One year after 8-year-old Narin Güran’s death in southeastern Türkiye's Diyarbakır, her case remains a haunting “murder without a killer.”
Narin disappeared Aug. 21, 2024, while returning from Quran lessons in Tavşantepe village. Despite DNA evidence linking her uncle, Salim Güran and the conviction of 19 suspects – including Narin’s mother, brother and a neighbor – the actual perpetrator and motive remain unknown.
Her body was found 18 days later in a creek about 1.5 kilometers from her home. Salim Güran, the village mukhtar, along with others, received life sentences for “intentional killing of a child in concert.” A neighbor, Nevzat Bahtiyar, was sentenced to four and a half years for burying her body, but denies killing her.
Prosecutors continue to describe the case as a “murder without a killer,” highlighting lingering questions even after a lengthy trial and multiple convictions.
The case drew nationwide outrage and statements from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and senior officials. Now, before Türkiye’s Supreme Court, the nation still awaits clarity and justice in one of its most troubling child murder cases.
