The question of who and why killed eight-year-old Narin has dominated Türkiye since her body was found, three weeks after she went missing. According to the latest theory regarding the motive and the murderer, Narin was killed by her uncle, her father’s brother, because she witnessed him in a romantic encounter with her mother. Fearing exposure of the extramarital affair, the uncle allegedly killed the child, with her mother’s knowledge, and other family members are also suspected of being involved in covering up the crime, although the extent of each person’s involvement is unclear.

Turkish authorities, however, have not yet made an official statement confirming or denying this version of events.

A total of 22 relatives of the murdered child are in custody. Earlier today, a Turkish court charged the mother and one of her brothers with involvement in the murder and ordered their pre-trial detention.

Narin’s body was discovered after three weeks of searches, hidden under rocks in the Diyarbakir province. During the search, the question “Where is Narin?” dominated social media and Turkish news outlets. When the child’s body was found, even Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan intervened, stating that he would seek the harshest punishment for those responsible for Narin Güran’s murder.

Prosecutors in Diyarbakir have charged the mother and one of the girl’s brothers with involvement in her murder. Charges have already been brought against six people, including Narin’s uncle and cousins, for tampering with evidence related to the crime. DNA evidence of the girl was found in the uncle’s car, and according to Turkish media, he had deleted conversations and messages from his phone during the critical period immediately following the girl’s disappearance. In recent hours, Turkish authorities have managed to recover some of these deleted files, except for those erased from apps like WhatsApp.