An autopsy determined that Ağa and Nimet Üykü, who were found dead in a house fire that broke out on September 8, 2026, in the Ürünlü hamlet of Koçyiğitler village in Elazığ’s Karakoçan district, had each been killed by a gunshot to the chest. It was established that the fire had been set to conceal the murders and that 2 bracelets, 1 necklace and 2 earrings belonging to Nimet Üykü had been stolen. JASAT teams apprehended H.Ç., who was found to have fled to Istanbul with the gold jewelry and attempted to sell it at a jewelry store, after identifying the jewelry in airport X-Ray images. H.Ç. was arrested on charges of “intentional killing” and “robbery.” According to the Ministry of Interior, JASAT solved 11 thousand 808 of 12 thousand 280 serious incidents in 2026, solved all 209 murders and secured the issuance of Red Notices for 24 fugitive suspects.
Why it matters
This case demonstrates the role of autopsy findings in murder investigations by showing that the cause of death is determined not solely by the initial appearance at the scene. The finding that the fire was used to conceal the deaths reveals that forensic examination can completely change the course of an investigation in cases that appear to involve fire-related deaths. Detecting the jewelry in airport images and tracking the attempted sale allowed findings from different stages to be assessed together in the evidence trail extending from Elazığ to Istanbul. Although the ministry’s data on JASAT places this case within a broader effort focused on solving serious incidents, the arrest decision does not determine the outcome of the trial; how the evidence will be assessed by the court remains an open question.