CANAKKALE, TURKEY – The boyfriend of a woman who tragically fell 100ft to her death from a cliff is now under arrest, following revelations of a significant argument at the scenic spot where the couple was supposed to be celebrating their engagement.
Yesim Demir, who was vacationing with her partner Nizamettin Gursu in Canakkale, fell from the altitude the day after allegedly accepting a marriage proposal. Miraculously surviving the fall initially, she died from her injuries the following day, despite 45 minutes of resuscitative efforts from medical personnel.
Gursu, who alerted medical teams to the situation, told media, “We chose the cliffs to have a romantic memory after the proposal. We drank some alcohol. Everything happened at once. She lost her balance and fell down.”
However, Demir’s family launched a criminal complaint against him, alleging they had an altercation following her rejection of his proposal, and pointing out her engagement ring was found on him, not adorning her finger.
Gursu reported to police they had been drinking cheerfully together when he retreated to the car to retrieve more supplies. Upon hearing a scream and discovering his girlfriend had disappeared, he presumed she had accidentally fallen.
However, Demir’s family argued she intended to end the relationship and would not have accepted his proposal. Moreover, they addressed her fear of heights and asserted she wouldn’t voluntarily approach the cliff edge closely enough for an unintentional fall.
Upon examination, law enforcement discovered broken glasses and a broken speaker at the scene, suggestive of a violent altercation. Now under arrest, Gursu faces allegations of “deliberate homicide”. He will remain in custody pending trial.
Femicide is steadily increasing in Turkey, notably since the country’s formal withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention in July 2021. The Monument Counter, a digital site honoring women victims of violence, reported that 393 women were killed by men in 2022, with 376 instances of femicide in Turkey this year.