Officers seen at huge Essex landfill site as search for murdered man's body goes on

A detailed search of a huge landfill site is continuing as police try to find the body of a murder victim.

Essex Police believe Cumali Turhan, 45, from Chelmsford, was killed and dumped in a bin.

They said teams of officers were working on a "methodical" search of the 5,000 square metre site in Essex but have not revealed its exact location.

Mr Turhan was last seen in the early hours of 19 November in The Globe pub on Rainsford Road in Chelmsford, Essex Police said.

The force said information suggested he may later have gone to Barista, a bar and restaurant on Duke Street, but that CCTV does not show him leaving.

He was reported missing to police on the evening of November 19 after he did not arrive at work.

One man has been charged with assisting an offender to commit murder and preventing lawful and decent burial of a dead body.

Ciprian Ilie, 44 and of no fixed address, appeared before Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Saturday and was remanded to appear before Chelmsford Crown Court on 23 December.

A second man, who police are not naming, has been identified as a suspect.

Det Supt Ash Howard said the second man left the country the same day Mr Turhan disappeared and officers are trying to find him.

Mr Howard said on Wednesday that officers had searched a waste transfer site in the Chelmsford area and would now conduct a “detailed search of part of a landfill site in Essex”.

“This specialised search activity will involve teams of officers working every day in a very challenging environment,” he said.

“We’ve identified an area of 5,000 square metres on the site where our search activity will be focused.

“We want to thank the owners of the site for their patience and understanding while this vital work is undertaken. It is methodical work which will take time and we will not rush it.”

He said officers were “committed to finding answers for Cumali’s family” and that he understood the investigation would be very concerning for Chelmsford's Turkish community.

He continued: “Cumali, from our CCTV inquiries, never left Barista on the night in question.”

He said that a “detailed examination of the scene” at Barista suggested there was a “violent assault within that location and that’s the inquiry that we’re pursuing at this time”.

"We are very confident from the inquiries that we’ve conducted that we are looking for the body of Cumali,” he said.

Mr Howard said police would be sharing appeals in English and in Turkish on the force website, and asked anyone with information to get in touch.

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