Police have reviewed footage from security cameras in the area belonging to housing complex offices and businesses to ascertain the location of Dilruba (7) and Ahmet Tuna Tekin (8) and Özlem Ay (11), who haven't been heard from since they left their homes in the central Talas district of Kayseri six days ago. Children knocking on neighbors' doors to collect candy is a long-held tradition still alive particularly in Anatolia during Eid al-Fitr, or Ramazan Bayramı in Turkish, which marks the end of the month-long Ramadan fasting.Kayseri police have been searching for the children since the day they were reported missing. All officers have been called back to work on the case, and no leaves of absence have been allowed since. The police have investigated every building and talked to nearly every person in the area during the investigation, searching the neighborhood from riverbeds to basements and interiors of abandoned buildings in the area, but the search so far has not yielded any clues.
The police have investigated every tip to come in so far during the investigation. Investigators now believe the children possibly are being kept inside an apartment, and are focusing their attention on profiling efforts to determine individuals more likely to have perverse tendencies.
The police have also applied to the prosecutor's office for a general search warrant to be able to search area homes; however, this request was denied by a court, which ruled that general warrants may only be issued in terrorism cases. The Kayseri police have set up a crisis desk to concentrate on the case of the three missing children.
