Dutch Police Use Hologram To Solve 2009 Amsterdam Sex Worker's Murder

The Netherlands Police are using an innovative life-size hologram of a sex worker, killed in Amsterdam in February 2009, to uncover new information about the cold case and bring her killer or killers to justice. The hologram has been placed behind a window in Amsterdam's Red Light district. Sitting on a stool, it looks at people passing by and appears to knock on the window. The glass fogs up, while the word “help” appears on it, CNN reported.

The hologram is modelled on Bernadett Szabó, known as Betty, who was found murdered in the Dutch capital in 2009. Created using 3D visualisation technology, it also features a large dragon tattoo covering Betty's stomach and chest.

A house in the area has been dedicated entirely to Betty's murder, with large stickers on the windows and TV screens showing the crime scene, a documentary and images of the woman.

This holographic has been created to reach out to people, who may have knowledge about the murder case but did not come forward at the time of the incident.

In the official statement, Benjamin van Gogh, coordinator of the Amsterdam Wanted and Missing Persons Team, noted that it was "difficult to determine what it takes to get possible witnesses, in this case, to share their information with us”.

“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," CNN quoted the official as saying.

In a statement, the Dutch police said that Szabó was born and brought up in poverty in the Hungarian city of Nyíregyháza, before shifting to Amsterdam at the age of 18. After landing in the city, she began earning money as a sex worker in the red light district. After becoming pregnant, she continued to work throughout her pregnancy and later gave birth to a son in November 2008. The child was later placed with a foster family.

Betty was found dead on the night of February 19, 2009, when two of her fellow sex workers reached her workroom on Oudezijds Achterburgwal. They realised they didn't see her or hear the music she usually played. At around 1 AM, they found her body stabbed dozens of times. She was 19, The Guardian reported.

For the past 15 years, police carried out a large-scale investigation into the case, monitoring CCTVs and interviewing witnesses. The case remained unsolved.

The reward for any information related to the case has been hiked to €30,000 (around $32,160).