Discovery of missing economist's dog fails to provide clues

BALIKESİR

Despite a glimmer of hope sparked by the discovery of the missing dog belonging to 83-year-old economist Korhan Berzeg, search efforts for the owner himself remain fruitless more than two months after their mysterious disappearance in the western province of Balıkesir's Gönen district.

On Aug. 29, a concerned citizen stumbled upon Berzeg's dog, Tina, whose whereabouts had remained a mystery despite search efforts spanning more than 70 days, and alerted Armutlu neighborhood headman Hamit Erman, leading to the dog's unexpected discovery.

Tina, who had been fitted with a GPS device with the expectation of revealing her whereabouts, did not provide any substantial information regarding Berzeg's disappearance.

Despite Tina's miraculous return 74 days later, she bore no traces of dirt, grime or mud, leaving investigators puzzled about her well-groomed condition.

The Gönen Public Prosecutor's Office ordered the collection of stool and blood samples from Tina. The samples were dispatched for examination, aiming to determine if the dog had been kept indoors.

Consequently, Tina was handed over to the economist's wife, Angela Berzeg, who returned to Istanbul with her.

Law enforcement teams, meanwhile, conducted thorough searches of Berzeg's residences in both Gönen and Istanbul. Statements were taken from 20 individuals considered as potential suspects, while gendarmerie also scrutinized the 40 vehicles that had passed through the area on the day of Berzeg's disappearance, interrogating their drivers.

Yet, to date, no substantial leads or evidence have emerged to shed light on the economist's whereabouts.