Dead toddler identified as missing Syrian child

A dead toddler whose body was recovered off the shore of Istanbul's European neighborhood of Ortaköy has been identified as a Syrian child who was reported missing on Dec. 16.

Istanbul Homicide Bureau launched an investigation on Dec. 29 in order to identify the dead child who was believed to be 3 or 4 years of age. 

Research revealed the toddler was 4-year-old Metin Faisal, whose family fled to Turkey to escape the war in Syria. 

The boy's parents were located by police and brought to the security branch office where his mother, Shirin Faisal, identified him by his clothes. 

According to reports, Metin's parents went to the police on Dec. 16 after the toddler went missing in the Küçükpazar Street of the touristic Eminönü district of Istanbul's historical peninsula.  

Officials said the investigation was continuing to determine the child's cause of death. 

The child's body was recovered on Dec. 29 after citizens noticed it drifting along the water by Ortaköy mosque. Be?ikta? district police officers, in cooperation with maritime police, retrieved his body from the Bosphorus.In Photos: Turkey celebrates Christmas Eve with services In Photos: Turkey provides assistance in rare UN-backed swap dealHürriyet's Sebati Karakurt photographs Diyarbak?r's Sur amid curfew and clashesIn photos: Turkey commemorates Rumi with 'Night of Union' ceremony in KonyaIn Photos: Ta?yaran Valley in Aegean region to become nature parkPictures released by the Armed Forces depict destruction in southeastern Sur amid clashes, curfewIn Photos: Marks of violence visible across Nusaybin after lifting of curfewHalfeti - A town of mesmerizing beautyExhibition shows Istanbul through eyes of children Secret weapons of Turkish army: locally produced...