The murder of eight-year-old Narin Güran has renewed attention on Turkey’s handling of missing children’s cases, revealing a lack of updated statistics and systemic failures in child protection. Narin’s body was found on 8 September, 19 days after she disappeared from Tavşantepe (Çulî), a rural area in Kurdish-majority Diyarbakır’s (Amed) Bağlar (Rezan) district. She was discovered in a sack in Eğertutmaz stream bed, a location previously searched twice by authorities.
An initial autopsy showed lesions on her neck and a fracture in her leg, but no stab wounds, gunshot injuries, or signs of internal bleeding. Due to the state of decomposition, the exact cause and time of death remain unknown and will be determined through further forensic examination by the Forensic Medicine Institute in İstanbul.
On 2 September, Narin’s uncle, Salim Güran, who is also the village headman, was arrested in connection with her death. The investigation also led to the detention of 24 others, including Narin’s parents, three uncles, and her brother Enes, who was found to have a bite mark on his arm during the search efforts.
Narin’s death comes against a backdrop of unresolved cases involving missing children in Turkey. The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) reported 104,531 missing children between 2008 and 2016 but has not released updated data for the last eight years. A report from 2 August 2023 listed 601,754 incidents involving children in 2022, including 16,499 missing children.
Tolga Güney, a reporter from Mezopotamya Agency, compiled several high-profile cases of missing and murdered children in Turkey, many of which remain unresolved or have ended without prosecution. These include:
Medine Memi (16): Disappeared on 3 December 2009 in Kahta, Adıyaman (Semsûr) and was found buried in her garden 40 days later. Her father and grandfather were sentenced to life imprisonment for her murder.
Gizem Akdeniz (4): Went missing while playing in the street in Adana on 27 April 2014 and was found murdered 36 hours later. Her uncle was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Mert Aydın (9): Disappeared in Kars (Qers) on 6 April 2014 and was found dead the next day. The perpetrator was given a life sentence plus 36 years for related crimes.
Irmak Kupal (4): Disappeared on 14 October 2016 in Manisa while playing outside her home. Her body was found eight days later in a vineyard, and the killer was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 51 years.
Eylül Umutlu (6): Went missing on 31 May 2017 in Yalova and was found dead the next day. The perpetrator received multiple life sentences for her murder and abuse.
Leyla Aydemir (4): Disappeared on 15 June 2018 during a family visit in Ağrı (Agirî) and was found dead 18 days later. Initially, a suspect was convicted, but the decision was overturned, leading to all suspects being acquitted.
Eylül Yağlıkara (8): Disappeared on 22 June 2018 in Ankara and was found buried a week later. The killer was sentenced to life imprisonment and additional years for child abuse.
Ecrin Kurnaz (1.5): Disappeared on 7 May 2019 in Samsun and was found dead 20 days later. Legal proceedings resulted in light sentences and several acquittals.
İkranur Tirsi (7): Went missing on 26 June 2020 in Giresun and was found dead four days later. The uncle and aunt were convicted but received reduced sentences.
Müslüme Yağal (3): Disappeared on 10 November 2021 in Mersin and was found dead nine days later. Her grandfather received a lengthy prison sentence, but other family members were acquitted.
Güney’s report reveals a troubling pattern of unresolved or inadequately handled cases, suggesting systemic neglect and a lack of accountability in child protection across Turkey.
