According to reports, Yılmaz had been suffering from psychological problems, including hallucinations, for some time. The retired colonel woke up at around 3 a.m. and told his wife that he was going to get a glass of water. When he failed to return to bed, his wife, Mahide Yılmaz, arose, and while looking for him noticed an open window in the home’s living room. Looking out the window, she saw him lying in a pool of blood on the ground below. She alerted neighbors, who contacted emergency services and police. Medical teams responded and pronounced the colonel dead at the scene.
Police taped off the scene, and following investigations, the body was removed to the Şişli Children’s Teaching and Research Hospital morgue.
Meanwhile, military investigators also arrived at the scene and have begun an investigation into the death. Yılmaz’s death is the latest in a string of suicides by retired members of the military -- many from the navy -- that have raised suspicion and concern in society.
