‘Missing man’ in Turkey accidentally joins own search party for hours looking for himself

The man was reported missing to the police after wandering off into the woods in the Bursa province
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

A man in Turkey who was unknowingly reported as missing accidentally joined his own search party for hours before realising he was the person they were looking for.

Beyhan Mutlu, 50, had been out drinking with friends on Tuesday (28 September) when he wandered into a forest in the Bursa province, local media reports.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

We want to hear from you: let us know what you think about this story and be part of the debate in our comments section below

When he failed to return, Mr Mutlu’s wife and friends reported him missing to the police after they were unable to get in touch with him for several hours.

A search party was quickly sent out to track him down, with concerned friends and neighbours joining the hunt around the area.

The 50-year-old later stumbled across his own search party in the woods.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Unaware the group of volunteers were searching for him, Mr Mutlu joined the hunt and began walking with them.

The man stumbled across the search party and began looking with them (Graphic: Mark Hall / JPIMedia)The man stumbled across the search party and began looking with them (Graphic: Mark Hall / JPIMedia)
The man stumbled across the search party and began looking with them (Graphic: Mark Hall / JPIMedia)

When members of the search party began calling out his name, he replied: “I am here”.

Mr Mutlu was taken aside by one of the rescue workers where he gave a statement.

He reportedly said: “Don’t punish me too harshly, officer. My father will kill me.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Police then gave the man a lift home, but it is unclear if he was issued with a fine.

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going. You can also sign up to our newsletters and get a curated selection of our best reads to your inbox every day.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.