05.03.2025 15:20
Search efforts continue for Ece Gürel, who went to Belgrad Forest in Istanbul and has been missing for three days. Her husband joined a live broadcast and expressed that they had been having issues in their relationship, saying, "She sat down to meditate; maybe something happened, and she got scared and ran away." Meanwhile, security camera footage has emerged showing the moments when Ece Gürel left her building and walked to the bus stop on her way to Belgrad Forest.
Ece Gürel, who left her home in the Gültepe neighborhood of Kağıthane on Sunday afternoon and sent a message to her friend that she was going to Belgrad Forest, has not been heard from since. It was learned that Gürel is a landscape architect, and upon her friend's report, many search and rescue teams, including AFAD and AKUT, started search operations in Belgrad Forest yesterday. Her family, who filed a missing person report with the police regarding Ece Gürel, also came to the area to follow the search efforts. Teams are continuing their search operations with specially trained dogs.
LAST IMAGES EMERGED
Security cameras recorded moments of Ece Gürel, who went missing in Belgrad Forest, leaving her building, walking on the sidewalk, going to the bus stop, and boarding the IETT bus. The footage shows Gürel walking from her building to the bus, then boarding the bus and walking on the sidewalk after getting off.
ITEMS FOUND
While teams continued their search operations with infrared drones, some personal items were detected in the inner parts of the forest. In response, crime scene investigation teams dispatched to the area found several personal belongings, including a mobile phone, a jacket, and a bag. Items believed to belong to Gürel were taken to the police for examination. Teams were also directed to different locations to conduct broader search operations.
HERE ARE THE IMAGES
WHY DID SHE GO ALONE?
Architect Gürel's family appeared on Müge Anlı's program. Her husband, Sezer Gürel, answered questions directed at him during the program. Sezer Gürel responded to the question, "Why did your wife go there alone? Why did she leave the house?" as follows:
"NOT IN A STATE TO COMMIT SUICIDE"
It is true that we had a bit of a disagreement. Due to work. I also changed jobs. We were a bit distant. She is not in a state to commit suicide. We have been there before. If she had said she was going there, I would have said, 'What are you doing there?'
We argued at sahur, I said I’m not eating and went to bed. I was upset. In the morning, she said she was going outside to get some fresh air. I said I was tired from my shift and didn’t want to go.
"MAYBE SOMETHING HAPPENED, SHE GOT SCARED AND RAN AWAY"
I didn’t know where she was going. She was doing sound meditation or something like that. When there was too much noise at home, I would tell her to close the door. She couldn’t have gone to commit suicide. There are no cameras in the forest. This is a special place for her. She studied there for years. The reason she said 'I forgot' when getting off the bus is this. My thought is; my wife is currently missing. Maybe she left her belongings. She might have sat down to meditate, and maybe something happened, and she got scared and ran away.
BLOOD TRACE DETAIL
The reporter who joined the broadcast was asked about a trace suspected to be blood found in the area. The reporter said, "It’s a bit far, a 50-minute walk." The missing woman's mother also stated, "She didn’t follow the path, she walked in the forest and didn’t come back."
MESSAGES EMERGED
It was determined that Gürel had been messaging her friends in England via social media and sharing photos from Belgrad Forest, and her last messages have also emerged.
"I SAT DOWN, MY SOUL STAYED BEHIND"
Gürel sent a message to her friend saying, "It got crowded here, I couldn’t find the main place." It was found that she wrote "I got lost." Later, it was also recorded that Gürel, who was determined to have sent another photo, wrote, "I sat down, my soul stayed behind." Her friend wrote, "Good job, Gürel. I also went to the market. You’re great, dear," but it was determined that Gürel did not see the "I got lost" message and replied, "I just saw that you said you got lost, isn’t your navigation on your phone?"
THERE WAS A PROBLEM AT WORK
Emphasizing that her spouse graduated from the Faculty of Forestry and knows Belgrad Forests, Gürel said, "Before my friends came, I tried to search a bit. Searches are being conducted with K9 dogs. There was a problem related to her workplace during the last snowfall. She was working at a law office. Resignation was on the table."
AFTER THE "MY SOUL STAYED BEHIND" WORDS, A NATIVE AMERICAN MESSAGE EMERGED
Müge Anlı mentioned that underwater search operations have also begun, and during the broadcast, she conveyed the Native American belief behind Ece's last message. Anlı stated that Gürel's words "My soul stayed behind" are a phrase used by Native Americans when they are very tired and need to rest. Yesterday, Müge Anlı, who read Ece Gürel's last messages live, also revealed the secret behind that message today. Anlı said, "According to Native American belief, when they get very tired and rest, it is thought that their bodies speed up so much that their souls cannot catch up with their bodies. Therefore, they feel the need to rest by saying 'My soul stayed behind.'