In Amsterdam’s red light district, a hologram of Bernadette “Betty” Szabo, a 19-year-old Hungarian sex worker murdered in 2009 just months after giving birth, now calls on the public to assist Dutch detectives in solving her cold case.
The 3D projection of Betty, wearing denim hotpants and a leopard-print bra with a tattoo winding across her torso, appears knocking on glass to capture attention. At one moment, she leans in, fogging the window with her breath before tracing the word “help” on the glass—a haunting image meant to shed light on the dangers sex workers face in Amsterdam.
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Dutch detectives told BBC reporters they hope this creative approach will jog memories or encourage potential witnesses who may have seen something years ago to finally come forward.
“A young woman, only 19, taken from life in such a horrific way,” cold case detective Anne Dreijer-Heemskerk said to the broadcaster. Investigators remain hopeful that renewed attention to Betty’s tragic story will yield fresh leads after over a decade without answers.
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In the early hours of February 19, 2009, two fellow sex workers noticed that Betty’s usual music had stopped and checked on her during a break between clients. Entering her brothel room—a small space with a plastic-covered bed, vanity, and sink—they found Betty’s body. Just 19 years old and only three months after childbirth, Betty had been brutally stabbed. Her infant son, who would grow up without knowing his mother, was later placed in foster care.
An extensive police investigation followed, including CCTV reviews and witness interviews, but no suspects were identified, and the case eventually turned cold. Authorities suspect the killer may have been a foreign visitor and are now urging anyone who may have been in Amsterdam at the time to recall any details from that night, offering a €30,000 reward for information that could help close this 15-year-old case.
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