Turkish police concluded a five-month investigation regarding a marriage proposal that resulted in the death of the bride-to-be.
Nizamettin Gursu, the boyfriend of 39-year-old Yesim Demir, was arrested in connection with her death following a cliffside marriage proposal in Canakkale, a city in northwestern Turkey. The incident, which occurred on July 6, has raised numerous questions.
Demir fell about 100 feet off a cliff during what was supposed to be a romantic engagement. Gursu initially reported that after Demir accepted his marriage proposal, he went to his car to fetch celebratory items. During this time, he heard a scream and returned to find Demir had fallen.
However, the police investigation uncovered inconsistencies in Gursu’s account. Notably, the engagement ring he claimed to have given Demir was found in its box in his pocket, not on her finger. Additionally, evidence of a possible physical struggle, including shattered glasses and a broken music speaker, was discovered at the site.
Demir’s family provided further insights, claiming she had been planning to end her relationship with Gursu and would not have accepted his proposal. They also noted that Demir suffered from panic attacks and was unlikely to have been near the cliff’s edge voluntarily.
Following Demir’s fall, she initially survived the 104-foot drop but succumbed to her injuries later. Gursu, who portrayed himself as a heartbroken fiancé, is now being held in custody pending trial. His arrest came after a complaint was filed by Demir’s family.
In his initial statement, Gursu described the location as chosen for its romantic significance, mentioning that they had consumed alcohol before the incident. “We chose it to have a romantic memory after the proposal. Everything happened at once. She lost her balance and fell down,” Gursu said.
This case has cast a spotlight on the broader issue of femicide in Turkey. According to the Monument Counter, a digital memorial for women killed by violence, the number of women killed by men in Turkey has been alarmingly high, with at least 380 reported cases so far this year, following 383 cases last year.
