Shooting death of Turkish child bride investigated

An investigation was under way into the suspicious circumstances of a 13-year-old bride found shot to death in Turkey, authorities said. The girl, identified as Kader Erten, was found dead in her room in her in-laws' home Sunday in the southeastern city of Siirt, Today's Zaman reported. Erten's family arranged for her to marry Mehmet Atak two years ago. Although the two were never legally married, Erten moved into Atak's family home. The girl became pregnant with her first child when she was 12 years old. She became pregnant again a year after her first child was born, but that baby died after being born prematurely. When reporting Erten's death to authorities, Atak said she committed suicide because she was depressed after the death of her child. However, the Pervari Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has started an investigation into the girl's death. An autopsy will be performed by the Diyarbakir's Council of Forensic Medicine.