A mum who buried her newborn daughter’s body in a neighbour’s garden after smothering her by accident has been released from jail after prosecutors withdrew all charges against her.
Bilge Capa, 27, was facing aggravated life imprisonment after confessing to the baby girl’s death last year.
She had given birth to the tot without telling either her parents or the married man, who is reportedly the father, that she was pregnant.
Capa originally told police in Altinordu, Ordu Province, Turkey, that the two-day-old infant had disappeared.
But when they quizzed her she confessed she had accidentally suffocated the baby and then buried her in a neighbour’s garden under a hazelnut grove.
She said that after giving birth alone, she’d been exhausted and fallen asleep in bed cradling the baby on her left breast.
Capa explained: “The baby was sleeping on my left arm, and I did not hear her cry all night. I woke up on 14th September in the morning, and the baby was still on my left arm.
“I must have leant her against my chest during my sleep. I noticed that she was not breathing. Her face was cold, and it had turned yellow and purple.
“I placed the baby on the edge of the bed. I was very scared and panicked when I realised that the baby had died.”
She added: “I wrapped her in a blanket again and took her to the roof of the house.
“There were some empty sacks in the attic, and I left the baby in an enclosed area that would not be visible without careful inspection.
“Two or three days later, I checked if the baby was still on the roof without touching her, just by looking from a distance.
“When I saw blood on the baby’s blanket near the head, I got very scared. On 6th October, around 1.30am, I took the baby and went outside.”
Capa went on: “I sneaked into the garden diagonally across from our house. The soil was soft due to the rain.
“I dug a hole with my hand and placed the baby in the pit with the blanket.
“I covered it with soil and went back home. The next morning, I went to Altinordu Police Station and reported the baby missing.
“Later, they took me to the Public Security Branch Directorate. I confessed and explained the incident.”
Capa was taken into custody and accused of intentional killing.
The Ordu Public Prosecutor’s Office had originally requested she should be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment.
But now prosecutors have asked for her acquittal, stating that there was no intentional killing.
The exact cause of death could not be determined due to the advanced state of decomposition of the body.
Ordu 1st High Criminal Court released Capa on 26th September on the condition of judicial control.
A married man identified only as S.O. has been confirmed as the biological father of the child.
He was convinced she was guilty and told the court at an earlier hearing: “When we met Bilge, I noticed that she had gained weight.
“When we talked to her, I joked whether she was pregnant or not. She told me that she gained and lost weight rapidly.
“I did not think that she was pregnant. Bilge deliberately harmed this child.”
He added: “If she had told me about the baby, I would have taken care of the child.”
Capa’s parents also told the court they were also unaware of her pregnancy:
Her father named only as H.C. said: “I did not know that my daughter was pregnant.
“I live in the same house with her, but since I am engaged in agricultural activities, I work as a seasonal agricultural worker. I was staying in the plateau for 5-6 months.
“During my work, I would come home occasionally and stay with my family. I did not hear that my daughter was pregnant during this period.
“I could not notice any difference or abnormality. After the judicial process, I became aware of the incident.
Her mother named as S.C. said: “I definitely didn’t know that my daughter was pregnant.
“Because my husband and I were staying in the village, we always talked on the phone with her.
“My daughter wouldn’t tell me about her boyfriends. I didn’t know she was having an affair. I learned that she was pregnant during the judicial process.”
Judges will make a ruling on her acquittal at the next hearing set for 12th October.
