The mystery deepens about the fate of Dilek Ertek as a Swiss man, claimed to be her boyfriend, has also disappeared, the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet reported.
Turkish businessperson, who owned a Türkiye dealership of the renowned jewelry brand Tiffany & Co. fell into the sea from a cruise ship off the coast of Tahiti on Oct. 25. A Swiss national, who was reportedly her boyfriend and identified as A.F., had notified authorities some 18 hours after the incident, according to media reports. He was questioned by authorities in Tahiti and was released. He returned to Switzerland where he worked as an architect and since then, was not heard from, Hürriyet reported on Friday. The newspaper also claimed that the cruise ship’s management alerted the local coast guard authority some four hours after discovering the disappearance of Ertek, though the cruise ship’s staff kept A.F. in custody.
The 71-year-old member of the Turkish jet set was aboard the Norwegian Spirit cruise ship and was traveling to Bora Bora. Her son traveled to Tahiti to find out about her fate, and an investigation is currently underway.
Ertek’s son returned to Türkiye on Thursday, though the family has yet to make a statement about the case. The family’s lawyer earlier said they were planning a funeral prayer in absentia on Monday.
