Croatian police identify woman suffering from memory loss

Police in Croatia have managed to identify a woman who was found alone on a remote part of Krk, an island in the northern Adriatic, authorities said on Wednesday. The case was solved after the police asked the public and their colleagues in Interpol for assistance.

Citing police, local media reported that the woman is now known to be a 57-year-old Slovak citizen who had been staying in Croatia as a tourist.

How was the victim found?

The woman was found 10 days ago in rough terrain on Krk island. Members of Croatia's Mountain Rescue Service went to the scene to give her first aid, and helped take her to hospital.

The woman was "exhausted, with light injuries and disoriented," the rescuers said.

She was unable to tell police who she was or how she got on the island. There were also no identity documents with her.

At that point, the only information police had to go on was that she could speak English.

Woman still in hospital

Authorities distributed a photograph of the woman with a request to help identify her. The case began to garner international media attention and members of the public both in Croatia and abroad began to email investigators.

Searches involving fingerprint databases did not turn up any information.

Police roped in Interpol to help with the investigation. Croatian media reported that two days ago information was received suggesting the woman may have been from Slovakia.

Slovak police were able to take up the matter and confirmed that information to be true.

The woman is in hospital in the town of Rijeka and is reported to be in a stable condition. Croatian social services will be attending to the matter once she has been released from medical care.

Police are still trying to establish the events that led to her being found alone in a remote area, and the circumstances of her discovery.

kb/dj (AP, Beta, dpa)