Wife of dead American journalist testifies on husband’s body conditions

ISTANBUL

The wife of the 57-year-old American journalist Andre Vltchek, who was found dead in his car in the Karaköy neighborhood of Istanbul, bared her testimony to the police, underlining her husband’s condition on late Sept. 22.

“One of his legs was paralyzed. He also had diabetes. He was taking two pills,” said Rossie Indira Vltchek, adding details about her husband’s illnesses.

“We were coming from Samsun province to Istanbul. When we approached Istanbul, he started sleeping. In the morning we came in front of the hotel. I wanted to wake him up, but he did not respond,” noted the wife.

According to the police sources, the couple departed from the Black Sea province of Samsun to Istanbul with a rented VIP van with two drivers. The journalist was found dead in front of the hotel on early Sept. 22.
Police declared it as “suspicious death” and seized all belongings in the van.

Answering a question about why they went to Samsun, the wife told the police, “Some recommended that the province had fresh air. We were in Serbia on Sept. 5. Then we moved to Samsun. Then we rented the van and the drivers.”

An investigation into his death is ongoing.