Skull fractures spotted in baby who ‘froze to death’ in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

AA Photos

An autopsy report has found fractures on the skull of a 10-month-old baby girl, after her grandmother claimed that she had frozen to death in Istanbul.

The 10-month-old, identified only as Aybüke, was buried in Istanbul on Jan. 7, a day after her grandmother told police that she had frozen to death. During the subsequent investigation, her grandmother also reportedly claimed that Aybüke had died after falling to the ground, contradicting her earlier statement.

The investigation was launched after she had taken the dead body of her granddaughter to a private hospital on Horhor Street in Istanbul’s Fatih district early on Jan. 5. The hospital administration immediately reported the case to the police.

Police detained the girl’s grandmother, her mother, and her father, on suspicion of murder motivated by the fact that Aybüke was born to an unmarried couple, which is often looked down upon in Turkey. 

The investigation has so far revealed that neither parent wanted to raise the baby and Aybüke’s grandmother wanted to look after her, after which she may have fled to live on the streets with the baby.

The three suspects were detained by police on Jan. 5 and they appeared in court on Jan. 6.