Family of Rita Roberts - the missing Brit discovered to be 'the woman with the flower tattoo' - say they are heartbroken to discover her 'senseless murder' in Belgium after 'agonising 31-year search'

The family of a British woman who has been identified as a murder victim 31 years after she went missing have said they are heartbroken to discover her 'senseless' killing in Belgium following an 'agonising' search spanning three decades. Police revealed today that it was Rita Roberts, 31, who was violently killed before her body was dumped in the Het Groot Schijn river in Antwerp, Belgium, on June 3, 1992. Rita Roberts had moved to Antwerp from Cardiff in February 1992 and her family last heard from her when they received a postcard in May that year The 31-year-old's most striking physical feature was a flower tattoo on her left forearm of a black flower with green leaves and with 'R'Nick' written underneath On June 3, Rita's body was discovered floating against a grate of a water treatment plant in the Groot Schijn river She was wearing distinctive neon sports clothes and her most striking physical feature was a tattoo on her left forearm of a black flower with green leaves and 'R'Nick' inscribed underneath. Rita was wearing dark DAG trainers with distinctive neon details in a size 40 when she was found The river, which runs alongside the A1 motorway, flows from the Provinciaal Groendomein Rivierenhof towards a water pumping station Her body was found near Antwerp's Sportpaleis events hall, which is near a motorway, park and a busy residential and shopping area Rita had been wearing distinctive sports clothes and neon trainers when she was found dead An international appeal was launched which saw Belgian, Dutch and German police collaborate with INTERPOL to try and identify 22 women believed to have been murdered. While many of the victims' identities are still unknown, a family member in the UK recognised Rita's tattoo on the news and came forward, contacting The International Criminal Police Organization and Belgian authorities online.