Unsolved Mystery: Romanian Caregiver's Head Still Missing 13 Years After Gruesome Murder
Thirteen years after one of Tel Aviv's most horrific crimes, new details have emerged regarding the investigation into Ilona Denis, a Romanian caregiver whose dismembered body was found in a suitcase under a bridge. Police quickly identified the victim and arrested the suspect, Aydan Demirkhan, a Turkish national, as he was attempting to leave Israel. The case, detailed by the newspaper "Maariv," remains unsolved in its most crucial aspect: the circumstances of Denis's death and the whereabouts of her head.
The discovery was made on August 3, 2013, when a passerby noticed a heavy suitcase under the Ha'Hagana bridge. Inside, he found the dismembered body of a woman, missing her head, hands, and parts of her legs. Police later found other body parts in bags and trash containers across southern Tel Aviv, indicating the perpetrator's attempt to conceal evidence. The lack of a head and hands, preventing identification through fingerprints, presented investigators with a significant challenge. The victim was initially unidentified, with no crime scene or obvious suspect.
DNA analysis of the victim's remains, cross-referenced with the Population and Immigration Authority database, led police to Ilona Denis, a 46-year-old Romanian caregiver. Contacting her daughter in Romania provided a DNA sample for confirmation. Investigators then meticulously reviewed surveillance footage, piecing together the movements of a figure carrying bags, which led them to a neighborhood in southern Tel Aviv. Information pointed to an apartment where Denis lived with Demirkhan, a construction worker.
As police prepared to apprehend Demirkhan, he unexpectedly requested his employer purchase him a plane ticket to Turkey, coinciding with the day police identified him. Surveillance was initiated, and Demirkhan was apprehended en route to Ben Gurion Airport. A search of his apartment revealed bloodstains and signs of a struggle, particularly in the bathroom, where investigators believe the dismemberment occurred. Demirkhan admitted to a relationship with Denis and a dispute over money and rent.
Demirkhan claimed Denis attacked him first with a hammer and knife during an argument, and he acted in self-defense, accidentally killing her. He then dismembered her body in the bathroom, distributed the remains in bags and the suitcase, and discarded them in various locations. Despite reconstructing parts of the disposal route, the victim's head was never recovered. The police investigation, remarkably, concluded within approximately three days, identifying the victim, the suspect, and establishing a likely scenario.
In 2016, Demirkhan was convicted of murder. However, a dissenting judge argued the evidence only supported a charge of causing death. The defense appealed, arguing the dismemberment occurred post-mortem, thus not proving intent to kill. In 2018, the Supreme Court agreed that proving intent to murder was impossible, and the parties agreed to a plea deal for causing death, resulting in a 20-year prison sentence for Demirkhan. The case remains unresolved regarding the motive and the missing head, a chilling detail that continues to haunt the investigation.
