marking the third success of Operation Identify Me, a cross-border initiative launched in 2023 to help uncover the identities of murdered or suspiciously deceased women in Europe.
Zavada’s body was found in July 2005 beside a roadside in the province of Barcelona, dressed head to toe in pink clothing—earning her the nickname “the woman in pink.” Investigators at the time described the death as suspicious, noting that her body appeared to have been moved within 12 hours of discovery. Despite extensive inquiries, her identity remained unknown for years.
Her case was reopened under Operation Identify Me, which saw Interpol release “black notices” to the public for the first time, and circulate forensic records such as fingerprints globally. Earlier this year, Turkish police matched her fingerprints to national records, and DNA testing in Russia confirmed her identity through a close relative.
Interpol Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said the breakthrough offered “fresh hope to the families and friends of missing persons” and “new leads” for investigators.
Zavada is the third woman to be identified through the campaign. The first was Rita Roberts, a 31-year-old from Wales murdered in Belgium in 1992. Earlier this year, Spanish police also confirmed the identity of Ainoha Izaga Ibieta Lima, a 33-year-old Paraguayan woman found dead in a poultry shed under unexplained circumstances.
Despite these breakthroughs, Interpol says efforts continue to identify another 44 women whose bodies have been recovered in Spain, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. Most are believed to have been murder victims aged between 15 and 30.
The agency warns that global migration and human trafficking make such investigations more complex, as many victims are far from home. Women, it added, remain disproportionately vulnerable to gender-based violence, including trafficking and sexual assault.
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding Zavada’s death remain ongoing.