The indictment of Sıla Baby reveals a shocking chain of negligence: The mother threw the bloody cloth in the trash.

In Tekirdağ, regarding the death of Sıla Yeniçeri (2), who passed away in the hospital one month after being admitted due to sexual abuse and assault, the chief prosecutor's office prepared two separate indictments for mother Bakiye Yeniçeri, Sanlı Ö., Kani A., G. K., and K. A.

TWO INDICTMENTS COMBINED

The two separate indictments were combined at the Tekirdağ 2nd High Criminal Court. The first hearing will be held on December 26 at the Tekirdağ 2nd High Criminal Court. Tekirdağ Bar Association President Egemen Gürcün announced on his social media account, "The hearing date for our baby Sıla's case at the Tekirdağ 2nd High Criminal Court has been set for December 26, 2024, at 09:30."

SILA'S DEATH DUE TO TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

In the indictment, it was stated that in the forensic medical report prepared by the Istanbul 1st Forensic Medicine Specialization Board, it was reported that the baby's death occurred due to intracranial bleeding resulting from blunt head trauma, and it was noted that there was a causal link between the injury caused by blunt head trauma and her death. In the expert report prepared at Tekirdağ City Hospital, it was stated that she had been sexually abused. It was expressed that there were bite marks on the baby's body, and the marks contained the DNA profile of K. A.

MOTHER THREW SıLA'S BLOODY DIAPER IN THE TRASH

Bakiye Yeniçeri stated in her testimony at the prosecutor's office that she was in a religious marriage with Sanlı Ö. and that they started living together two weeks before the incident at his house. She explained that she worked as a hostess at a bar in Malkara between 16:00 and 02:00 and that during her working hours, she left her children Sıla and A. S. Y. with Kani A., a close neighbor of Sanlı Ö., to take care of them. Bakiye Yeniçeri said that when she picked Sıla up from the neighbors on September 2, she saw blood on her diaper and threw it in the trash so that no one would see it, realizing that her daughter had been harmed, but covered it up so that no one would know. She recounted that on September 9, after seeing Sıla vomit, she took her to the hospital, stating that she left her children with Kani when he was not home so that he would not get angry. She mentioned that on September 6, she saw blood on Sıla's diaper and threw it in the trash, later throwing it in a different trash container because she feared that Sıla's condition would worsen and that her family would be angry with her. Yeniçeri stated that she told Sanlı that she saw blood on Sıla's diaper, asking, "Could it be something sexual?" Sanlı replied, "They're just kids." She expressed that she suspected the children but felt sorry for them knowing they were also growing up without a mother.

Bakiye Yeniçeri changed her statements on November 12 at the Tekirdağ Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, claiming that she did not see blood on Sıla's diaper and that she had given her previous statements in a disturbed psychological state. Yeniçeri stated, "I thought that Sıla could be beaten and abused again and even die as a result. However, I had to leave my children with Kani because I was forced to work."

"DID NOT REPORT THE CRIME"

In the indictment, it was stated that the custody of baby Sıla was with her mother Bakiye Yeniçeri, and it was noted that "Since the custody is with her and she is obliged to protect and care for her child, the victim, in the ordinary course of life, according to Article 339 of the Turkish Civil Code, which states, 'The mother and father make necessary decisions and implement them by considering the child's interests in terms of care and education,' this responsibility and duty is legally imposed on her. Furthermore, according to Article 328 of the Turkish Civil Code, 'The obligation of care of the mother and father continues until the child reaches adulthood,' it is stated that the suspect's obligation to care for and protect the victim will continue until the victim reaches adulthood. Despite all this, the suspect left the victim, who was only 2 years old, with the aforementioned suspect Kani and his children multiple times, knowing that the victim was assaulted on 02/09/2024 without any protection and seeing the traces of the assault on the victim's body, yet left her with the suspect Kani and his children again on 05/09/2024. On this date, the victim was sexually abused by the suspect Kani and K. A., G. K., who are also under investigation, and although the suspect understood this situation through the victim's bloodied diaper, she destroyed a strong piece of evidence related to the sexual abuse by throwing the bloody diaper in the trash due to her compassion for the individuals who committed the sexual abuse against the victim, and despite knowing that her child had been abused, she did not report a crime that she understood and knew had been committed to the relevant authorities," it was stated.

MOTHER KNEW SHE HAD BEEN ASSAULTED

In the indictment, it was stated that the mother knew that baby Sıla had been assaulted before, and it was noted that "The victim, who is a child, was subjected to two actions that a two-year-old child should not encounter, namely being assaulted and then being subjected to abuse, and despite being subjected to such actions that are despised by all individuals and society and are of course prohibited by law, she was again assaulted and left to those who abused her of her own will on 08/09/2024, leading to a series of events that resulted in the death of her daughter Sıla at the hands of K. A., who is also under investigation. In this context, the suspect caused the death of baby Sıla by failing to perform the expected behaviors of a mother, which include the legal obligation of care and protection towards her daughter. The actions she did not take and the negligence she exhibited led to the events that resulted in baby Sıla's death, as if the suspect had made the necessary inquiries and complaints regarding the abuse that Sıla was subjected to before her murder, and if she had not consented to Sıla being assaulted and, along with all this, if she had not continuously left a two-year-old baby in a house with individuals with whom she had no acquaintance or relationship, the actions that baby Sıla was subjected to could have been avoided.

It is necessary to accept that the behaviors the suspect has neglected to carry out are equivalent to active behavior, and in this context, it is stated that the suspect has committed the crime of manslaughter through negligent behavior, the crime of violating obligations arising from family law, the crime of destroying, concealing, and altering evidence, and the crime of failing to report a crime committed against a child under the age of 15.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Bakiye Yeniçeri, who lives in the Malkara district of Tekirdağ, took her daughter Sıla Yeniçeri to Malkara State Hospital on August 2. Yeniçeri stated that her child, who had bruises on her body, was dropped by a neighbor and was injured. After being examined, Sıla Yeniçeri was later handed over to her family and sent home. The family took Sıla Yeniçeri back to Malkara State Hospital on the evening of September 8. Doctors examining Sıla Yeniçeri, who was in a faint state, reported the situation to the police upon seeing signs of assault and bruises.

Sıla Yeniçeri, who was in critical condition, was transferred to Tekirdağ İsmail Fehmi Cumalıoğlu City Hospital. During her examination, it was determined that Sıla Yeniçeri had suffered a brain hemorrhage, and findings indicating that she had been subjected to physical violence were obtained, leading to her being taken into surgery. The hospital also sent DNA samples taken from Sıla Yeniçeri to the Tekirdağ Forensic Medicine Institution for examination.

In the investigation, which was given a confidentiality order, teams from the Tekirdağ Police Department detained five suspects, including Bakiye Yeniçeri. In the investigation, Bakiye Yeniçeri, her religious partner Sanlı Ö. (57), her neighbor, and the father of the children K. A., Kani A. (32), as well as the children of the neighbor who left the baby, G. K. (14) and K. A. (13) were arrested.

Egemen Gürcün, the President of the Tekirdağ Bar Association, announced on September 11 that it was confirmed by forensic reports that Sıla Yeniçeri had been sexually abused. Sıla Yeniçeri, who was being treated in the pediatric intensive care unit of Tekirdağ İsmail Fehmi Cumalıoğlu City Hospital, lost her one-month battle for life on October 7. Kani A., one of the arrested defendants, was recently released to be tried without detention.