27.05.2024 17:10
The bone fragments, which were determined to belong to economist Korhan Berzeg, who went missing last June after leaving his home for a morning walk in Armutlu neighborhood, affiliated with Gönen district of Balıkesir, were buried with a funeral ceremony.
The examination of the skull and other bone fragments, which are considered to belong to Berzeg and are approximately 3.5 kilometers away from Armutlu, has been completed at the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institution. The bones, determined to belong to Berzeg, were brought to the Gönen District Gendarmerie Command and delivered to the economist's wife Angela Berzeg and their daughters Nisa and Sibel. Then, the funeral, which was brought to Armutlu Neighborhood with a vehicle belonging to the Gönen Municipality, was held at the family's house. Korhan Berzeg's bone fragments were buried next to his father Muhsin Berzeg's grave in the neighborhood cemetery after the funeral prayer held at Armutlu Mosque.
GOVERNOR AND MAYOR WERE ALSO AT THE FUNERAL
The funeral was attended by Gönen Governor Arslan Yurt, Gönen Mayor İbrahim Palaz, Balıkesir Provincial Gendarmerie Deputy Commander Colonel Ali Bahadır Aslan, Gönen District Gendarmerie Commander Captain Selçuk Civan, Gönen District Police Chief Aydın Zeybek, and citizens. After conveying his condolences to the Berzeg family, Governor Yurt stated in his statement that they have fulfilled their last duties and said, "May he rest in peace, we wish condolences to his relatives. The investigation will continue. We think that the work will continue under the coordination of the public prosecutor's office. Of course, we do not know exactly what the cause of death is."
DAUGHTER IS WAITING FOR THE INVESTIGATION TO BE CONCLUDED
Nisa Berzeg thanked everyone who supported them during the approximately 1-year period when her father was missing, emphasizing that the process was very difficult, and stated that they wanted the process to continue as there was no completed investigation. Angela Berzeg stated that they are waiting for the conclusion of the investigation.
CAUSE OF DEATH COULD NOT BE DETERMINED
According to the report of the Forensic Medicine Institution, considering the tissue losses due to possible animal intervention, it was stated that the bones could belong to a person who died 3-12 months ago, but the exact date of death could not be determined. In the report, it was stated that when evaluated together with the images of the scene, the blunt traumatic fractures in the skull fragments with bone losses due to animal intervention could mainly occur as a result of falling from a height, but due to the absence of bone tissue deficiencies and soft tissues, the exact cause of death of the person could not be determined.
WHAT HAPPENED?
An operation was launched under the coordination of the Provincial Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate for economist Korhan Berzeg (83), who was reported missing after leaving his house in Armutlu Neighborhood on June 17, 2023, for a morning walk with his dog "Tina". The teams searched for Berzeg and his dog in the forests in Armutlu and its surroundings, as well as in nearby neighborhoods, water wells, riverbeds, and caves for days, but no trace was found.
THE DOG WAS FOUND BUT...
It was determined that the dog noticed by a citizen between Geyikli and Armutlu neighborhoods on August 29 was "Tina" and was identified by the Berzeg family. It was determined that the dog was healthy and well-groomed. No results were obtained even after the dog, which was equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, was released into the field. Approximately 3.5 kilometers away from Armutlu, bone and clothing fragments, as well as identity and bank cards belonging to Berzeg, were found by the residents of the neighborhood on April 23 and examined by the teams. Then, other bone fragments, which were considered to belong to Berzeg, were found in the ongoing searches. Angela and Nisa Berzeg, the wife and daughter of Korhan Berzeg, came to Gönen and gave DNA samples, and these samples were sent to Istanbul for laboratory examination. In the study conducted at the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institution, it was determined that the DNA taken from the bone fragments matched the DNA taken from Nisa Berzeg. The searches were concluded on April 30.