Police search landfill in murder investigation

Law enforcement officers are currently searching a landfill facility located in north Essex as part of an ongoing murder inquiry. Cumali Turhan, aged 45, was last known to be leaving a pub situated on Rainsford Road in Chelmsford just after midnight on November 19. According to Essex Police, substantial evidence was discovered on Duke Street, leading detectives to conclude that Mr. Turhan is deceased and his remains were placed in a refuse bin. Ciprian Ilie, 44 years old and without a fixed address, faces charges of assisting an offender and obstructing the decent and lawful burial of a body. His court appearance is scheduled for December. Authorities are also attempting to locate a second individual in connection with the murder investigation, who they suspect has departed the country. Detective Superintendent Ash Howard stated: “We are continuing to build a detailed picture of Cumali’s movements in the lead up to his disappearance.” He added: “We know he was last heard from at just after midnight on Tuesday when he was in The Globe pub on Rainsford Road.” Howard further commented: “We have information to suggest that he then went to Barista, in Duke Street.” He also mentioned: “Our forensic work has been focussed on several locations, including the Duke Street area of Chelmsford and Barista specifically.” Detective Superintendent Howard continued by saying: “Cumali, from our CCTV cameras, never left Barista on the night in question.” He indicated that a “detailed examination of the scene” at Barista pointed to a “violent assault within that location and that’s the inquiry that we’re pursuing at this time”. Howard asserted: “We are very confident from the inquiries that we’ve conducted that we are looking for the body of Cumali.” Law enforcement personnel have also conducted searches at a waste transfer facility within the Chelmsford vicinity. He explained: “We are exploring all possibilities to locate Cumali and this activity will now involve a detailed search of part of a landfill site in Essex.” He stated that police had pinpointed an area of 5,000 sq m (1.2 acres) at the site for concentrated search efforts. “We’re committed to finding answers for Cumali’s family,” he affirmed. He acknowledged: “We understand that this investigation will be very concerning for the local community in Chelmsford, and especially the city’s Turkish community.” “We want to thank people from across this community for coming forward to speak to us and assisting with our investigation. We still want more people to come forward,” he expressed. He concluded by urging: “I would ask that people refrain from speculation on social media at this time. There is a missing man at the heart of this investigation. This is a very distressing time for his loved ones.” Updates on Essex news are available on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.