VIDEO: Murdered Hungarian sex worker’s life-size hologram could solve a 15-year-old mystery case

Police in Amsterdam seem to be quite creative in trying to solve a 15-year-old murder case involving a 19-year-old Hungarian sex worker, Bernadett Szabó (Betty). They created the life-size hologram of the girl reaching out for help. The police hope the new solution will help people feel connected to her and come forward with information.

Life-size hologram may help police

The brutal murder of Ms Szabó went cold 15 years ago since the detectives could not solve it. The girl was stabbed multiple times at her workplace, but police were unable to catch the perpetrators. Now, they hope they will find somebody who has important information by creating a life-size hologram of the Hungarian woman asking for help. They said it was their ultimate attempt to solve the cold case.

According to the Dutch police, the week-long campaign started yesterday in Amsterdam’s Red Light District. They said, “various methods will be deployed to draw the public’s attention to this young woman’s tragic death”. Probably the most creative and eye-catching solution is the girl’s life-sized hologram asking passer-bies for their help.

Betty left Hungary to work in Amsterdam’s Red Light District as a prostitute when she turned 18. She became pregnant but continued to work even during her pregnancy and started again after she gave birth to her baby. Three months later, she was brutally murdered in her workroom.

Her baby was placed in a foster family

Her body was discovered by two fellow sex workers. They realised they did not see her on 19 February 2009, and at 1 A.M. they decided to check on her. What they found was horrific. Betty was stabbed at least 12 times by the unknown murderer and left in her room in a pool of blood.

Despite the police’s extensive investigation, checking all the camera footages in the area, a meticulous inspection of the crime scene, etc., the perpetrator could not be found.

The hologram of her reaching out for help from a window. Photo: FB/Politie Eenheid Amsterdam

The Amsterdam Cold Case Team quickly agreed to have a final look in that sad case. “Although, of course, every murder case is terrible, Betty’s story is particularly poignant in a number of ways. A young girl, just turned nineteen, who was robbed of her life in a horrible way, and who didn’t have an easy life before she died. She worked long hours as a sex worker and kept working until just before she gave birth to her son. This son was placed with a foster family shortly afterwards and never had the chance to get to know his mother”, explains Anne Dreijer-Heemskerk, member of the Cold Case Team.

It is impossible that nobody knows anything

The police believe that since Betty was murdered in one of the busiest areas of the Netherlands, it is almost impossible that nobody knows anything about it. They also raised the reward to 30,000 euros.

Apart from the hologram, they will use other methods to raise people’s attention on the murder case. “For example, a house at the corner of Korte Stormsteeg and Oudezijds Achterburgwal will be devoted entirely to the murder case. There will be large stickers on the windows with information about the case, and television screens showing, among other things, the crime scene, the last film images made of Betty while still alive, and a documentary”, the Dutch police wrote.

The hologram technique is new for even the police

The 3D visualisation technique was not used before by the metropolitan police. “This is the first time we do something like this and, to be honest, we’re a bit nervous. We want to do justice to Betty, to her family and friends, and to the case. Therefore, before deciding to use a hologram for the campaign, we brainstormed with different parties both within and outside the police on whether we should go ahead with this and how we should set it up. Of course, there has also been contact with her relatives about this. We are committed to doing this with dignity and with the clear purpose of achieving some form of justice for Betty by finding her murderer or murderers”, Benjamin van Gogh, coordinator of the Amsterdam Wanted and Missing Persons Team and responsible for the campaign said.

“It is difficult to determine what it takes to get possible witnesses in this case to share their information with us”, explains Van Gogh. “So, the reward has been raised, but we also believe that Betty’s hologram may create a certain connection with her and thus convince a person to come forward. In this type of case, we always try to put a face on a victim, so that informants know who they’re doing it for, and the hologram is a way of taking this a step further”, he concluded. Moreover, they will use traditional ways, too. They will put posters in the area, and flyers will be handed out.

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