A woman found murdered 31 years ago in a river in Belgium has been identified over three decades later because of her flower tattoo and an international appeal, Interpol said on Tuesday.

The Lyon-based global police organisation said she was Rita Roberts, a British national.

Ms Roberts, found lying against a grate in a river in Antwerp on June 3 1992, had a tattoo of a black flower with green leaves and the inscription “R’Nick” on her right forearm.

“A family member in the United Kingdom recognised the tattoo on the news and notified Interpol and Belgian authorities,” it said in a statement.

The breakthrough followed an international appeal on Interpol’s Identify Me web page, where police share previously confidential information about unsolved cases hoping for input from the public.

Since its launch in May this year, the page has helped to identify 22 women found dead in recent decades in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, Interpol said.

Information volunteered had also allowed other cold cases to make progress.

Ms Roberts has now been “formally identified” by her family who travelled to Belgium to meet with investigators.

In a statement, the family said: “While the news has been difficult to process, we are incredibly grateful to have uncovered what happened to Rita.”

Belgian police hope for further input from the public to clear up the circumstances surrounding Ms Roberts’s violent death, Interpol said.

Interpol is an inter-governmental organisation for police cooperation between its 195 member countries.