Istanbul Jane Doe was a young woman whose severed leg was found in a garbage bin behind a spice bazaar in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, Turkey. She is suspected to be the victim of a serial killer.
Case
On January 8th, 2000, a man scavenging for papers in a garbage bin behind a spice bazaar discovered bloodstains on many of the papers he retrieved. He then dug through the trash to find the source of the blood, finding a severed human leg amongst the papers. Local authorities would be dispatched and searched the area for any further signs of severed limbs or a body, though were unsuccessful. During an autopsy, it was stated that the leg belonged to a well-groomed young woman between 26 and 27 years old who had been expertly dismembered with the leg having been cleanly cut from her hip. Few further details in her case were ever disclosed to the public and it is unknown where the remaining pieces of her body are buried.
Between 2000 and 2001 the severed legs of 8 people would be found in areas in and around Istanbul, Turkey, with only one victim being identified. Almost all of the victims were female, save for two male victims. It was often noted that the perpetrator had clean surgical precision when severing the legs from the bodies of their victims and was able to lure away a victim in an area that experienced high traffic during the day. Additionally, it is suspected that most of the killer's victims were sex workers. As of 2021, the statute of limitations on the case has run out and Turkish police have shelved the case indefinitely.
Despite the expiration of the statute of limitations, it has recently been suspected that Mustafa Murat Ayhan, a man who brutally murdered and dismembered a college student before discarding her remains in different areas, is responsible for the murders from 2000 & 2001. Though, it is unlikely Ayhan will ever be questioned about the case.
Characteristics
- Leg was shaven.
- Pedicured nails.
Sources
- Hürriyet (Turkish)
- Ekşişeyler (Turkish)
- Sabah (Turkish)
