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NORA KOCHA mother is happy her 16-month-old has been found as the family from Turkey continues to grapple with the killing of its patriarch.
TARPON SPRINGS - Her baby is back, safe and sound, eight hours after he disappeared.
But while Sena Gul rejoiced in the return of 16-month-old Ibrahim Gul, she and other family members struggled Thursday to understand why anyone would want to kill their father, or abduct and then abandon Ibrahim.
"We have no enemies," Sena Gul said.
An autopsy Thursday confirmed that Safa Gul, 50, was killed, although police released no additional details about his death.
Cihan "James" Gul, 16, and a student at East Lake High School, arrived from school at around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, to find his stepfather, Safa Gul, shot twice in the back of the head and his nephew Ibrahim missing, according to family members.
"It was great getting my baby back, but my father is still not here. He won't be here," said a teary Sena Gul, 22, shortly after being reunited with her son..
Authorities said they had no suspects in Safa Gul's death and the disappearance of Ibrahim, who was found unharmed around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday in an Oldsmar shopping plaza, about 71/2 miles from his family's home in Tarpon Springs. The discovery of Ibrahim ended a statewide Amber Alert that had been issued for him Wednesday.
Yesterday afternoon investigators were still looking for evidence at the Gul family's Harbor Oaks home, where three generations of the Turkish family live.
"We're not saying it's a random thing; we're not saying it's a targeted thing," said Tarpon Springs Sgt. Jeffrey P. Young.
Family members were still grappling Thursday with questions surrounding the death of their patriarch. "The person who took my father's life, I'm sure he's going to get what he deserves," Sena Gul said, holding her wide-eyed, smiling son.
She said her father's wife, Nazire, is finishing a three-month vacation in Turkey. The family has decided not to tell her the tragic news until she returns home; the last time she went on vacation, her brother died.
Oktay "Sal" Gul, Safa Gul's son, said the family hoped to take his father's body back to Turkey.
His father came to the United States from Adana, a city in south-central Turkey, about 16 years ago, said Oktay Gul, 23. Safa Gul saved money and within five years, brought his family to the United States.
He had worked at the Leverock's seafood restaurant on Clearwater Beach for a dozen years, Sena Gul said. More recently, he was an independent contractor for Yellow Cab, a vocation his son, Oktay, followed.
Members of the area's Turkish community were rattled Thursday by the news of Safa Gul's death and Ibrahim's disappearance and recovery.
"I'm shocked. I couldn't sleep last night," said Recep Demirdag, 36, who lives a few blocks from the Guls in Harbor Oaks and also drives a taxi.
He said Safa Gul was known as a hard-working, friendly man who loved his family.
Authorities said they had not determined how Ibrahim ended up in the Oldsmar shopping plaza, nor how long he had been wandering there, Young said Thursday.
Ibrahim Gul was discovered about 10:30 Wednesday night by Barbara Taylor of Tampa who went outside to smoke after dinner at Niko's Pizza and Seafood. She heard the child cry out, and then saw Ibrahim wandering alone, crying for his mama in the parking lot in the plaza at the northwest corner of Forest Lakes Boulevard and Tampa Road.
She brought the boy inside the restaurant while someone called 911. While they waited for authorities, patrons and owner Nick Tirikos cared for the child.
"He hugged me like he knew me for years," said Tirikos, 56. "He wouldn't let me go.
"Then I told one of the ladies here to go buy diapers because he smelled bad."
Taylor changed the boy's diaper, and he played with a small stuffed cow someone bought for him during the diaper run.
Pinellas County Sheriffs deputies took custody of Ibrahim a few minutes later, and he was taken to the nearby Oldsmar Fire Department, where he received a medical examination. He was positively identified as the missing child through a photo and a birthmark on his left leg.
Ibrahim was reunited with his parents at around midnight at Tarpon Springs police headquarters. Sena Gul emerged carrying him, surrounded by a flock of family members, including Ibrahim's father Tarik Gul.
"It's like delivering again," she said. "Having a second delivery."
Ibrahim's father, Tarik, was working at Red Fish Blue Fish restaurant in Palm Harbor when he heard the news of his son's disappearance. At the restaurant Wednesday night, co-workers pledged their tips and collected donations for a reward for information leading to Ibrahim's return. Owner Tanya Mitow also promised a $10,000 reward. Because the baby was found, the collection will be donated to the family, Mitow said.
"When I first heard about it, I was just thinking about him," Mitow said of Tarik, a cook at the restaurant for about six months. "I don't think he would have been able to to make it if something had happened to the baby."
Times news researcher Carolyn Edds contributed to this report. Nora Koch can be reached at 727 771-4304 or nkoch@sptimes.com