Police in Kahta, Turkey say they have recovered the body of a 16-year-old girl they say relatives buried alive in a so-called “honor” killing as punishment for talking to boys.
Turkish police found the girl’s corpse after following up on an anonymous tip. The tipster told police that the family killed the girl shortly after deciding her fate at a family council meeting. Her body was then buried under a chicken pen.
The girl’s family then reported her missing to the police. Police say that the girl had complained two months earlier that her grandfather beat her for talking to boys.
Police, who identified the girl only by her initials, M.M., said she had significant amount of soil in her stomach and lungs, indicating she had been buried while still alive.
“The autopsy result is blood-curdling. According to our findings, the girl – who had no bruises on her body and no sign of narcotics or poison in her blood – was alive and fully conscious when she was buried,” one source reported.
Police have arrested the girl’s father, mother and grandfather. The mother has been released, but the father and grandfather remain in jail awaiting trial.
The case is expected to bring highlight the issue of so-called “honor” killings in Turkey. Official statistics show that more than 200 such killings occur each year, accounting for nearly half of all murders in Turkey.