A tragic incident unfolded during a family holiday as a mother and her two children lost their lives due to suspected poisoning. The Böcek family, consisting of the parents and their two children, experienced symptoms of nausea and vomiting, leading to their hospitalization.
Following an initial round of treatment, they were discharged but had to return to the hospital when their three-year-old daughter, Masal, became unresponsive at the hotel. Despite medical efforts, Masal and her six-year-old brother, Kadir Muhammet, could not be saved, and their mother, Çiğdem, passed away in intensive care. The father, Servet, is currently hospitalized, unconscious, and on a ventilator.
The family, German citizens residing in Hamburg, had arrived in Istanbul on November 9 for their vacation and were staying at a hotel in the Fatih district. Due to suspected poisoning cases involving other guests at the same hotel, the premises were evacuated and secured.
Authorities took four individuals from establishments where the family dined into custody, along with the hotel owner and a pest control company owner and employee. Investigations are ongoing concerning recent pest control activities in a room on the hotel’s ground floor, focusing on the chemicals used.
The funeral for Çiğdem and her children took place in Bolvadin, Afyonkarahisar Province, over the weekend. Servet’s uncle expressed the family’s shock and grief, emphasizing the need for accountability and justice in the wake of the devastating loss.