Turkish police and gendarmerie forces have solved 60 murders committed between 2004 and 2024 in the first nine months of this year by re-examining evidence from cold cases using modern forensic technology and pursuing new leads, Interior Ministry sources said on Oct. 18.
Of the cases solved, 35 fell under the jurisdiction of the police and 25 under the gendarmerie, with the oldest dating back to 2004, the sources told the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency.
Re-examinations of evidence from past investigations, assessed alongside newly obtained material, have played a key role in identifying suspects, according to the sources.
Investigators have been analyzing DNA profiles, surveillance footage, telephone records, traffic data, mobile phone base station records and witness statements.
They have also traced physical evidence, including vehicle fragments recovered at crime scenes, while examining similarities between separate cases for potential links.
“Those who think they can commit murder and cover their tracks, believing they will never be found because time has passed, are gravely mistaken,” Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said.
He stressed that police and gendarmerie units were continuing their investigations in coordination with chief public prosecutors’ offices and relevant institutions.
The Justice Ministry recently established a bureau tasked with investigating several high-profile unsolved cases.
Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies continue to pursue cold cases, including those that have received little or no media attention, in an effort to identify perpetrators and bring them to justice.
