05.02.2026 15:52
Elif Kumal's definitive autopsy report revealed that the cause of death was drowning and that there were no forensic findings; it was determined that the tire blowout in the vehicle was caused by a stone cut.
In the Kapıdağ Peninsula of Erdek district in Balıkesir, the autopsy report of Elif Kumal (34), who was allegedly involved in an argument with her boyfriend Enis G. (37) while camping and left the area in her vehicle, was released after her lifeless body was found in her car at Yukarıyapıcı Pond 8 days later.
Elif Kumal went camping on December 27, 2025, with her boyfriend Enis G. and a friend named Yavuz at the shore of Yukarıyapıcı Pond in the Kapıdağ Peninsula. On December 28, 2025, at 12:09 PM, Enis G. called the 112 Emergency Call Center, stating that he had an argument with his girlfriend Elif Kumal, and after the argument, Kumal left the campsite in her vehicle with the license plate 16 ATB 289 during the night and he had not heard from her since. Following the report, teams were dispatched to the area. The teams examining security cameras could not find any footage showing Kumal's vehicle heading towards Erdek or Bandırma. Gendarmerie teams initiated a large-scale search operation.
BOYFRIEND TAKEN INTO CUSTODY... AFAD teams from Çanakkale, İzmir, Manisa, Afyonkarahisar, and Bursa, along with gendarmerie commando teams, and search and rescue teams from non-governmental organizations from Bursa and surrounding provinces were also dispatched to the area as reinforcements. The gendarmerie's tracking dogs were also used in the operations. Elif Kumal's boyfriend Enis G. and their friend Yavuz were released under judicial control after the custody period expired, as there was no evidence related to Kumal's disappearance.
LOCATION OF THE VEHICLE DETECTED WITH SIDE SCANNING SONAR The gendarmerie, police, fire department, AFAD, 911 Search and Rescue Association, and search and rescue teams from non-governmental organizations conducted search operations on land, from the air with helicopters, Bayraktar TB-2 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and drones, as well as underwater search and rescue teams from the sea police and gendarmerie. ATV and motocross riders also supported the teams. On the 8th day, the search efforts were intensified at Yukarıyapıcı Pond, where Elif Kumal and her boyfriend had camped. A special team from Ankara, using a Side Scanning Sonar (YTS) device, detected Kumal's vehicle 25 meters offshore and 10 meters deep. Divers who entered the pond reached Elif Kumal's lifeless body in the driver's seat of the vehicle. After the prosecutor's examination, Kumal's body was taken to the Bursa Forensic Medicine Institute and was buried next to the grave of her father, police officer Mustafa Kumal, whom she lost at the age of 2, in the Bandırma district after the autopsy procedures.
CAUSE OF DEATH DROWNING According to the preliminary autopsy results, no traces of cutting tools or firearms were found, and the cause of death was assessed as drowning. The autopsy report prepared by the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute's Specialization Department also stated that there were no poisons, drugs, or toxic substances in her blood, and no signs of beating, cutting tools, or firearms were found on her body.
TIRES BURST DUE TO STONE CUTTING Elif Kumal's SUV with the license plate 16 ATB 289, which was pulled out of Yukarıyapıcı Pond by a crane, was found to have the driver's side window partially open and the front tires burst. In the examination conducted by the Istanbul Criminal Police Laboratory Directorate, no forensic traces were found, and it was determined that the tires burst due to stone cutting. The Bandırma Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is continuing the investigation related to the incident.