She threw the baby she gave birth to 19 years ago into the trash: She cried in court, saying 'I don't remember'

In the incident that occurred on May 27, 2007, in the Yahyakaptan neighborhood of the İzmit district, a dead baby with its umbilical cord wrapped around its neck was found discarded in a trash container. As part of efforts to solve cold cases, it was determined that the baby's mother was Emine N.Ö. The Kocaeli Police Department's Public Security Branch Murder Bureau teams apprehended the suspect in an operation carried out on November 18, 2025, in the Sapanca district of Sakarya. The apprehended suspect was referred to the courthouse following DNA matching procedures conducted at the Istanbul Council of Forensic Medicine. Emine N.Ö. was arrested by the judicial authorities and sent to prison. It was learned that the suspect's identity was determined based on fingerprint evidence found at the scene in 2007.

"We thought 'someone killed it and left it'"

Emine N.Ö., who is being tried for intentional killing and faces a sentence of aggravated life imprisonment, appeared before the judge again at the Kocaeli 4th High Criminal Court. In addition to the detained defendant, her lawyer Uğur Gökkoyun, the court-appointed trustee lawyer Ayşe Pınar Eren, and witnesses attended the hearing. Police officer S.K., who was heard as a witness, said, "Information came in about a suspicious corpse or piece of flesh next to a trash container. When we went to the scene following the announcement, we saw a baby wrapped in a towel and tied with women's pantyhose next to a gray trash container. The baby's umbilical cord had not been cut. I did not see a placenta, I don't remember. The umbilical cord was not wrapped around the baby's body. I don't remember the cord being wrapped around its neck. I don't remember any wound marks on the baby, but there was a lot of blood. It was a weak baby. We thought 'someone killed it and left it.' The impression that 'someone had harmed it' had formed. We had the impression that an attempt was made to camouflage it with pantyhose," he said.

"The baby had been placed inside a cardboard box and a paper bag, and wrapped in a blanket"

Witness F.D., who first found the baby, said, "I found the baby when I went to collect scrap. The baby had been placed inside a cardboard box and a paper bag, and wrapped in a blanket. While I was rummaging through the bag, I saw the baby's foot. I got scared and moved away. Because of the smell, I called my friend, and he notified the police. It is true that I stated in my first testimony that the mouth of the bag was tied with pantyhose, but since a long time has passed, I don't remember that now," he said.

"Emine is someone who is sensitive to nature, people, the elderly, and children"

The defendant's neighbor and close friend, who was heard as a witness, stated, "We were living in the same building as the defendant at that time. We visited each other often. After her father passed away in 2006, Emine's mental health deteriorated. She had nervous breakdowns several times; her hands and feet would lock up. She used medication for many years. I never noticed Emine's pregnancy. I don't remember any enlargement in her abdomen or changes in her weight. Emine is someone who is sensitive to nature, people, the elderly, and children," she said.

"The cord was wrapped around the baby's throat 3 times"

Court-appointed trustee Ayşe Pınar Eren stated, "According to the autopsy and death examination report, the baby was born alive, was breathing, and passed away later. The cord was wrapped around the baby's throat 3 times; this is medically a very low probability," she said.

She cried, saying "I don't remember"

Given the right to speak regarding the witness testimonies, the defendant cried and said, "I don't remember."

The detained defendant's lawyer, Uğur Gökkoyun, said, "My client stated in her first testimony that she did not know she was pregnant at the time of the incident. The cord wrapping incident has been scientifically proven. My client says she does not remember the incident and that she fainted. My client's mental state has collapsed; she has suicidal tendencies. I request my client's release," he said.

The court panel decided to await the document regarding the possibility of the baby being stillborn and the accuracy of the initial autopsy report, and decided to continue the defendant's detention, adjourning the hearing.

The defense provided by the defendant in the first session

In the first session of the case on April 14, 2026, the defendant Emine N.Ö. had said, "I had psychological traumas I was experiencing at that time. Because of this, I was not aware that I was pregnant. There was no change in my body, my stomach had not swollen. My menstrual cycle was regular. I did not experience nausea either. On the day of the incident, I went to the toilet with severe abdominal pain. While in the toilet, I had excessive bleeding. I am sensitive to the sight of blood. Situations occurred where I remember things vaguely. I encountered a situation I did not understand. A solid object fell from me; when I saw the baby's head, I fainted. When I came to, the baby was in my arms and was stiff. I did not hear the baby cry. I hit the baby's back for first aid purposes. I don't remember the state of the cord when the baby arrived. I don't remember how we separated from the baby. I had entered a psychological depression during that period, and I was using medication for it. I don't remember very clearly, but I might have been under the influence of alcohol at that time. I did not see the cord on the baby's throat, I don't remember."