Mystery Solved: Spanish Cold Case Identifies Woman After 20 Years

Mon Oct 20 2025 19:45:41 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Liudmila Zavada, a Russian citizen, has been identified two decades after her body was found in Spain, thanks to an Interpol initiative aimed at helping families of missing persons.

A woman known as the 'woman in pink' has been identified as Liudmila Zavada, a Russian citizen whose body was discovered in Spain over 20 years ago. The identification comes through Interpol's Operation Identify Me, which aims to solve cases of unidentified women found dead under suspicious circumstances. Investigators are still probing the circumstances surrounding her death.

A woman whose body was discovered in Spain more than 20 years ago has been identified through an international police campaign. The woman was named on Thursday as 31-year-old Russian citizen Liudmila Zavada. She is the third person to be identified through the Operation Identify Me initiative, which was launched by police in 2023 to find the names of women who had been murdered or died in suspicious or unexplained circumstances in Europe.

Valdecy Urquiza, secretary general of Interpol, mentioned that this identification brings fresh hope to the families and friends of missing persons. Ms Zavada was referred to as the woman in pink because she was discovered dressed in a pink floral top, pink trousers, and pink shoes. The investigation into her death is ongoing, and police continue to work on identifying more victims under similar circumstances.