Who killed Cumali Turhan? Catching a Killer case timeline and 'suspect on the run' explained
Police are still searching for their suspect in the 'brutal' case
Catching a Killer, Channel 4’s true crime docu-series, will explore the death of Cumali Turhan in a new episode.
As the title suggests, the show documents detectives in their efforts to investigate murders, whether it’s Natalie Hemming, Adrian Greenwood, or Peter Darquhar.
Tonight (9pm, January 6), the series will take a closer look at Cumali Turhan, a 45-year-old father whose death remains the subject of a “tireless” ongoing Essex Police investigation.
Ahead of its release, Sergeant Simon Gray said, “I hope this documentary shows people the dedication and commitment of everyone involved in that search.”
What happened to Cumali Turhan?
Cumali Turhan was fatally stabbed in a bar in Chelmsford in November 2024.
The incident is believed to have taken place in Barista, on Duke Street, on the evening of November 18. He was reported missing the next day after failing to show up for work.
Audio of the 999 call is included in the documentary. “Last night, my friend, he go out, but from last night until now, nobody [has] seen him. His name is Cumali. Everybody knows him. Everybody is worrying,” the caller said.
“We check everywhere but he’s not here. I’m not sure, but I think people seen him in Barista restaurant. After then nobody [has] seen him.”
Three days later, police arrested Ciprian Ilie, a 44-year-old homeless man who’d been staying at a shelter in Chelmsford.
During Ilie’s trial, he revealed he’d received a call in the early hours of November 19 asking him to go to the same bar.
As outlined by Essex police, he was “faced with blood on the floor and a body in the corner”.
“He went on to say that he was threatened with a knife and forced to help pick up the body and put it in a bin at the back of the bar.”
According to Ilie, both he and his girlfriend were threatened, so he complied. Prosecutors have also said that Turhan’s body was mutilated.
How long did it take to find Cumali Turhan?
Cumali Turhan’s body was recovered from an Essex landfill site after a 45-day search.
The operation, which took place at the Enovert waste site in Stanway, saw the involvement of more than 1,650 officers searching in 10 separate locations.
According to Essex Police, it’s “one of the most challenging investigations” the force has ever conducted.
“We were faced with an incredibly challenging environment and often poor weather conditions, which hampered this sensitive and intricate work,” Sergeant Simon Gray explained.
“It was never lost on us that we needed to find Cumali and bring him home to his family.”
Who killed Cumali Turhan?
While nobody has been charged with Cumali Turhan’s murder, a suspect is wanted in connection with his death: Ceyhan Dinler.
As revealed by Catching a Killer, Turhan had been seen with Dinler in a pub on the night he was killed. Dinler’s fingerprint was later found on a table in Barista.
Dinler is believed to have fled the UK via Stansted Airport the next day. Essex Police has said it’s “actively trying to locate” him and “working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service and appropriate authorities to achieve this”.
As for Ilie, he was charged with assisting an offender (murder) and preventing the lawful and decent burial of a body, which he denied. He was found guilty on both charges in October 2025 and jailed for seven years.
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