10.07.2026 14:51
The mother, who was on trial in custody in the case of a baby found dead in a garbage container in Kocaeli 19 years ago with the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck, said tearfully that she did not fully remember the incident.
In Kocaeli, the mother on trial for the murder of a baby found dead 19 years ago in a trash container with its umbilical cord wrapped around its neck said, crying, that she did not fully remember the incident. During the hearing, a police officer and the witness who found the baby shared their statements about the moment of discovery, while the defendant's close friend said, 'Emine is someone who has sensitivity towards nature, people, the elderly, and children.'
On May 27, 2007, in the Yahyakaptan neighborhood of Izmit district, a dead baby with its umbilical cord wrapped around its neck was found thrown into a trash container. As part of efforts to solve the unsolved case, the mother of the baby was identified as Emine N.Ö. Teams from the Kocaeli Police Department's Public Order Branch Murder Bureau captured the suspect in an operation in Sakarya's Sapanca district on November 18, 2025. The suspect was referred to the courthouse after DNA matching procedures at the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute. Emine N.Ö. was arrested and sent to prison by the judicial authorities. It was learned that the suspect's identity was determined based on fingerprint evidence found at the scene in 2007.
'WE THOUGHT SOMEONE KILLED AND LEFT IT' Emine N.Ö., who is charged with aggravated life imprisonment for intentional killing, appeared before the judge again at the Kocaeli 4th Heavy Penal Court. In addition to the defendant, her lawyer Uğur Gökkoyun, court-appointed lawyer Ayşe Pınar Eren, and witnesses attended the hearing. Testifying as a witness, police officer S.K. said, 'Information came that there was a suspicious corpse or piece of meat near the trash container. When we went to the scene via announcement, we saw a baby wrapped in a towel and tied with women's pantyhose next to the gray trash container. The baby's umbilical cord was not cut. I did not see the placenta, I don't remember. The umbilical cord was not wrapped around the baby's body. I don't remember the cord being wrapped around its neck. I don't remember any scars on the baby, but there was a lot of blood. It was a weak baby. We thought, 'Someone killed and left it.' We had the impression that someone had harmed it and tried to camouflage it with the stocking.'
'IT WAS WRAPPED IN A PAPER BAG' The witness F.D., who first found the baby, said, 'I found the baby when I went to the scrap yard. The baby was placed in a cardboard box and a paper bag, wrapped in a blanket. While rummaging through the bag, I saw the baby's foot. I got scared and moved away. Due to the smell, I called my friend, who notified the police. In my initial statement, I said the bag was tied with pantyhose, which is true, but since a long time has passed, I don't remember that now.'
'EMINE IS SOMEONE WHO HAS SENSITIVITY TOWARDS NATURE, PEOPLE, THE ELDERLY, AND CHILDREN' The defendant's neighbor and close friend, testifying as a witness, said, 'At that time, we lived in the same building as the defendant. We often visited each other. When her father passed away in 2006, Emine's mental state deteriorated. She had several nervous breakdowns, her hands and feet locked up. She used medication for many years. I never noticed Emine's pregnancy. I don't remember any abdominal enlargement or weight change. Emine is someone who has sensitivity towards nature, people, the elderly, and children.'
'THE CORD WAS WRAPPED AROUND THE BABY'S NECK THREE TIMES' Court-appointed lawyer Ayşe Pınar Eren said, 'According to the autopsy and death examination report, the baby was born alive and breathing, then died later. The cord was wrapped around the baby's neck three times, which is medically very unlikely.'
SHE CRIED SAYING 'I DON'T REMEMBER' The defendant, given the floor regarding the witness statements, cried and said, 'I don't remember.'
The defendant's lawyer Uğur Gökkoyun said, 'My client stated in her initial statement that she did not know she was pregnant at the time of the incident. The cord entanglement has been scientifically proven. My client says she doesn't remember the incident and fainted. My client's psychology has collapsed, she has suicidal tendencies. I request my client's release.'
The court panel decided to wait for the document regarding the possibility of the baby being stillborn and the accuracy of the initial autopsy report, and to continue the defendant's detention, adjourning the hearing.
THE DEFENDANT'S STATEMENT FROM THE FIRST HEARING At the first hearing of the case on April 14, 2026, defendant Emine N.Ö. said, 'At that time, I had psychological traumas. Because of this, I was not aware I was pregnant. There were no changes in my body, my stomach did not swell. My menstrual cycle was regular. I didn't experience nausea either. On the day of the incident, I went to the toilet with very severe abdominal pain. While in the toilet, I had excessive bleeding. I am afraid of blood. I experienced blurry memories. I encountered a situation I didn't understand. A hard object fell from me, and when I saw the baby's head, I fainted. When I woke up, the baby was in my lap and was stiff. I didn't hear the baby cry. I hit the baby's back for first aid. I don't remember the condition of the cord when the baby came. I don't remember how we separated from the baby. During that period, I was in a psychological depression and was taking medication for it. I don't remember very clearly, but I may have been drunk at the time. I didn't see the cord around the baby's neck, I don't remember.'