Murder uncovered by earthquake: Bones found 10 years later under ex-wife's demolished house

Hüseyin Bağatur and his wife Hediye Geçit, who lived in the Yuvalı neighborhood of Malatya's Doğanşehir district, divorced by mutual agreement in early 2014. Shortly after the divorce, Hüseyin Bağatur disappeared. When his relatives could not reach him, they filed a missing person report, but security forces were also unable to locate Bağatur. During this period, Hediye Geçit, a mother of 3, had a new house built in the neighborhood.

Hüseyin Bağatur's mother, Zahide Bağatur, applied to the police in 2020, stating that she believed her son might have been a victim of murder. Following this, an investigation was launched, and the statements of Hüseyin Bağatur's ex-wife and relatives were taken, but no results were obtained.

HOUSE DESTROYED IN EARTHQUAKE

The detached house that Hediye Geçit had built in 2014 was destroyed in the earthquakes that occurred on February 6, 2023. After the earthquake, the relatives of the missing Hüseyin Bağatur found Hediye Geçit's frequent visits to the area where the house was located suspicious and reported the situation to the police. Upon this, the Homicide Bureau teams, which reopened the investigation, placed Hediye Geçit's phones under technical surveillance. During the technical surveillance, it was determined that Hediye Geçit frequently spoke with brothers Ali Rıza and Bayram Türker and that they discussed the debris of the house. Examining historical HTS records, police teams determined that the phones of the Türker brothers had signaled in the area during the construction of Hediye Geçit's house in 2014, which was later destroyed in the earthquake.

BONES REACHED IN FOUNDATION

Taking action, the police, with a prosecutor's warrant, conducted a search with cadaver dogs at the house belonging to Hediye Geçit that was destroyed in the earthquake. After the sections of the house that had not collapsed were demolished with construction equipment to reach the ground, bone fragments were found during the excavation in the area where the cadaver dogs reacted. The bones, which are considered to belong to Hüseyin Bağatur, who had been sought as a missing person for 10 years, were sent to the Council of Forensic Medicine for DNA testing.

3 SUSPECTS ARRESTED

The police detained Hediye Geçit and the brothers Ali Rıza and Bayram Türker. The 3 suspects, who were referred to the courthouse after their procedures at the police station within the scope of the investigation for which a confidentiality order was issued, were arrested by the duty magistrate.

News Source: 12punto