02.01.2026 14:46
The statement of the mother who was arrested for 'intentional murder' in connection with the death of a 2-month-old baby from hunger in Fatih has emerged. The mother said, "My father was deliberately starving the baby. My husband and I wanted to give formula, but my father prevented us and did not allow formula for 3 days. He told me, 'Don't give formula, let it die.' My father did not want the baby from the very beginning and ultimately wanted it to die."
A baby weighing 3.2 kilograms was born in Fatih on November 5 and died 55 days later. After it was determined that the 2-month-old baby was not being fed, the mother, the grandfather, and the grandmother, who lived in the same house with the father of the child with whom she lived without marriage, were taken into custody. Four suspects were arrested by the court they were brought before. The statement of the mother, Y.Y., has emerged.
THE BABY DIED OF HUNGER In the incident that occurred in Fatih on December 30, a woman named Y.Y. called the 112 Emergency Call Center to report that her 2-month-old baby was not breathing and was motionless. Upon the notification, health teams dispatched to the house determined that the baby had died. In the investigation initiated after the baby's death was found suspicious, it was learned that the baby was born weighing 3.2 kilograms at Istanbul Training and Research Hospital on November 5 and was discharged on November 7. It was determined that the baby's weight had dropped to 2 kilograms and there was a sunken appearance in the abdominal area, 55 days after birth. After their procedures at the police station, the suspects were sent to prison after being arrested by the court they were brought before. The statement given by the mother, Y.Y., at the police station has emerged.
"I FORGOT TO REGISTER HIM" In her statement at the police station, Y.Y. said, "I met my husband through social media in the spring of 2024. During the time we were in contact, I called him to Istanbul. He came to me. We met face to face for the first time. I called him home while my parents were at home. He stayed at our house for a week. During this time, my mother and father were also with us. Later, my mother got angry with him and said, 'Why did you sleep with my daughter?' and kicked him out of the house. He returned to Aydın. He never called me again, and we did not meet. After my husband left, I suspected I was pregnant. I wanted to tell my aunt, N.S., who is my mother's sister, because I was scared. When my aunt saw that I was pregnant, she asked who the father was, and I told her it was my husband. After that, I left my aunt's house and went to my parents' house. About a week later, I told my mother that I was pregnant. After telling my parents, I called my husband and told him I was pregnant. He said 'okay' and did not call me again. During my pregnancy, I regularly went to the Women's Health and Children's Diseases Training and Research Hospital for routine check-ups every 6 weeks, and there were no negative issues with the baby's health. I was kept in the hospital for 15 days because I had a cesarean birth. During this time, my father was with me. Since my baby was born prematurely, he was in the intensive care unit. My mother came to see me occasionally because she was working. After giving birth, I moved to the house where I stayed with my mother and father and started taking care of my baby there. I told the baby's father that we had a baby. Since he was in Istanbul, he came to us immediately and started staying with us. I forgot to go to register him, and therefore I did not register the baby anywhere and did not get a Turkish Republic Card," she said.
"WE NOTICED HE WAS NOT BREATHING, WE DID NOT INTERVENE" Y.Y. stated, "My father was taking care of the baby. I breastfed my baby for about a week. After a week, I started feeding him with both formula and my milk. My father helped me with feeding him with formula. My mother was not with us during this time. After we completely switched to formula, I was mixing 2 scoops of formula with water and feeding him with a bottle every 8 hours. After switching to formula, there was no change in weight. The last time I saw my baby alive was on December 31, 2025, around 11:00 AM. My husband and father were with me. At around 11:00 AM, I tried to give the baby formula while he was awake, but the baby did not take the formula. Since he had not consumed his formula for 3 days, I did not force the baby and left him in his place. At around 2:00 PM, the baby's breathing stopped. My husband was the first to notice that the child was not breathing. We did not intervene, and when the baby's breathing completely stopped, we left him in bed the same way. After realizing that the baby had died, we placed him on my father's bed. Then we prepared food and ate. When I asked my father why we did not call an ambulance, he said they are not working right now, I will call when the time comes. After my father prayed after iftar, he said we should call the ambulance around 8:00 PM and called the ambulance from my husband's phone. The ambulance team arrived, and after providing the necessary intervention to the baby in the ambulance, they directed us to the Pediatric Emergency. We went to the hospital with my father and husband. After we got to the hospital, my mother came to us.
"MY FATHER SAID 'DON'T GIVE HIM FORMULA, LET HIM DIE'" The baby had recently lost weight. This situation had become apparent in the last 3 days. Because my father did not feed my baby at all after my husband came. In other words, he did not let me and my husband feed him formula for 3 days. Therefore, the baby became very weak and lost weight. My father was deliberately starving the baby. My husband and I wanted to give him formula, but my father prevented us from giving formula and did not let us for 3 days. At the same time, he was saying to me, 'Don't give him formula, let him die,' and he was blocking me. My father did not want the baby from the very beginning and in the end, he wanted him to die. My mother and I wanted him. My father was home at all hours of the day, so he intervened in everything related to the baby," she stated.