A British mum fighting for justice after her 26-year-old daughter who was found with a gunshot wound to her head a day after a violent row with her boyfriend has been given the alleged suicide note.
Local judges in Turkey closed the case when they ruled that Ayse Rhiannon Vural had shot herself in her apartment in Istanbul on 11th September 2020.
But her heartbroken mother Tracie Brookes says there are serious questions that remain unanswered about the investigation into her death and that the return of the note left her with more questions than answers.
Tracie, who did not believe that her daughter killed herself, came to Turkey to obtain her daughter’s belongings and a copy of the investigation file.
Upon her arrival in Turkey, the mother learned that her daughter had left a suicide note.
While reviewing the list of her daughter’s belongings, she noticed that two large suitcases and her daughter’s beloved stuffed rabbit, which was always with her since childhood and was found on her chest when she was discovered dead, were missing from the list.
In the small package she received, there were only a few items that belonged to her daughter, including a laptop, three cellphones, keys, a cloth bag, a T-shirt, perfume, an ultrasound image, a piece of paper with “Ararat” and an address written on it, and several sheets of drawing paper.
Additionally, a USD-1 bill found on Ayşe’s nightstand was handed over.
But perhaps most importantly, Tracie finally received the alleged suicide letter.
The note read: “I found my identity. I never told anyone it was taken from me, but maybe I lost it myself. Everything I have can be given to my sister. My mother can decide what to do on her own.”
And another piece of paper stated: “Ararat, I’m so glad. He is my soulmate, my life. Ararat is gone, my life is gone. Goodbye.”
With tears in her eyes and carrying her daughter’s rings around her neck, Tracie stood outside the courthouse and said: “I have even more questions than before.
“The day before her death, she had reported her ex-boyfriend, Ararat Ozer.
“He had beaten Ayse and threatened to kill her if he saw her again.
“Where is all her money, and who gave her that USD 1 bill?
“The only thing I want to retrieve is the rabbit. She took it with her everywhere she went.
“It was on her chest when she died, and now where is it?
“Ayse loved life, and she loved Istanbul. These are the only things left of her.”
The young girl, who had requested a restraining order, reportedly told police they had broken up eight months prior but would see each other occasionally.
She reportedly said the two began arguing after he saw her seeing guests out the door and became jealous, then began swearing at her.
He reportedly threatened her saying: “If you don’t leave here tonight, I will kill you. If you’re with another man, I will kill you,” and allegedly assaulted her.
The next day, she was dead.
Ararat is currently being investigated over suspicions of being an alleged member in a criminal gang.
However, Tracie said prosecutors had treated him only as an informant after he claimed he was out of town on the day of the murder.
He further claimed Ayse had threatened him with suicide if he left her.
The grieving mother visited her daughter’s grave before returning to her country.
She added: “I know some items are missing. What’s left of my daughter’s life is in Istanbul.
“I will return to England. I hope to reopen the case. I don’t believe Ayse took her own life.”
