DNA results in 14-year-old cold case: Dismembered body identified as Gülizar Aydın

A critical development has occurred in the case of Gülizar Aydın, who went missing 14 years ago in the Söke district of Aydın. DNA analysis has determined that the unidentified dismembered female body found on the Muğla Milas-Aydın Söke road on December 2, 2012, belongs to Gülizar Aydın.

Gülizar Aydın, who lived in the Akçakonak neighborhood, had not been heard from since December 2, 2012. Her son, Burak Zülam, who was a minor at the time and unable to initiate official proceedings, applied to security forces on October 31, 2017. It was stated that Zülam filed an official missing person report after discovering that his stepfather's claims of having "filed a missing person report" were untrue.

A special team formed by JASAT detectives under the coordination of the Söke Chief Public Prosecutor's Office reopened the file. As no evidence was found during field and digital investigations to suggest that Aydın was still alive, efforts were focused on the suspicion of murder.

The file was re-examined with the involvement of the Department of Investigation of Unsolved Crimes under the Ministry of Justice's General Directorate of Criminal Affairs. During the investigation, Selami Aydın, the husband who reportedly separated from Gülizar Aydın after her disappearance, lived in different cities for years, and cut off contact with her family, was placed under scrutiny.

PHONE SIGNALS AND VEHICLE MOVEMENTS ANALYZED

Selami Aydın's phone signals, base station records, and vehicle movements on December 2, 2012, were evaluated in detail. The investigations yielded findings that the suspect was on the same route where the unidentified female body was found on that day.

Following technical surveillance, Selami Aydın was detained in an operation conducted at his address in İzmir on June 11, 2026. It was reported that Aydın, who did not accept the accusations, stated in his testimony, "We argued and I left her on the side of the road." The suspect was arrested by the court on June 12, 2026, on charges of "intentional homicide" of Gülizar Aydın.

Following the arrest, the Söke Chief Public Prosecutor's Office requested a comparative DNA analysis from the İzmir Council of Forensic Medicine on June 15, 2026. DNA samples taken from Burak Zülam were compared with tissue samples taken from the body found on the roadside in 2012.

In the report dated August 14, 2026, from the İzmir Council of Forensic Medicine, it was determined that the body belonged to Burak Zülam's biological mother, Gülizar Aydın. Thus, a connection was established between the body that had been unidentified for years and the missing person file.