Indictment prepared for man who dumped father's body in a bin at a landfill: He had said 'He doesn't deserve the soil'

The incident came to light on September 14, 2024, when a male body was discovered inside a bin at a waste disposal site in the Ustalar neighborhood of Bozyazı district. The body of Selahattin Doludeniz, a retired lecturer from Selçuk University in Konya—known as 'the professor' in his community—was found by workers at the landfill, naked and with his feet bound inside a plastic bin. As part of the investigation launched by the Anamur Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, police determined that his son, Orkun Doludeniz (34), had transported the body from their home in the İskele neighborhood of Anamur to the Bozyazı landfill via a commercial taxi. He was subsequently apprehended and arrested.

With all evidence collected and the autopsy report from the Council of Forensic Medicine received, the indictment has been prepared. The report emphasized that due to advanced decomposition, it was impossible to perform a detailed analysis of traumatic changes in soft tissues or a detailed macroscopic examination of internal organs, and because blood and urine samples could not be obtained, the exact cause of death could not be determined.

"HE TIED HIS FEET AND PUT HIM IN A BIN, SAYING 'HE DOESN'T DESERVE THE SOIL'"

The indictment noted that 77-year-old Selahattin Doludeniz was only able to walk with support and was unable to care for his own needs, placing a duty of care and protection on his son, Orkun. Despite this, the indictment states that Orkun left his father alone at home on August 28 after an alleged argument, leaving him to die. The indictment continues: "Although the suspect knew his father was in a condition where he could not sustain his life on his own, he left him in that state and departed the house. He did not verify whether he was dead or alive afterward, and by failing to call for help for his father—who could have been saved by medical intervention had he assumed he was dead—he directly contributed to the outcome of death." The document also includes the suspect's confession, in which he stated that he had not been home for 10 days, that he returned home three days before moving the body after neighbors called to say there was a 'smell,' found his father motionless on the floor, and subsequently went to buy cleaning supplies and a bin. He confessed to tying his father's feet and putting him in the bin, claiming he did so because his father had treated him poorly, saying, 'He doesn't deserve the soil.'

HE HELD A BIRTHDAY PARTY AFTER PUTTING THE BODY IN A BIN

The indictment states that after placing his father in the bin, the suspect celebrated his own birthday at a venue that same day, attended a friend's birthday party the following day, and went on a picnic the day after that. The indictment further notes that he returned home after a neighbor called him again due to the foul odors, and that he took the bin containing his father's body to the landfill by taxi, telling the driver it contained 'chemical substances,' where he left it.

UP TO 25 YEARS IN PRISON REQUESTED

The indictment requests that the suspect be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison for the crime of 'causing death by negligent conduct' under Article 83/1 of the Turkish Penal Code. It concludes: "The parent-child relationship between the suspect and the victim imposes a duty on the suspect to provide for his father's care and supervision under Article 364 of the Turkish Civil Code. In this context, the suspect is obligated to notify the necessary health and law enforcement units when he notices a life-threatening situation. The suspect's failure to intervene or notify health institutions after leaving his dependent father alone at home, and subsequently finding him unconscious and in a state of severe neglect upon his return, is a clear violation of this legal responsibility. Thus, it must be accepted that the suspect's negligent conduct caused the victim's death. By keeping the body at home during the first days of the incident, the suspect caused the body to decompose, especially considering the seasonal temperatures, and only removed it from the house after it was no longer possible to examine the body. Evaluating all these factors and the scope of the file together, it is understood that there is sufficient evidence to open a public lawsuit, as the suspect failed to fulfill his obligations while his father was alive, waited for him to die while in a state of dependency, and caused the victim's death, thereby committing the crime of causing death by negligent conduct."

It was learned that the trial will be held at the Anamur High Criminal Court on a date to be determined.