03.02.2026 00:44
An elderly woman who went missing after leaving her home to tend to her animals was found exhausted in a wooded area by teams. Kadir Biçer, a firefighter who participated in the search efforts, said, "I had a feeling inside me that said, 'Don't turn back, go forward.' After going a little further, we saw our aunt leaning against a tree."
Seventy-five-year-old Ayşe Kalpak, who left her home to take care of her animals in the village of Sırakaya, located in the Cide district of Kastamonu, was reported missing by her relatives at 3:30 PM after they could not reach her. Following the report, teams from the District Gendarmerie Command and the fire department were dispatched to the area.
FOUND EXHAUSTED IN A WOODED AREA As a result of the search efforts that included villagers, Kalpak was found exhausted in a wooded area approximately 2 kilometers from her home. A firefighter carried Kalpak on his back from the wooded area to the ambulance. The elderly woman received initial medical assistance from health teams and was taken to the hospital for treatment by ambulance.
"A FEELING INSIDE ME SAID 'DON'T TURN BACK'" Kadir Biçer, a personnel from the Cide Municipality Fire Department who participated in the search for the elderly woman, recounted the moments that unfolded. Biçer stated that they started a search operation in the wooded area together with gendarmerie teams and villagers after the report.
Biçer explained that they found the elderly woman leaning against a tree in the wooded area, saying, "When we arrived at the wooded area, there was a path that the dogs had taken. There was also a pen along the way. When we got close, I said, 'She must not have passed this way.' A feeling inside me said, 'Don't turn back.' So I stopped and started listening for sounds. At one point, I thought I heard a sound. There were many dogs barking, so I wasn't sure. At that moment, a relative named Uğur was coming. I told Uğur, 'Come, let's look in this direction together.' When Uğur saw the pen, he said, 'She couldn't have passed this way.' Even if she did, the other path was a bit thorny, so she couldn't have gone through there at all. Uğur went around through the thorns, and I moved forward by going under the pen. Uğur hadn't come close to me. When I went a little further, I heard a voice calling 'Mustafa.' Then I called Uğur to my side, and we went towards the direction of the sound, saying, 'She must be here.' After a little while, our aunt was standing leaning against a tree," he expressed.
"SHE HELD ONTO A TREE AND STAYED THAT WAY" Uğur Kalpak, a relative of the elderly woman, stated, "When we first found her, she was standing leaning against a tree. She was holding on to the tree for support. She is my relative on both my mother's and father's side. She didn't recognize me when she saw me. She had fallen a few times, but her health is good right now. She had been in the forest for about 3 hours. She lost her way as it got dark, but she actually knows the village. Because it got dark, and also because she fell a few times while walking, she couldn't come. She held onto a tree and stayed that way," he said.