WAN – In a supplementary report submitted by the Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) regarding the case of Rojin Kabaiş, it was confirmed that the two DNA samples found on her body could not have resulted from contamination. It has been learned that the prosecutor’s office will now proceed with further evaluation and DNA comparison focusing on potential suspects.

 

The suspicious death of Van Yüzüncü Yıl University student Rojin Kabaiş remains unresolved. While it was previously determined that two unidentified male DNA profiles were found on her body, the question of their origin persists. The Bars of Van (Wan) and Diyarbakır (Amed), together with the Kabaiş family’s lawyers, confirmed that the Ministry of Justice had requested an additional report from the ATK, which has now been added to the case file.

 

According to information obtained, the supplementary report eliminated the contamination possibility that had been mentioned in the initial findings.

 

CONTAMINATION POSSIBILITY ELIMINATED

 

In the earlier report, the ATK had noted the potential for contamination. However, in its supplementary assessment, the institution stated that DNA samples were collected from 134 individuals—including those present during the autopsy, individuals who were at the scene when the body was found, those who participated in the transport of the body to the hospital, and persons with whom Kabaiş had contact (such as university peers and acquaintances).

 

After cross-matching these samples, the ATK reported that the two DNA profiles found on Kabaiş’s body did not match any of the 134 collected samples, thereby ruling out contamination. The report concludes that the DNA samples belong to persons other than those who might have come into contact with the body postmortem.

 

DNA COMPARISON WITH POTENTIAL SUSPECTS

 

Following this finding, it has been learned that the prosecutor’s office will now proceed to evaluate and conduct DNA comparisons with individuals considered suspects. Legal experts caution, however, that the case could risk drifting into uncertainty unless new evidence emerges. They emphasize that the data retrieved from Kabaiş’s mobile phone could play a decisive role in clarifying the investigation.

 

THE CASE OF ROJIN KABAİŞ

 

*Rojin Kabaiş, a 21-year-old first-year student in the Child Development Department at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, left her dormitory on 27 September 2024 and walked toward the lakeshore near the university. She was not heard from again. The following day, visiting students found her personal belongings on the shore and notified dormitory management. However, her family and police were informed roughly 15 hours later. Her body was discovered on 15 October in the rural Mollakasım neighborhood by a local resident, Mehmet Emin Ankay (60).

 

*The distance between where Kabaiş was last seen and where her body was found is approximately 20 kilometers. Experts note that this distance could not be covered by swimming due to reverse currents in Lake Van and natural barriers such as Çarpanak Island and Cape, deepening suspicions surrounding her death.

 

*Although security footage showed Kabaiş leaving the dormitory wearing yellow plastic slippers, the investigation file contains no record of whether these items were ever found. Shortly before leaving, she had a 11-minute video call with her mother, telling her she would go to the market — her last known contact.

 

*On the day her body was found, an autopsy was conducted at the Van Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK), with an independent physician present at the request of the Van Bar Association. The physician noted bruises resembling assault marks on Kabaiş’s back, behind her knees, and on her neck. However, these findings were neither explained nor included in the official autopsy report.

 

*A report prepared by the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute on 14 November 2024 claimed that the cause of death was “drowning”, but omitted key details such as how the drowning occurred, time of death, or duration in the water. An additional report requested by the Van Bar repeated the same findings without clarification.

 

*The Van and Amed Bars, along with the family’s lawyers, publicly disclosed the ATK report on 11 October, accusing the institution of withholding key data for a year and filing a criminal complaint against it. Following the disclosure, public calls intensified across several cities demanding the identification of those responsible for Kabaiş’s death.

 

*On 13 October, the ATK issued a statement reiterating that Kabaiş had drowned but said it could not determine whether the event resulted from suicide, accident, or external factors.

 

*The ATK further stated that it could not, at that time, rule out postmortem or environmental DNA contamination. This led both the Bar Associations and the Ministry of Justice to request another supplementary report— which has now confirmed that contamination was not a factor.

 

MA / Adnan Bilen