14.05.2026 13:00
No news has been received for 19 years from Metin Karslıoğlu, who went missing in Kocaeli in 2007 while on a climate change leave during his military service. While the family stated that they believe the young man was a murder victim, they claimed that a voice recording entered into the file contains the words 'I killed him.' The Karslıoğlu family announced that they will give a $100,000 reward to the person who reveals the perpetrator of the incident.
There has been no news from Metin Karslıoğlu for 19 years, who disappeared in 2007 in Kocaeli while on weather leave during his military service in İzmir Foça. The family, stating they believe the young man was murdered, announced they will offer a $100,000 reward to anyone who reveals the perpetrator.
HE CAME ON WEATHER LEAVE AND NEVER RETURNED
Metin Karslıoğlu, who completed his recruit training as a sailor in İskenderun and was then assigned to İzmir Foça, came to his family in the İzmit district of Kocaeli on weather leave due to an illness while serving his military duty.
The 22-year-old Karslıoğlu went missing on May 16, 2007. After the family applied to police and military authorities, a large-scale search operation was launched.
Investigations revealed that Karslıoğlu's mobile phone was turned off on the day of his disappearance and never turned on again.
THEY SEARCHED ACROSS TURKEY
As part of the missing person case, flyers with photos of Metin Karslıoğlu were distributed in many provinces, particularly İzmir, Antalya, and İskenderun.
Despite the family's applications and incoming tips, no results have been achieved for years.
“WE ARE OFFERING A $100,000 REWARD”
Fatih Karslıoğlu, the brother of Metin Karslıoğlu, stated that they have been struggling for years to find his sibling.
“At that time, law enforcement examined phone records and took statements. We couldn't get any results for years,” Karslıoğlu said, adding that they evaluate every tip they receive.
“They said he was in Antalya, so we went to Antalya. They said he was somewhere else, we went there. We went everywhere. We hung up pictures, carried out searches. We couldn't find any results,” the brother Karslıoğlu expressed, saying, “We had set a reward of 100,000 TL at that time. Now we are offering a $100,000 reward to whoever reveals his killer.”
“IN THE AUDIO RECORDING, SOMEONE SAYS 'I KILLED HIM'”
An audio recording said to have reached the family about two years ago became one of the notable developments in the case. Fatih Karslıoğlu stated that the recordings were handed over to the Kocaeli Provincial Police Department Homicide Bureau, saying, “In the recordings, someone literally says 'I killed him.' The person's name is mentioned in the recordings.”
The family stated that this development strengthened their suspicions that Metin Karslıoğlu was murdered.
“WE BELIEVE MY BROTHER WAS MURDERED”
Emphasizing that his brother was of sound mind, Fatih Karslıoğlu said they want the incident to be investigated in detail.
“It has been 19 years since my brother went missing. We believe my brother was murdered,” Karslıoğlu said, noting that they have not yet received any concrete feedback from the police.
“THE REOPENING OF UNSOLVED CASE FILES GAVE US HOPE”
Stating that the reopening of unsolved case files gave the family hope, Fatih Karslıoğlu said: "The reopening of unsolved case files by our Justice Minister Akın Gürlek sprinkled some water on our hearts, even if just a little. We want all missing people to be found. Let our brother be found. Let all unsolved cases be solved. The dead cry once, the missing cry every day.”
The family demands that the incident be resolved and those responsible be punished.