Photo: WTSP
After days of beingunable to reach her estranged husbandand their daughter, Ela, Laurel Friedman worryingly called Temple Terrace police and asked them to check on the pair, theTampa Bay Timesreports.
Ela had been staying with her father, 48-year-old Ayhan Aytes, who shared custody of her with Friedman.
“Anytime a child is involved in a crime, it’s heartbreaking,” police spokeswoman Laurie Hayes told WFLA.
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage?Click hereto get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
Aytes, who was born in Turkey, married Friedman in Polk County in 2012, theTimesreports. This January, the couple filed for divorce but worked out a parenting agreement for Ela that allowed both to share custody of her.
According to hisprofessional website, Aytes was a media and communications scholar working on a book. He is listed on theUniversity of South Florida‘s website as an assistant visiting professor at the Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications. His contract at the school ended in May, a USF spokespersontold Bay News 9.
The couple previously lived in Istanbul but moved to the Tampa Bay area after political uprising led to a failed coup d’état, Friedman’s father, Barry Friedman, told theTimes.
“We were glad they got back to the states,” Barry said.
On Monday afternoon, Laurel’s family released a brief comment, according to Bay News 9 and theTimes: “Our family is devastated at the loss of our beloved Ela. At this point we need time to grieve together and we ask for privacy. We hope to have a statement as we begin to comprehend this horrific event. Thank you for your consideration.”
Temple Terrace and USF officials could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.
source: people.com
