Ayşegül Eraslan, Turkish fashion influencer, reportedly faced blackmail involving sexually explicit photos before her death, family lawyer makes shocking revelations

Fresh updates have emerged in the death of Turkish content creator Ayşegül Eraslan, who was found dead inside her home in Turkey on March 13, 2026, a couple of days after returning from a trip to Egypt. Her family lawyer has claimed that she had been blackmailed and threatened before she was found dead at her residence.

While the influencer's family criticized the ongoing investigation, her family lawyer Hasan Yılmaz claimed that Eraslan, 27, received serious threats before her death and was particularly blackmailed using sexually explicit photos, according to Turkish news outlet Sozcu.

The Turkish outlet further reported that relatives of the influencer went to her home after they alerted authorities when nobody answered the door. Police arrived and found her lifeless. A medical team pronounced her dead at the scene. Yılmaz stated that they have concrete evidence supporting the allegations and have already submitted it to the court. He also voiced his concern that, despite the reported identification of the suspects, their statements remain unrecorded.


According to police, actor Sunay Kurtuluș went to her home an hour before her death. He entered and exited in just a few minutes. His legal team stated that he was questioned by authorities and was "not at the scene of the incident at the time it occurred."

In a statement shared on Instagram on Sunday, March 15, lawyers for Kurtuluş said that he was “only questioned as part of the investigation and has provided the necessary statements to the relevant authorities from the very beginning of the process," but he was “not at the scene of the incident at the time it occurred” and slammed news reports portraying him as the “primary party involved,” as translated by PEOPLE.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Ayşegül Eraslan,” his lawyers continued. “We pray for God’s mercy upon her and offer our condolences to her family, relatives, and loved ones.”

According to Turkish news outlets Sozcu and Habertürk, Eraslan's mobile phones and various written notes found in her home have been sent to forensic laboratories to shed light on the case. Immediately following fingerprint analysis at the Forensic Medicine Institute, expert teams will examine all call logs and message traffic from the devices, according to Turkish media.

Furthermore, blood samples and other biological evidence recovered from the knife allegedly used in the crime, along with other findings, are undergoing a detailed forensic analysis to determine whether there was any external interference.

Who is Ayşegül Eraslan?

Eraslan first gained public attention after appearing on the popular Turkish fashion competition show İşte Benim Stilim, translated as “Here Is My Style,” before later building a career as a social media influencer.

The last Instagram post of the influencer was posted on March 12, 2026, featuring photos and videos that appeared to document a trip to Los Angeles. She has nearly 350,000 followers on Instagram.

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