Narin probe reveals family's role in obfuscating evidence

DİYARBAKIR

The investigation into the death of 8-year-old Narin Güran in the eastern city of Diyarbakır has exposed efforts by her family members to hinder the probe.

After 19 days of search, Narin's body was discovered on Sept. 8 in a stream, still dressed in the clothes she had been wearing when she disappeared.

Her mother, Yüksel Güran, and brother, Enes Güran, face charges of "participating in the crime of intentional homicide" as suspicion mounts against the family.

The case took a turn with the confession of Nevzat Bahtiyar, who admitted to placing Narin's body in the stream bed.

Bahtiyar had been arrested earlier, alongside Narin's uncle, Salim Güran, the first suspect taken into custody. The latter remains the prime suspect in the girl's death.

The investigation has so far led to the arrests of 11 individuals, including a teenage worker employed at Salim Güran's business.

Family members stand accused of making over 50 false reports during the search efforts, staging power outages and setting fires in attempts to obstruct investigators.

Two more relatives were detained for “destroying evidence and aiding the guilty.”

According to a gendarmerie report, several suspects tried to steer search teams away from the stream where Narin's body was ultimately found.

One of her uncles, Fuat Güran, allegedly attempted to eavesdrop on the gendarmerie during the search, while his wife, Hediye Güran, was taken into custody on Sept. 13 and remains in detention.

Media reports said the cause of Narin's death remains unconfirmed due to the state of her body. There were no signs of cutting, piercing or gunshot wounds, nor any internal bleeding.

For its part, the bar association in Diyarbakır said the autopsy revealed no DNA belonging to another individual on the girl’s body.