In Amsterdam’s Red Light District, a lifelike hologram of Bernadett “Betty” Szabó, a 19-year-old Hungarian sex worker murdered in 2009, now appears in a window, hoping to spark fresh leads in the unsolved case. Szabó’s hologram gazes out at passers-by, occasionally seeming to knock and breathe on the glass. A ghostly “help” appears on the fogged-up window, underscoring her plea for justice more than 15 years after her brutal death.
Szabó moved from a life of poverty in Nyíregyháza, Hungary, to Amsterdam at age 18. Shortly after her arrival, she became pregnant but continued working and gave birth to a son in November 2008. Only three months later, Szabó was found dead in her workroom, having been stabbed repeatedly. Despite a large-scale investigation involving CCTV analysis, witness interviews, and a thorough crime scene review, police were unable to solve the case, which soon grew cold.
Dutch police hope the hologram will evoke empathy and trigger memories in potential witnesses who may have felt unable to come forward previously. “Betty’s hologram may create a certain connection with her and thus convince someone to come forward,” explained Benjamin van Gogh, Amsterdam’s Missing Persons Team coordinator. “In cases like this, we aim to put a face on the victim so that informants feel personally connected.”
The police consulted with Szabó’s family before launching the campaign, committed to handling it with dignity. They’ve also raised the reward for any relevant information to €30,000 (about $32,160) and are appealing to international tourists who visited Amsterdam in early 2009. Eline Roovers, spokesperson for Amsterdam Police, emphasized that “it is never too late to talk.”