Financier mum drowned 7-year-old son and hanged herself beside his body, suspect cops: 'She was battling cancer'
A Russian financier, married to a Turkish investment banker, was found hanging alongside her dead son a day after they were reported missing. The tragic discovery was made on August 13 when the Metropolitan Police broke into the £687,000 flat on the Isle of Dogs in East London and found Yulia Gokcedag and her seven-year-old son Timur unresponsive in a suspected murder-suicide.
A missing report for the mother-son duo was filed on Wednesday, August 12. However, when police could not locate them, they broke into their flat at the Tower Hamlets around 3.20 am and found Yulia and the child dead. An autopsy report has stated that they died because of hanging and drowning respectively, The Daily Mail reported. According to reports, Yulia and investment banker Mehmet Gokcedag tied the knot in 2011 and moved to London a year later. They became parents of Timur in 2013. However, it was not clear if the couple was still together prior to these two deaths.
The 35-year-old woman’s LinkedIn profile stated that she was working as a financial data analyst at Moody's Investors Service before serving Barclays as a community banker. Also, her academic records on the account stated that Yulia studied at the Moscow Institute of Finance and Economics at Financial Academy under Government of Russian Federation before doing a foundation program at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
A neighbor of Yulia said that she got to know about the tragedy through her best friend, whose daughter went to the same school as Timur. “I found out today that my best friend's daughter went to the same school as the boy. The parents received an email announcing the death of the mother and the child. My friend knew the mother and child, of course. Their children sat in the same salon. I think the parents had a WhatsApp group,” the neighbor added.
A friend and former colleague of Yulia, Agnieszka Leonowicz, said she was battling breast cancer. Leonowicz said that the mother was admitted to hospital in March, but at the time said she was “doing fine”. “She was a great person, beautiful on the outside as well as on the inside. She had more experience than me and was always very helpful and kind. She was also really ambitious and wanted to grow,” the friend told The Sun. “She never opened up too much but her and I were on a good basis.”
Yulia’s other neighbors also spoke about her and her son. One of them said the young boy was a “quiet little boy but he was very ambitious”. “Yulia was lovely but I know she suffered from depression a few years ago," the neighbor mentioned. “She was going through treatment for breast cancer but her surgery was delayed because of coronavirus. It’s incredibly sad.” While another one added: “I know she had breast cancer. It was really sad. I can’t believe what has happened. We all know each other around here and I remember her with her little boy.”
Reports stated that inquests into the deaths have been scheduled for December 16 at Poplar Coroner's Court. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Officers forced entry to the property and found Yulia and her son Timur unresponsive. Both were pronounced dead at the scene and an investigation was launched by the Met's Specialist Crime Command. Post mortem examinations determined the cause of death for Yulia to have been hanging and Timur's cause of death was drowning. Detectives investigating are not seeking any other persons in connection with the deaths.”
The spokesman added: “As is routine, the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards was informed. A referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) who referred it back to the local professional standards unit who are currently investigating. Inquests into the deaths of Yulia and Timur will be held at Poplar Coroners' Court.”