A hologram of a woman is displayed in the windows of the Red Light District, urging potential witnesses to assist in the search for her murderer.
Bernadette (Betty) Szabo was born in Hungary but moved to Amsterdam at the age of 18. There, she worked in the Red Light District and managed to give birth to a son whom she placed with foster parents during that time. On the night of February 19, 2009, colleagues found Betty dead with multiple stab wounds in her workroom. The murderer was never found, but the police are now reopening the case using new methods.
Local police have employed modern technology and launched an extensive advertising campaign: an entire building at the corner of Korte Stormsteeg and Oudezijds Achterburgwal is now dedicated to the Szabo case, covered in posters of the young woman, while televisions display a documentary about the investigation.
One of the campaign's most attention-grabbing elements is the hologram of Szabo, which calls on passersby to help and share information about a possible killer. The hologram is life-sized and accurately depicts Betty, including her prominent tattoo that covered her stomach and chest.
“This is our first time doing something like this, and honestly, we are quite nervous,” said Benjamin van Gogh, coordinator of the missing persons unit in Amsterdam. “We want justice to be served. We brainstormed with representatives from the police and other organizations about whether we should proceed and how to implement it.”
Van Gogh added that the project was initiated only after receiving permission and consulting with Szabo's family.
Detectives hope that the hologram and a reward of 30,000 euros will help find new witnesses, potentially among foreign visitors:
“Betty was killed in one of the busiest areas of Amsterdam, possibly even the Netherlands as a whole. It’s impossible that there weren’t people who saw or heard something unusual at that time. Or someone could have communicated something to someone else. After all, the Red Light District attracts visitors from all over the world.”
Source: The Guardian
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