Essex Police searching landfill site for missing man

Cumali Turhan, 45, was last seen in the early hours of Tuesday November 19 when he was in The Globe pub on Rainsford Road in Chelmsford, Essex Police said.

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

Mr Turhan 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 December 23.

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

Detective Superintendent Ash Howard of Essex Police said the second man left the country the same day Mr Turhan disappeared and officers are trying to find him.

Mr Howard said officers searched a refuse transfer site in the Chelmsford area and will now conduct a “detailed search of part of a landfill site in Essex”.

The Gazette understands that this is a landfill site is in north Essex but Essex Police would not confirm this. 

“This specialised search activity will involve teams of officers working every day in a very challenging environment,” Mr Howard said at a press conference at Colchester Police Station on Wednesday.

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

Missing - Cumali Turhan was last heard from just after midnight on Tuesday (Image: Essex Police)

“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 are “committed to finding answers for Cumali’s family”.

“We understand that this investigation will be very concerning for the local community in Chelmsford and especially the city’s Turkish community,” he said.

“We want to thank people from across the community for coming forward to speak to us and assisting with our investigation.”

He said that forensic work, before the search of the landfill site, had focused on “several areas including the Duke Street area of Chelmsford and Barista specifically”.

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 will be sharing appeals in English and in Turkish on their website, and asked anyone with information to get in touch.

“I would ask that people refrain from speculation on social media at this time,” he said.

“There is a missing man at the heart of this investigation and this is a very distressing time for his loved ones.”