12.12.2025 18:00
The funeral of 78-year-old Zehra Günay, who went missing in the forest while collecting bay leaves two days ago in Bartın and was found dead today, was recovered from the thicket area after approximately one hour of work.
The lifeless body of 78-year-old Zehra Günay, who got lost in the forest while collecting laurel in Bartın, was found as a result of search and rescue efforts. Investigations are ongoing regarding the details of the incident and the cause of death.
FIRST, THE SCARF AND ROPE SHE USED WERE FOUND
Search efforts were initiated yesterday for 78-year-old Zehra Günay, who left her home on Wednesday, December 10, around 1:30 PM and was not heard from again. The search for Zehra Günay continued today by the gendarmerie, AFAD, and citizens, with efforts intensifying around noon at the last place she was seen, where her scarf and the rope she used were found first.
HER LIFLESS BODY WAS FOUND IN A THICKET
In the search conducted in that area with a gendarmerie tracking dog, Zehra Günay's body was found in a thicket. Efforts were initiated to remove the woman's lifeless body from the area where she was trapped. The bushes were cleared with the help of a chainsaw, sickle, and cutting tools referred to as "kirinti." The woman's body, reached with the help of stretched ropes, was extracted from the place where she was trapped after approximately one hour of work. Zehra Günay's body was placed in a funeral vehicle and taken to the hospital morgue for an autopsy.
It is believed that Zehra Günay, who went to the forest to collect laurel, lost her balance and fell while cutting a branch from the laurel tree, getting trapped between the branches and roots of the tree. Preliminary examinations noted that there were no signs of struggle or thrashing at the scene. There are also claims being investigated that the elderly woman died from freezing, while the exact cause of death is expected to be clarified after the autopsy.