Dutch police use hologram in bid to solve cold case murder of Amsterdam sex worker
CTV
Bernadett 'Bett'” Szabó, a 19-year-old Hungarian sex worker, was murdered in the Dutch capital in 2009. Now, more than 15 years after her death, police are hoping to uncover new information about her killing.
In Amsterdam’s Red Light District, the hologram of a woman sits behind a window. She looks out at passers-by, then appears to knock on the window and breathe on the glass. The glass seemingly fogs up, and the word “help” appears.
This hologram is modeled on 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 are hoping to uncover new information about her killing.
Szabó grew up in poverty in the Hungarian city of Nyíregyháza, before moving to Amsterdam when she was 18 years old and beginning work as a prostitute, Dutch police said in a statement. She quickly became pregnant, but continued to work throughout her pregnancy, giving birth to her son in November 2008.
Three months later, she was found dead in her workroom, lying in a pool of blood. She had been stabbed “dozens of times,” Dutch police said.
Despite a large-scale investigation, in which police monitored CCTV, interviewed witnesses, and combed over the crime scene, the case eventually became cold.
The holographic representation of Szabó was created to reach those who may know something about her murder but did not come forward when it happened.
