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A fugitive suspect in the investigation of a university student who went missing in the eastern province of Tunceli has accused the former governor’s son of murder in a statement given while in U.S. custody.
After authorities issued a warrant in the probe into the case of Gülistan Doku, who has been missing since 2020, Umut Altaş was arrested in the United States.
The suspect was interrogated over two days by FBI agents in Pennsylvania, Turkish media reported on Sept. 6.
According to a 34-page transcript forwarded to Turkish authorities via mutual legal assistance, Altaş claimed to have witnessed Doku’s murder firsthand.
Altaş testified that Mustafa Türkay Sonel, the son of the then-Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel, shot Doku dead inside a vehicle, after which the two of them loaded her body into the trunk.
When questioned directly by FBI agents on whether he was physically present and personally witnessed the slaying, Altaş answered affirmatively.
Furthermore, Altaş alleged that immediately following the killing, the son of the governor contacted Şükrü Eroğlu, a bodyguard for his father — then-Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel. Altaş claimed Sonel subsequently reassured him, stating, “My father will handle this.”
The case recently saw a series of high-profile arrests. Those currently in custody include former Governor Tuncay Sonel, his son, a chief physician, a former officer accused of deleting crucial digital evidence, Doku’s boyfriend, his mother, and his stepfather, a former police officer.
