While the investigation opened by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office into the deaths of Kadir Muhammet Böcek, 6, Masal Böcek, 3, and his parents Çiğdem and Servet Böcek is progressing, the definitive cause of death of the four members of this German family of Turkish origin who were staying in a hotel in the Fatih district, in the heart of Istanbul‘s historic centre, and who died of poisoning, has been confirmed in the last few hours.
The family had arrived in Istanbul on 9 November from Germany and were staying at the Harbour Suites Old City Hotel, located in the historic area about 500 metres south of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar . On 12 November they were taken by taxi to a medical centre after suffering symptoms such as fever and nausea, and after receiving outpatient treatment for what appeared to be food poisoning, they returned to the hotel.
However, in the early hours of the morning of the 13th the symptoms reappeared with more force and they were rushed by ambulance to a hospital in Taksim. The two children died the same day despite attempts to save their lives, while the mother died on 14 November at the same hospital. The father of the family, in a very serious condition, finally died on 17 November. Other two tourists staying at the same hotel were also treated for symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, and a third was admitted for treatment due to bradycardia. Following the first deaths, the hotel was shut down and sealed by the police.
As part of the investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, eleven people were initially arrested; of the seven suspects who eventually appeared in court, the owner of the pest control company Z.K., his employees S.K. and D.C., and the hotel employee M.M.U.D.C. were remanded in custody pending trial.
The forensic report confirms death by pesticide poisoning
According to the Turkish press, including the daily Milliyet, the report issued by the Institute of Forensic Medicine confirms that the death of the four members of the family was not related to food poisoning after eating street food. The expert report included in the prosecution’s file states that the analyses carried out – including autopsies, laboratory tests and expert assessments – rule out any traces of toxins from food in the victims’ stomachs.
Instead, the report issued in conjunction with the autopsy details that phosphine, a highly toxic gas used in pesticides that is released when aluminium phosphide comes into contact with moisture, was detected in towels, masks and samples collected from different parts of the room. Based on these and other results, forensic experts have concluded that exposure to this product – used to kill insects, including cockroaches and bedbugs – was the direct cause of the death of the family staying at the Istanbul hotel.
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
