The sudden death of Turkish actress Ece İrtem, known for roles in productions such as “Yeni Gelin” and “Yasak Elma”, has gained a new and surprising development in the last few hours. Uğur Gökkoyun, the artist’s lawyer, made a formal request to the Turkish Public Prosecutor’s Office so that an alleged monkey bite, suffered during a recent trip to Thailand, be included as one of the hypotheses for expert analysis to determine the cause of death.
Ece İrtem died last Monday, the 15th, one day after turning 35 years old. Since then, the family has been actively searching for answers about what caused the actress’ death. According to Gökkoyun’s statements, the suspicion arose after reports from relatives indicated that she had been bitten by a monkey while visiting Southeast Asia. The existence of three scars on the artist’s left arm, according to the lawyer, reinforced the urgency in investigating this possibility.
Legal request to consider monkey bites in expert analyzes
In a statement to Turkish journalist Birsen Altuntaş, Gökkoyun explained that he consulted several experts about the potential repercussions of such an injury. He highlighted that, although uncommon, injuries caused by monkey bites can, in certain situations, lead to severe infections and sepsis, popularly known as generalized infection, which can be fatal. The severity of bacterial or viral infections transmitted by primates is a crucial factor to be considered in medical investigations.
— Upon discovering three scars on my client Ece İrtem’s left arm, family members reported that she was bitten by a monkey during a trip to Thailand. In consultations with specialists, we learned that this type of injury can cause fatal consequences, including sepsis. For this reason, today we present a request for this hypothesis to also be evaluated during the autopsy – said the lawyer.
To date, Turkish authorities have not publicly released the results of official tests that could clarify the cause of death. The request presented by the defense has the sole objective of ensuring that the possibility of complications resulting from the alleged monkey bite is formally incorporated into the lines of investigation conducted by the experts.
A few days before his death, on June 10, Ece İrtem had shared on his social media profile several photographs that recorded his trip to different countries in South Asia, confirming the period and region of the supposed vacation.
The actress’ body was buried on Wednesday, the 17th, in the city of Kuşadası, located in western Turkey. The funeral ceremony brought together a large number of family, friends and professional colleagues, and was marked by a strong atmosphere of commotion and pain. During the wake, the artist’s mother needed support after feeling unwell, highlighting the profound impact of the loss.