Murder detectives to search Essex landfill site in search for missing man's body

  • Russell Hookey reports for ITV News Anglia on the latest developments in the case

Major searches of a waste site will be carried out in the search for a man who is thought to have been murdered and dumped in landfill.

Cumali Turhan, 45, was last heard from in the early hours of Tuesday and his disappearance is now being treated as murder, said Essex Police.

At a press conference on Wednesday morning, detectives said they would be searching a landfill site in the county in the hope of finding his body.

They said based on the evidence gathered so far, they no longer believed Mr Turhan was alive.

Police have identified a man as a suspect and are working to locate him, though he is thought to have fled the country.

Mr Turhan was in The Globe pub on Rainsford Road in Chelmsford in the early hours of Tuesday.

Police believe he may have later been in Barista on Duke Street, but CCTV footage shows he did not leave the late-night venue.

A forensic tent was set up outside the Barista venue in Chelmsford over the weekend. Credit: BPM Media

Forensic investigations took place over the weekend, with an evidence tent set up and a heavy police presence.

A 44-year-old man has been charged with assisting an offender in relation to murder, and preventing lawful and decent burial of a dead body. He appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Saturday.

The search for Mr Turhan will centre on a 5,000 square metre area at the landfill site, said Det Supt Ash Howard.

  • Det Supt Ash Howard of Essex Police announces the search at a press conference

"This is methodical work which will take time, and we will not rush it," he told reporters.

"We are committed to finding answers for Cumali's family."

Det Supt Howard confirmed that the second suspect had fled the country and police were working with partners to trace him and bring him back to the UK.

The Barista venue was screened off from public view while police investigated. Credit: BPM Media

No further details of the suspect have been released by police.

When pressed on what police believe happened to Mr Turhan after he visited Barista, he said: "Cumali, from our CCTV inquiries never left Barista on the night in question."

He added: "We are very confident from the inquiries we've conducted that we are looking from Cumali's body."

Police had found evidence of a violent assault, he added.

He also thanked the Turkish community in the town for its support, adding that all the force's appeals had been translated into Turkish in the hope of finding more witnesses.

Anyone with information should contact Essex Police through its online portal or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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