Case File #020: The Red Room of Aydınlıkevler – The Locked Door Never Opened

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31 May 2025 — 4 min read

Status: Unresolved – Missing Person – Psychological Anomalies
Date Filed: First Reported – March 1977
Last Reviewed: May 31, 2025
Location: Aydınlıkevler District, Ankara, Turkey
Subject: Multiple Tenants – Last Known Resident Missing
Filed Under: Domestic Paranormal Case – Environmental Trauma – Urban Myth or Cover-Up
Access Level: Archived – No Further Investigations Allowed

Introduction: The House with the Locked Door

In a quiet, residential neighborhood of Aydınlıkevler, Ankara, a modest two-story house stood nearly forgotten by the late 1970s. Its architecture was unremarkable. The neighbors were working class. Yet, behind its faded facade was a room no one dared to enter.

It became known in whispers as:

“Kırmızı Oda” – The Red Room.

Over two decades, the house saw numerous short-term tenants.
Almost all reported:

Sudden nausea or fainting upon entering a specific locked room
Nightmares of fire, screaming, and a red light
Mental breakdowns in previously healthy residents
And finally, in 1981, the complete disappearance of the last tenant, whose case was closed without a public report.

The Early Years: A Room That Stayed Locked

Built in the early 1950s, the house was originally owned by a retired colonel. After his death, it passed to distant relatives who rented it out without renovation. Every tenant described the same issue:

A room with a red-tinted glass window, permanently locked from the inside.

When asked to open it, the landlords reportedly said:

“It’s a storage room. It hasn’t been used in decades.”

Some tenants tried to ignore it.
Others tried to open it—and regretted it immediately.

1977: First Recorded Incident

In March 1977, the Toprak family, a young couple with two children, moved into the home. On their third night, the father—Cem Toprak—attempted to open the red-doored room after hearing what he thought was whispering and dragging sounds inside.

He described the moment to a neighbor the next morning:

“The second I touched the handle, it felt hot. Not just warm—burning. My ears rang like a bomb had gone off. I fell to the floor.”

That same night, his wife experienced a full-body seizure. Their youngest daughter began sleepwalking, whispering phrases in Arabic and Ottoman Turkish, languages she did not know.

They fled the house within a week.
No police report was filed.
The landlord refused to refund their deposit.

1978–1980: The Decline of the Tenants

Three more families moved in over the next two years:

One abandoned all belongings overnight
One was hospitalized for acute psychosis
One attempted suicide days after arrival

Each of them complained about the same room.
One even barricaded it with furniture.
But the nightmares continued.

A neighbor told reporters later:

“I saw lights in that room. Red ones. But it’s always been locked.”

1981: The Final Tenant

Kemal Serhatlı, a 26-year-old university graduate and electrical engineer, moved into the house alone. He reportedly welcomed the solitude and told friends:

“I don’t believe in ghost stories. The rent is cheap.”

For the first two weeks, everything seemed normal.

Then, he stopped going to work.
Stopped answering phone calls.
Neighbors noticed a constant red glow from the window, even during the day.

After several days of silence, the police broke in.

The house was immaculately clean
The red room was still locked
Kemal’s wallet, ID, and suitcase were inside
But he was gone

There were no signs of forced entry, blood, or struggle.
Just a lingering smell—described by officers as “burnt copper and perfume.”

The Locked Door Opens… Or Does It?

When locksmiths were called to open the red room, something strange happened:
Every tool snapped, jammed, or malfunctioned.
Even a portable drill burned out on contact.

Eventually, a demolition crew removed the door.

The room was:

Empty
Perfectly clean
Walls painted red, but not recently
Floor cold to the touch, even in summer
No furniture, no outlets, no windows

There were scratches on the inside of the door.
And three words carved faintly into the wall, in Ottoman Turkish:

“Hepsini aldım.”
(“I took them all.”)

Official Reaction: Silence

Police ruled the disappearance as:

“Voluntary absence.”

No further inquiry was pursued.
No public record exists of the house beyond 1982.
The building was reportedly demolished in the late 1990s during urban renewal, though some locals insist the structure still stands—now numbered differently.

Journalists who tried to revisit the house in the 2000s claimed city records had no permit for demolition or renumbering.

Theories: What Was the Red Room?

1. Haunted Residual Trauma

Many believe the room contains the imprint of a violent or tragic past event—a psychic echo.
Possibly related to:

Wartime torture
Rituals by the colonel
A death that went unrecorded

2. Interdimensional Rift

Some paranormal researchers claim the room is a spatial anomaly, perhaps even a “thin place” where time and space fold.
Those who enter… might not stay in this world.

3. Government Experiment

Others claim the red room was used during the 1970s Cold War era by Turkish intelligence or foreign operatives for psychotronic testing—EM radiation, hypnosis, or worse.

Why would every tool fail near the door?
Why would the police close the case so quickly?

Aftermath: A Legend Lives On

Local children still dare each other to find the “Kırmızı Oda Evi.”
Taxi drivers refuse to take passengers near the supposed location after dark.
In 2018, an amateur urban explorer claimed to have found a house matching the description, but his footage cut off mid-recording and he was found the next day with no memory of where he’d been.

The red door never reappeared.
But the feeling lingers.

Conclusion: The Room That Wasn’t Meant to Be Opened

The Red Room of Aydınlıkevler isn’t just about a missing man.
It’s about silence that’s enforced.
Locks that resist reason.
And a space that shouldn’t exist.

It may have been demolished.
But like the words carved into the wall—
it took something.
And it never gave it back.

References

All sources used in this case are listed in the References Archive. Each link corresponds to verified data, public records, or expert documentation.