Kurdish woman living in France killed by former partner

Yasemin Çetindağ (25), who lived in Strasbourg, and had been missing since 23 December, was murdered by Savaş Özyanık (42), with whom she had been living until two months ago.

The investigation conducted by the Interregional Forensic Police Directorate (DIPJ) revealed that Yasemin Çetindağ, who was reported missing to the police on 23 December, after her family could not reach her, was murdered.

Father Azad Çetindağ, originally from Bingöl province in Turkey, said: “My daughter had been living with this person for about 8 years. They had four children. Recently, my daughter said she did not want to continue to live with him.”

Çetindağ’s father gave the following information: “My daughter's murderer went to her home on the morning of 23 December. He blamed her for talking to others and slapped her in front of the children. Then he injured her with a knife he took from the kitchen. Not satisfied with this, he choked my daughter with the scarf she had wrapped around her neck. Then he carried Yasemin's body into the bathroom and locked the door. He then took the children to his home. He buried my daughter's body in a nearby forest with the help of one of his friends."

Adding that he is now in Bingöl, Çetindağ said: “I was always on the phone with my daughter every morning. When I could not reach her that morning I called my other daughter. They could not reach her either. Then when they called the killer, he said that he was with the children but had not seen Yasemin.”

Çetindağ’s father continued: “I asked my family to report her missing to the police immediately. The police took the children and handed them over to my family. Then, when they went to Yasemin's house, they found that the bathroom was clean, but there were traces of blood. Yet Savaş Özyanık had said he had not seen Yasemin. He was detained.

My eldest grandson Asmin (8) told his grandmother what happened that same evening. What I am telling is what my grandson told us. His father continued to deny seeing Yasemin, but after a detailed investigation by the police, my daughter's body was found buried in the forest of Vendenheim on Monday morning, 28 December.”

According to the information given by police officials, Yasemin Çetindağ was killed by her ex-husband in the flat where she stayed with her four children in the Montagne-Verte district of Strasbourg on 23 December and her dead body was buried in the forest.

Police officials announced to the public the information that Savaş Özyanık (42) had confessed the murder after his friend showed the place where he buried Yasemin and that he was arrested and put in prison on 26 December.

Providing information about the murder investigation, police officials said that the person who helped Savaş Özyanık is 48 years old and he was arrested 11 times for many criminal crimes, including drug trafficking.

The authorities also said that as a result of the confession of this person who carried Yasemin Çetindağ's lifeless body in the trunk of his vehicle, they reached the lifeless body of Yasemin Demirbağ in the forests of Vendenheim.