World
Interpol launches campaign to help solve 46 cold cases of women whose bodies were found in Europe
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) launched a new campaign last week seeking the public’s help solving 46 cold cases of women whose bodies were found in Europe between 1982 and 2021.
Interpol’s goal through the “Identify me” campaign is to solve 46 cold cases in which the victims, all women, were found dead in six European countries, including France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
“Despite extensive police investigations, these women were never identified, and evidence suggests that some of them could have come from other countries,” Interpol said in a press release. “Who they are, where they are from and why they were in these countries is unknown.”
Interpol issued a Black Notice for each victim, and while the alerts are for police only, Interpol released extracts of the notices for the public to review.
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Along with the extracts, there are details about each case, including facial reconstruction images, with hope that someone may be able to recognize them and help determine the circumstances that led to their death.
One of the cases, for example, is called “The woman in the well,” which roots back to Aug. 6, 1991.
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Interpol is asking for the public’s help in solving 46 cold cases of women whose bodies were discovered in Europe between 1982 and 2021, including the woman in the well, whose was found in a well in Belgium. (Interpol)
That day, a woman estimated to be between 30 and 55 years old was found in a rainwater well in Holsbeek, Belgium.
Police say the woman was wearing a beige/brown knitted cardigan, a t-shirt with black vertical stripes, an image of two surfers and three palm trees with text reading, “sun-surf-sea,” and dark plaid shorts.
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Interpol is asking for the public’s help in solving 46 cold cases of women whose bodies were discovered in Europe between 1982 and 2021, including the woman in the well, who was found in a well in Belgium. (Interpol)
Police also said the woman’s body may have been in the well for up to two years before it was discovered.
Another case called, “The body in the bog,” was opened on Oct. 14, 2001, when the body of a woman between the ages of 20 and 30 was found in a bog in the Worringen quarter of Cologne, Germany.
Police said the woman is presumed to have had a dark complexion and had black hair with interwoven artificial hair.
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Interpol is asking for the public’s help in identifying 46 women whose bodies were found in Europe between 1982 and 2021. (Interpol)
Her body was discovered by a mushroom picker, and it is suspected of being there for at least four months prior to its discovery, though police added it may have been there for up to four years.
Experts reconstructed the woman’s face in April 2002, to get an idea of how the woman may have looked at the time of her death.
For each case on the website, police have a link that people can click to contact Interpol and the police agency of the particular country where the body was found.
“We need you to help us resolve these cold cases,” Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said in a post on X. “Our goal is to identify these deceased women and bring answers to families.”
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By Jorge Mitssunaga
May 16, 2026
World
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Central Africa a public health emergency after 80 suspected deaths
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The World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in Central Africa an international public health emergency on Sunday after dozens of suspected deaths were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency, the WHO said.
The declaration follows reports of 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases as of Saturday across at least three health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.
The development comes as global health officials continue monitoring a rare hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius cruise ship, which left multiple passengers and crew members sick, and caused three deaths.
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A health worker sprays disinfectant on a colleague after working at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, eastern Congo, on Sept. 9, 2018. (Al-hadji Kudra Maliro/AP)
As of May 13, the WHO said 11 hantavirus cases had been identified in connection with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case.
In neighboring Uganda’s capital, Kampala, the WHO said two apparently unrelated laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases — including one death — were reported Friday and Saturday involving people who had traveled from the DRC.
Another laboratory-confirmed case was reported in the DRC capital of Kinshasa involving a person returning from Ituri province.
Initial tests suggested the outbreak does not involve the Ebola Zaire strain, which caused Congo’s devastating 2018–2020 epidemic that killed more than 1,000 people.
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Health workers wearing protective suits tend to an Ebola victim in an isolation tent in Beni, Congo, on July 13, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
However, unlike Ebola-Zaire strains, there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain, which the WHO described as making the outbreak “extraordinary.”
The WHO warned the outbreak could be larger than currently reported due to the high positivity rate among initial samples and the growing number of suspected cases.
The outbreak also poses a public health risk to other countries, the WHO said, urging nations to activate emergency-management systems and implement cross-border screening measures.
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Ambulances parked at Bunia General Referral Hospital following confirmation of an Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 16, 2026. (REUTERS/Victoire Mukenge)
Ebola is a highly contagious and often fatal disease spread through bodily fluids, including blood, vomit and semen. Symptoms can include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and internal bleeding.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently said Congo has a “strong track record” responding to Ebola outbreaks while announcing the release of $500,000 in emergency funding to support containment efforts.
The WHO said it will convene an emergency committee to review recommendations for how affected countries should respond.
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Health workers dressed in protective gear begin their shift at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, Congo, on July 16, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
The organization did not recommend border closures or travel restrictions.
Congo has now recorded 17 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Brittany Miller, along with Reuters, contributed to this report.
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Published On 17 May 2026
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