Background
Abdurrahman Aysu was a carpenter and father of two who lived in Akhisar, in Manisa province. After leaving home on 20 March 2016 he could not be reached. Thirteen days after he vanished, his body was found at the Cin Deresi area in Akhisar. The case was covered on Turkish television at the time, but the investigation produced no result.
What happened
Official records treated Aysu's death as an intentional killing. The area where he was found was at the centre of the searches and forensic examinations carried out in the days after he disappeared. The evidence gathered then did not allow a firm conclusion about those responsible, and the file gradually joined the pending cases.
For his family and community, those years meant both a loss and an unanswered question.
The two weeks between his disappearance on 20 March 2016 and the day his body was found were the most intensive period of the investigation. Camera footage, witness accounts and phone data were examined then, but the information did not reach the certainty needed for a prosecution. The file therefore stayed open for years.
The two weeks between his disappearance on 20 March 2016 and the day his body was found were the most intensive period of the investigation. Camera footage, witness accounts and phone data were examined then, but the information did not reach the certainty needed for a prosecution. The file therefore stayed open for years.
Investigation and legal process
The Unsolved Crimes Research Department, created within the Justice Ministry on 24 April 2026, took the file up again. Gendarmerie JASAT teams in Akhisar, working through technical surveillance and a fresh review of old records, reached new findings. In September 2026 simultaneous operations were carried out in Manisa, Bursa and Istanbul and seven people were detained. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced the detentions.
About two weeks later, on 17 September 2026, it was reported that three people, including Aysu's son, had been arrested. Prosecutors are expected to present their claims about who was responsible and why during the trial.
No one has been convicted; the accusations remain allegations and the presumption of innocence applies.
The department attached to the ministry aims to scan old files across the country and reassess them with newer technical means. The Aysu file was announced alongside several others in the same period. Operations acted simultaneously in three provinces where people connected to the investigation were located. Which evidence a court will rely on will become clear at the indictment stage.
The department attached to the ministry aims to scan old files across the country and reassess them with newer technical means. The Aysu file was announced alongside several others in the same period. Operations acted simultaneously in three provinces where people connected to the investigation were located. Which evidence a court will rely on will become clear at the indictment stage.
Where it stands today
The Aysu file is one of the cases reopened years later. As the process continues, what matters for those left behind is that the court weighs all the evidence and that the truth is established in the courtroom. Dark Location presents this page in Aysu's memory and to draw attention to similar unresolved cases.