25.04.2025 14:51
An indictment has been prepared against mother Melisa Akcan, seeking up to 20 years in prison, regarding the death of 5 siblings in a fire in the Selçuk district of İzmir. In the fire that broke out in the house over time, 3 of the children lost their lives due to poisoning after being trapped.
Living in a single-story house in Cumhuriyet Mahallesi Tavşantepe, Melisa Akcan, whose husband Hakan Akcan is in prison for a crime and who supports her family by collecting scrap, left her 5 children at home and went to collect scrap on November 11 at around 19:00. A fire broke out after the stove in the house tipped over. As the flames quickly engulfed the house, the siblings Aras Bulut Akcan (1), Masal Işık Akcan (2), Aslan Miraç Akcan (3), Funda Peri Akcan (4), and Fadime Nefes Akcan (5) were trapped inside. Neighbors alerted the 112 Emergency Call Center, and fire, police, and medical teams were dispatched to the address. The fire was extinguished by the teams' intervention.
THEY WERE BURIED SIDE BY SIDE
It was determined that 3 of the 5 children removed from the house died from poisoning. The 2 injured children could not be saved at the hospital they were taken to. In the initial investigation regarding the fire, it was found that the door was locked. Melisa Akcan, who suffered a nervous breakdown from the pain of losing her children and was treated at the hospital, was taken to the police station for her statement after being discharged. Melisa Akcan, who was referred to the courthouse, was released under judicial control. The funerals of the 5 siblings were buried side by side the next day at Acarlar Cemetery.
INVESTIGATION COMPLETED
The investigation initiated after the incident has been completed. In the indictment, it was stated that Sinem Melisa Akcan put her children to sleep, turned on the electric heater, and left the house to collect scrap. Considering the ages of the children, it was assessed that they could tip over the heater or that the heater could tip over and cause a fire in the ordinary course of life, emphasizing that it should be accepted that Akcan foresaw the resulting outcome even though she did not want it. The indictment stated that the suspect was responsible for the deaths of her own children.
"I TOOK THE SCRAP TO THE INDUSTRIAL SITE TO SELL"
The indictment also included Akcan's statements. In her statement, Akcan said, "On the day of the incident, I laid my children down on a mattress and put them to sleep. I left the electric heater on in the middle of the living room. I took the scrap I had collected to the industrial site to sell. When I returned home, the fire had started. My children were lying motionless in their beds. I took them outside. I immediately took 2 of my children in one hand and the other older child in the other hand and went out to the courtyard. When I returned, I took the remaining 2 children outside to the courtyard as well. Then I called for help from our neighbor Yusuf. I did not lock the door behind my children. I just pulled the door shut. The handle on the inside of the door had been missing for a long time. I was giving the handle to Fadime Nefes, and only she could open the door. My time away from home was 25 minutes," she said.
Akcan also explained in her statement that she was doing her husband's job because he was in prison.
REQUEST FOR DISCOUNT
In light of the statements and collected evidence, an indictment was prepared against Akcan for the crime of 'causing the death of multiple persons with conscious negligence' with a request for up to 20 years in prison, while it was presented to the court that Akcan experienced victimization due to her family situation, and therefore a request for the application of discount provisions was made.