Kocaeli mother Emine Ö. on trial for 2007 infant homicide

On 27 May 2007 a newborn was found dead in a trash container in Yahyakaptan Mahallesi, İzmit, with its umbilical cord wrapped around its neck. After years of the case remaining unsolved, investigators matched DNA and fingerprint evidence to Emine N. Ö., the baby’s mother. She was arrested in Sapanca on 18 November 2025, detained and later transferred to prison. In the Kocaeli 4th Heavy Penal Court, Emine pleaded “I don’t remember” while in tears, claiming she was unaware of her pregnancy and suffered psychological trauma after her father’s death. Witnesses described the infant wrapped in a towel and a women’s sock, placed in a cardboard box and plastic bag, and noted the three‑turn cord strangulation, which medical experts said is medically unlikely. The court ordered further forensic review of whether the baby was born alive and postponed the hearing, keeping Emine in custody pending additional evidence.

The trial continues amid public attention to the gruesome circumstances and the use of DNA technology to solve a decades‑old child homicide.