14.04.2026 17:02
The Gülistan Tissue case, reopened after 6 years, has now moved beyond the 'missing young girl' framework. Witness testimonies have emerged alleging that Tuncay Sonel, the then Governor of Tunceli at the center of the claims, was assigned to be constantly present in the family circles of some public officials during that period. Additionally, suspicious PTS records regarding the vehicle used by the governor's son, Mustafa Türkay Sonel, have been included in the file.
The file regarding the disappearance of Gülistan Doku, a second-year Child Development student at Munzur University on January 5, 2020, has been reopened. The allegations discussed for years concerning the investigation have taken on a completely new dimension with new information entering the prosecutor's file. Along with evidence, the file has moved from being an ordinary "missing" case to being centered on suspicions of murder, concealment of a corpse, and tampering with evidence. Striking details have emerged concerning the then-governor of Tunceli, Tuncay Sonel, and Mustafa Türkay Sonel, who are at the focus of the allegations.
GOVERNOR PLACED DOKU FAMILY UNDER CLOSE SURVEILLANCE In the investigation, contacts within the family's circle were also re-examined. The file also included witness statements that some public officials of the period were assigned to be constantly present around the family. The statements indicated that the then-governor directed certain individuals to be by the family's side, while HTS records reflected that Umut Altaş, a close friend of Mustafa Türkay Sonel, called Gülistan Doku's sister, Aygül Doku, intermittently months after the incident.
Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel of the period ALLEGATION: "SIM CARD TAKEN FROM FAMILY AND NOT GIVEN TO PROSECUTOR" One of the most striking developments was the examinations conducted on the SIM card belonging to Gülistan Doku. While the unrecovered phone and SIM card belonging to Gülistan Doku were reissued by her family, it was determined in considerable detail that they were requested and taken from the family by the governorate but not handed over to the investigation authorities, and that access was made to Gülistan Doku's accounts and interference occurred.
Gülistan Doku's mother Bedriye (Left) and father Halit Doku (Right) SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE MOVEMENTS OF THE GOVERNOR'S SON Following the tip-off note, technical data entered into the prosecutor's file included an examination of PTS records for the vehicle used by Mustafa Türkay Sonel. According to the records, the vehicle's suspicious traffic and its route passing through remote, mountainous, and desolate areas away from social life zones during night hours drew attention.
HIS FRIEND GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE FROM TIME TO TIME Meanwhile, it was noted that Türkay Sonel's close friend Umut Altaş was in the passenger seat inside the vehicle, but some passages in the records showed he was not inside the vehicle.
NOT "AN ORDINARY NIGHT" It was recorded in the files that the mobility detailed in the file could not be explained by ordinary night traffic. It was learned that Altaş's family members were detained, and a warrant and red notice process was initiated against Altaş, who has not returned to the country from the USA for a long time.
Gülistan Doku's sister Aygül Doku BREAKING POINT OF THE FILE: A NOTE, A WITNESS The most notable turning point in the Gülistan Doku investigation conducted by the Tunceli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office occurred years later with two consecutive developments. The first was an anonymous note, assessed to have been typed with a typewriter, left in front of the family's lawyer's office in 2022. That note recorded that Gülistan Doku had a relationship with Mustafa Türkay Sonel, the son of the then Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel. The second major turning point was the statements of a secret witness who testified under the code name "February" in 2025. These two developments fundamentally changed the direction of the investigation that began with a missing person report.
SECRET WITNESS "FEBRUARY" SHOOK THE FILE TO ITS FOUNDATIONS The development that created a real earthquake effect in the investigation occurred in 2025. A person requesting their identity be kept secret contacted JASAT and explicitly stated that Gülistan Doku was murdered; then shared shocking details that even shocked the investigation authorities.
The secret witness provided quite detailed accounts regarding Gülistan Doku being taken from near the bridge on the day of the incident and what happened afterward. The secret witness changed locations multiple times due to concerns about the corpse being found. Following the statement, at a described location, an examination with underground search devices detected a suspicious void resembling a grave.
According to prosecution sources, these findings strengthened the claim that the corpse had been moved. The overlap between technical findings and the secret witness's accounts was interpreted as a sign that the file had entered a new phase. Search and excavation operations with underground imaging devices were also carried out at other identified locations.
Gülistan Doku THE FILE IS NO LONGER JUST A "MISSING" FILE At this stage, the Gülistan Doku investigation has moved beyond the "missing young girl" framework as it appeared in the press in the early years. The new examinations that began with the mysterious note left at the lawyer's door in 2022, combined with what the secret witness revealed in 2025 and the subsequent excavations, technical data, and witness statements, have placed the file at the center of much more serious allegations.
It is stated that the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is conducting the investigation multi-directionally, including the possible role of public officials, abuse of influence, potential evidence tampering, and suspicion of planned murder. It is noted that as the Gülistan Doku investigation, which has been troubling Turkey's conscience for years, progresses, many more details may be reflected in the press.