Missing Greek youth jumped from Bosphorus Bridge, ending social media campaign

ISTANBUL

The last message Teodoros Mastikopolo posted on Twitter on Aug 25 had read: 'Flying must be beautiful.'

Surveillance camera footage has emerged showing Teodoros Mastikopolo, a Turkish citizen of Greek origin who went missing more than three weeks ago, committing suicide by jumping off the Bosphorus Bridge, putting an end to a huge social media campaign that had been launched to find him.

Police released the images to the family of the 27-year-old on Sept. 18, and the family confirmed that the footage was recorded a few hours after Mastikopolo went missing on Aug. 25.

The young man, referred by his diminutive name “Teo” in social media campaigns, was seen for the last time in a shopping mall on the European side of the city on the night of Aug. 25.

“The hours are consistent. He lived fully for 27 years. We don’t know why he made such a choice. We are sorry for our loss,” his father said.

The last message Mastikopolo posted on Twitter on Aug. 25 had read: “Flying must be beautiful.”

Thousands of messages were posted on Twitter under the hashtag #TeodorosMastikopolo, which was launched by the young man’s friends and family to determine his whereabouts after he went missing. On Sept. 18, the hashtag became flooded with condolence messages as news of his suicide emerged.