Professor Dr. Orhan Ekren, a former faculty member of Ege University and an active member of the TMMOB Chamber of Mechanical Engineers İzmir Branch, was laid to rest in his hometown of Torbalı, İzmir, after being found dead in London's Regent's Canal following a mysterious disappearance.
Milliyet reported that a funeral prayer for Ekren was held at Torbalı Yazıbaşı Central Mosque, attended by his wife Banu, their children, and local officials, including İzmir Metropolitan Mayor Cemil Tugay and Torbalı Mayor Övünç Demir. Hürriyet reported that after the prayer, his body was carried on shoulders for a while and then taken to Yazıbaşı Cemetery, where he was buried.
Tele1 reported that an investigation was opened to determine the cause of Ekren's death, as the initial autopsy could not establish it. Sozcu reported that his body was delivered to his relatives after blood and tissue samples were taken for a detailed autopsy. "The detailed autopsy results will be known in approximately three months," said his wife Banu, according to Hürriyet.
Ekren went missing on November 26, after traveling to London to apply for a visa. According to Posta, he was last seen around 10:30 PM in the Camden area, after which he was not heard from again. Milliyet reported that after his disappearance, his backpack and wet clothes were found near Camden Lock and the Regent's Canal, with no items taken from his backpack.
Sozcu reported that on the morning of December 15, a lifeless body was found in Regent's Canal by cleaning workers. T24 reported that the identification process was completed on December 17, confirming that the corpse belonged to Ekren.
According to the British police, the last signal from Ekren's phone was received near the shore of Regent's Canal.
In 2021, Ekren moved to Milton Keynes, England, with his wife Banu and their children, Belçim and Beren. According to Anadolu Ajansı, he initially worked as a guest lecturer at Cranfield University for one year before leaving the university. Cumhuriyet reported that after leaving the university, he worked at a private company related to energy and developed projects on energy efficiency and sustainability.
He was 48 years old at the time of his death.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq