Body of missing Turkish academic found in London canal

LONDON

The body of a Turkish academic, who had been missing since late November, has been recovered from Regent's Canal in London.

The 48-year-old Orhan Ekren, who resided in Milton Keynes, was last spotted near London’s Camden Market on Nov. 26. Police teams ramped up their search efforts after his backpack was discovered near Regent’s Canal, close to London Zoo, the day after his disappearance.

On Dec. 15, a man’s body was pulled from the canal after officers were called to the scene. Police teams sent photos of the body to the family for identification, and two days later, it was confirmed that the body belonged to the Turkish academic.

Orhan Ekren’s body was found near the location of the last signal on a smartphone app the family used to track each other’s whereabouts, stated Banu Ekren, his wife. She also mentioned that an autopsy is underway, and the funeral will be held in Türkiye's Aegean city of İzmir once the body is returned.

Prior to the discovery of the body, Banu Ekren had also recalled the last moments with her husband in an interview with BBC Turkish.

Orhan Ekren took the 7:45 am train to London on the day he disappeared, intending to apply for a Schengen visa and explore the city, according to his wife, Banu Ekren. She first spoke to him that evening around 8:30 p.m. after seeing his location in Camden through the app they used. During their conversation, Orhan was in high spirits, likely under the influence of alcohol, and Banu reminded him that the train service was about to end.

Around 10:30 p.m., after leaving a pub, Orhan began walking. Banu, tracking his location through the app, noticed he was heading toward the canal instead of the train station. She called him again to check on him.

“He gave me a busy signal. The app indicated that he was running. I assumed he was attempting to make his way somewhere. But 10 minutes later, he lost access to the internet,” she recalled.