The skull and other bone fragments believed to belong to Berzeg, found about 3.5 kilometers away from Armutlu, have completed examinations at the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute. The bones determined to belong to Berzeg were brought to the Gönen District Gendarmerie Command and handed over to the economist’s wife Angela Berzeg and their daughters Nisa and Sibel.
The bones of Korhan Berzeg were buried next to his father Muhsin Berzeg’s grave in the neighborhood cemetery after the funeral prayer held at Armutlu Mosque. The funeral ceremony was attended by Gönen District Governor Arslan Yurt, Gönen Mayor Ibrahim Palaz, Balıkesir Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Deputy Colonel Ali Bahadır Aslan, Gönen District Gendarmerie Commander Captain Selçuk Civan, Gönen District Police Director Aydın Zeybek, and citizens.
Governor Yurt, after conveying condolences to the Berzeg family, mentioned that they had completed their final duties, stating, “May God have mercy, we offer our condolences to his relatives. The investigation will continue. We believe that the work will continue under the coordination of the public prosecutor’s office. Of course, we do not know exactly what the cause of death was.”
Nisa Berzeg expressed her gratitude to everyone who supported them during the approximately 1-year period when her father went missing, emphasizing that the process was very difficult. She also stated that since the investigation had not been concluded, they wanted the process to continue. Angela Berzeg mentioned that they were waiting for the conclusion of the investigation.
The cause of death was undetermined as per the report from the Forensic Medicine Institute, which indicated that the bones may belong to a person who died 3-12 months ago based on possible tissue losses due to animal intervention, but the exact date of death could not be determined. The report mentioned that the blunt traumatic fractures in the skull fragments with occasional animal-related bone losses could mainly occur as a result of a fall from a height, but due to the lack of bone tissue and soft tissues, the exact cause of death could not be determined.
Economist Korhan Berzeg, who disappeared after leaving his home in Armutlu on June 17, 2023, for a morning walk with his dog “Tina,” had triggered a search operation coordinated by the Provincial Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate. Berzeg and his dog were searched for days by teams in the forests around Armutlu and nearby neighborhoods, water wells, riverbeds, and caves, but no trace was found. Eventually, a citizen noticed the dog “Tina” between Geyikli and Armutlu neighborhoods on August 29, and the Berzeg family confirmed the identity of the dog. The GPS device attached to the dog did not lead to any results.
Bone and clothing fragments, as well as identification and bank cards, found by the residents about 3.5 kilometers away from Armutlu on April 23 were examined by the authorities. Subsequent search efforts in the area led to the discovery of more bone fragments believed to belong to Berzeg. Angela and Nisa Berzeg provided DNA samples in Gönen, which were sent to Istanbul for laboratory analysis. The DNA extracted from the bone fragments was found to match with the DNA taken from Nisa Berzeg. The search was concluded on April 30.
