12.06.2025 16:54
Recently, a tick that has disconnected many people from life in Turkey has claimed the life of a mother of three. It has been revealed that Dilruba Tekin, who died from a tick bite, was the sister of Ahmet Tuna Tekin and Dilruba Tekin, who left home 16 years ago during Ramadan Bayram to collect candy and whose bodies were found in Yozgat 556 days later.
The details that emerged after the death of İlknur Ekinci, a mother of three who lost her life in the hospital after a tick bite during the Eid al-Adha, were heartbreaking.
On September 21, 2009, the second day of Ramadan, siblings Ahmet Tuna and Dilruba Tekin, along with their friend Türkan Ay (10), left home to collect candy in the Talas district. The three children were not heard from for a long time. After the family's report, the police launched an operation to find the children.
SEARCHED FOR 556 DAYS
In this context, a special team of 10 was formed to find the children. The team's efforts yielded results after 556 days. It was determined that the children were killed by Uğur Veli Gülışık, to whom they had gone to collect candy. It was established that Gülışık strangled his two siblings and stabbed their friend Türkan in the heart after sexually assaulting her.
THE CHILDREN'S BODIES WERE FOUND BY THE STREAM
It was determined that the murder suspect buried the three children by a stream in the Çayıralan district of Yozgat after killing them. The bodies of the three children were brought to Kayseri after the procedures and buried in the Halef Hoca Cemetery in the Talas district. The arrested murder suspect was sentenced to life imprisonment three times in the trial held at the Ankara 8th High Criminal Court for security reasons. The defendant was also sentenced to a total of 85 years and 6 months in prison for the crimes of 'sexual assault' and 'deprivation of liberty' in a qualified manner.
TICK BITE DURING EID AL-ADHA
The sister of the Tekin siblings, İlknur Ekinci, a mother of three, went to the Kızılören neighborhood of Pınarbaşı district on June 6 during Eid al-Adha. While she was slaughtering her sacrificial animal there, a tick attached to her leg. After removing the tick by herself, İlknur Ekinci felt unwell after a while and went to the health cabin in the Talas district. After the serum administered by the health workers did not alleviate her discomfort, Ekinci was taken to Kayseri State Hospital.
DIED IN THE HOSPITAL
Ilknur Ekinci, who was transferred to Kayseri City Hospital from there, lost her life last night despite all the doctors' interventions. After the procedures, Ekinci's body was brought to Devetaşı Mosque. İlknur Ekinci's family and relatives attended the funeral. After the prayer, Ekinci was buried in Halef Hoca Cemetery.
TICKS CLAIMED 2 LIVES IN KAYSERI
As of June 2025, two people lost their lives in Kayseri due to tick bites.
Hacı Mehmet Eker (30): Eker, who lived in the Şıhbarak neighborhood of Tomarza district in Kayseri, fell ill after a tick attached to his body and was taken to Erciyes University Medical Faculty Hospital. Eker, who was treated for suspected Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), lost his life after a 5-day struggle for survival.
İlknur Ekinci (39): Ekinci, who went to the Kızılören neighborhood of Pınarbaşı district to slaughter a sacrificial animal from the Talas district, removed the tick that had attached to her body by herself. After feeling unwell, she went to a health cabin in Talas and received serum treatment before returning home. After her complaints worsened, Ekinci was taken to Kayseri State Hospital and then transferred to Kayseri City Hospital due to the deterioration of her condition, but she could not be saved despite all interventions.