17.03.2025 10:42
An indictment has been prepared regarding the murder of 4-year-old Melike Eşiyok, whose body was found 6 years ago in the Arnavutköy Sazlıbosna Dam. Her siblings, who revealed the details of the murder, stated that their father and stepmother killed Melike, saying, "They left us and Melike hungry and thirsty. Our father tied Melike to the radiator. Our father and stepmother killed Melike. They put Melike in a sack."
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The indictment regarding the murder of 4-year-old Melike Eşiyok, whose body was found 6 years ago at the Arnavutköy Sazlıbosna Dam, has been prepared. In the indictment prepared by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that on April 15, 2018, the naked body of a girl wrapped in a sheet was found by fishermen in the Sazlıbosna Dam Lake, but due to the inability to identify the body, the investigation was transferred to the Permanent Search Bureau. It was mentioned in the indictment that 6 years after the death of 4-year-old Melike Eşiyok, her siblings E. and H. told their teachers at school that their father and the woman he was in a relationship with had killed Melike. Furthermore, it was noted in the indictment that the children H. and E. Eşiyok were placed under protection by the Ministry of Family and Social Policies.
"OUR FATHER TIED MELIKE TO THE RADIATOR" In the statements of H. and E., it was expressed that, "When our father Cahit separated from our mother Meryem, our stepmother Zehra came to our house. Our stepmother and father tortured Melike and us. They constantly beat Melike. They left us and Melike hungry and thirsty. They punished us by making us stand on one foot because we wet ourselves. Our stepmother would hit us with a hammer if our feet touched the ground. On rainy days, they would take us and Melike outside and watch us get wet while they drank tea inside. Because they constantly left Melike hungry, she became skin and bones. Our father tied Melike to the radiator. The next day, our father Cahit and our stepmother Zehra went shopping. They bought ice, plastic, and an axe. Our father and stepmother killed Melike. Our father put Melike in a bag and then put that bag in a sack. We got in the car. When we asked questions, he said, 'I will throw you to the street dogs.' Zehra left us hungry and thirsty for days. She tortured us by spraying us with pressurized water. Then one day, our father and stepmother argued. Zehra left the house," they stated in the indictment. It was also mentioned in the indictment that the statements of children H. and E. taken in the presence of a social worker were deemed credible.
"WE TRIED TO BURY HER IN THE CEMETERY BUT COULDN'T, WE PUT A STONE AND THREW HER IN THE LAKE" Father Cahit Eşiyok stated in his testimony included in the indictment, "I divorced my wife Meryem in 2017. The custody of my children Melike, H., and E. remained with me. Later, I met Zehra Öztürker and we started living together. Zehra was constantly beating the children, especially H. and Melike, for wetting themselves. Since Zehra was a meticulous person, she would constantly punish the children. The violence Zehra inflicted on the children increased day by day. She would say about Melike, 'She looks at me like a devil, like her mother.' On April 2, 2018, Zehra called me. 'Melike is not breathing, come home,' she said. When I got home, Melike's hands and feet were cold. When I suggested taking her to the hospital, Zehra said, 'She has bruises on her body, if we take her, they will put us both in jail.' I asked how it happened. Zehra told me, 'Melike asked for water. While drinking water, she started to cough. I hit her on the back because the water went down her throat. When her breath stopped, I called you.' When I asked, 'What are we going to do?' Zehra said, 'Let's throw her in the sea.' We rented a car. We put Melike in the car. First, we tried to bury her in the cemetery, but we couldn't find a suitable place. We threw her into the Sazlıbosna Dam Lake with a stone inside. Later, we separated from Zehra. I got back together with my ex-wife Meryem and we continued our lives. Zehra is responsible for Melike's death," he said.
Stepmother Zehra Öztürker stated in her testimony, "Cahit was beating his children. When I warned him about this, he would say, 'Don't interfere, they are my children.' He would constantly beat the children with a rolling pin. Melike had a fever the day before she died. I gave her fever-reducing syrup. Because she had a fever and wounds, she slept in a separate room away from her siblings. On the day of the incident, Cahit locked Melike in the room. Then I checked on her. I told him she was ice cold and not breathing. Cahit told me, 'I will handle it, don't call the police or ambulance.' I said, 'Let's tell the police everything.' He told me, 'You are the stepmother, there are bruises on Melike, they won't believe us.' Out of fear of going to jail and because I was threatened, I remained silent. That day, Melike stayed in the room until the evening. Cahit took Melike to the bathroom, washed her, and shrouded her. Then Cahit put Melike in the car. The next day when I asked him what he did, he said, 'I threw her in the sea.' After this incident, my psychology deteriorated, and I left the house. I do not accept the accusations," she stated.
BIOLOGICAL MOTHER: I WAS AFRAID AND COULDN'T TELL ANYONE The biological mother of the children, Meryem Ataman, said, "I left when Cahit had a romantic relationship with Zehra while we were married. After the divorce, the custody of the children remained with Cahit. During the time we were apart, he did not let me see the children. Cahit constantly sent me photos of my children H. and E., but he did not send any photos of Melike. When I asked, he would always say things like 'she is sleeping, she is in the bathroom.' Then Cahit convinced me to return home. When I returned home, he told me that Melike had died. Cahit and Zehra did not inform the police and health teams because they were afraid. We started living together again, and we had another child. My children told me that Cahit and Zehra killed Melike. I was afraid that my living children and I would meet the same fate, so I didn't tell anyone. I have no information about my child's death," she said.
PROSECUTOR: THEY STARTED WITH BEATING AND APPLIED EVERY KIND OF VIOLENCE The indictment stated that the children H., E., and Melike were subjected to mistreatment and torture by father Cahit and stepmother Zehra, including being beaten with a rolling pin, standing on one foot as punishment, being sprayed with pressurized water, and being left hungry and thirsty. The indictment continued, "After Melike experienced a crisis, she urinated on herself, and in response, Cahit and Zehra reacted to Melike more violently, increasing the level of torture, and thus they tortured Melike by leaving her hungry and thirsty. It has been understood that Cahit and Zehra started with beating Melike and continued to show every kind of violence."
The indictment explained that the defendants Cahit and Zehra acted in concert to beat and torture Melike, resulting in her death, and that they disposed of her body wrapped in a sheet in the Sazlıbosna Dam Lake.
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Melike's biological mother, the defendant Meryem, learned that Melike had been killed and thrown into the lake when she returned home. It was recorded in the indictment that she did not report the death to the authorities based on the agreement she made with Cahit and that they wanted to have a new girl child with Cahit to hide Melike's death, and that the child born would be known as Melike Eşiyok.
The defendant father Cahit Eşiyok and stepmother Zehra Öztürker are facing aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of 'intentional murder against a child or a person who is unable to defend themselves physically or mentally' and prison sentences ranging from 3 to 8 years for the crime of 'torture against a child or a person who is unable to defend themselves physically or mentally.' The defendant mother Meryem Ataman is facing a request for imprisonment of 6 months to 5 years for the crime of 'harboring a criminal.' The trial of the defendants will begin in the coming days as per the accepted indictment by the court.