Background
Mekiye Akyel was a mother of four who lived in Karakaya village in the Baykan district of Siirt. According to reports, after alleging violence and pressure from the man she married in 2015, she left home on 29 July 2024 and stayed for a time in women's shelters in Siirt, Van and Batman.
In October 2024, on 17 or 18 October according to differing sources, she was allegedly picked up from her home in Batman by her former husband on the pretext of showing her the children. Nothing was heard from her afterwards.
What happened
According to the investigation, no phone, banking or health-record activity linked to Akyel was detected after she vanished; her family's lawyer made this public as an important point. A search covered roughly 190,000 square metres with hundreds of personnel. A coat and belt believed to be hers were found near a pistachio orchard said to belong to the suspects.
To date, her body has not been found.
Investigation and legal process
Digital traces, mobile-phone records, witness accounts and the suspects' conflicting statements were examined. The Siirt Chief Public Prosecutor's Office prepared an indictment on 7 September 2026. It lists charges of premeditated killing on the pretext of 'honour' tradition and deprivation of liberty; the defendants include her former husband and some relatives. According to local reports, the indictment covers five defendants, three of them in custody, and was accepted by the Siirt 1st High Criminal Court; the number of defendants varies between sources.
The family's lawyer said the process gives hope but that they cannot see details because the file is closed. Akyel's sister said the indictment alone is not enough and that they want her sister's remains found. No verdict has been reached, and the presumption of innocence applies.
Where it stands today
The Akyel file stands out as a case where an indictment could be prepared without a body, while the family's main wish remains finding their loved one. It also brought up debate about tracking and protecting women who leave shelters. Dark Location presents this page in memory of Mekiye Akyel and to draw attention to the voices of families of the missing.