KOCAELI — 2004 · Murder

Kartepe's 17-Year Cold Case: Murat Özdemir

Under InvestigationSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

On 10 June 2004, Murat Özdemir, a 26-year-old distribution and collection worker for a poultry company, was found dead inside one of the company's delivery vans in the Köseköy Tepecik neighbourhood of Kartepe, Kocaeli. Cash and cheques worth a total of 24,556 lira had been taken from his bag. The case remained unsolved for many years. It was reopened after the area came under a different police unit, and 13 prints lifted from the scene were re-examined with advanced fingerprint analysis. A fingerprint match, mobile phone records and witness statements led to the detention in 2021 of the company's former accountant and another man. Prosecutors sought aggravated life sentences for both, plus additional prison terms for robbery. Because no final verdict could be confirmed, the suspects are not named.

Date: 2004
Place: Kartepe (Köseköy), Kocaeli
Category: Murder
Case Status: Under Investigation
Coordinates: 40.7400, 30.0300 ↗

Timeline of Events

10 June 2004Murat Özdemir was found dead in a company van in Köseköy Tepecik; cash and cheques were missing.
2004-2021The case remained unsolved.

October 2021Re-examined fingerprints led to the detention of two suspects.
February 2022The indictment sought aggravated life sentences for both defendants.

Sources

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