Defne Joy Foster


Defne Joy Foster was an American Turkish actress, presenter and VJ.

Biography

Defne was born in İncirlik, Turkey. Her father Steve is an Afro American and her mother Hatice is a Turk from İzmir. Defne did her studies in Alsancak primary school and at İzmir Özel Fatih Lisesi, a private school, also in İzmir.

Career

Defne first appeared on TV screens as a VJ on Kral TV and later went into acting on various TV series. She last participated in Yok Böyle Dans, the Turkish version of Dancing with the Stars, where she finished 4th, having been eliminated in January 2011.

Television

Death

Defne was found dead at her friend Kerem Altan's apartment in Istanbul on February 2, 2011. She was thought to have died from respiratory difficulty and a heart attack. The results of her autopsy was cardiac arrest caused by asthma and consumption of alcoholic drinks with medication. In February 2015 Kerem Altan was sentenced to two months in prison for waiting over two and a half hours after Foster fell unconscious before calling emergency services, however his sentence was suspended shortly after. Altan statements were also contradictory to the forensic investigation. According to the investigators there were a total of 4 people in the house at the night of Foster's death. While Altan stated him and Foster were the only people home. Furthermore, according to Altan's testimony he did not have a sexual act with Foster in the night yet Foster's bottom underwear were found near the bed.
In 2016 further investigation to her death revealed that Kerem Altan was the only person who's testimony was taken by the police despite the taxi driver who brought the two home and the neighbor saying they've heard fighting and screams. According to the latest evidence Kerem Altan's father, Ahmet Altan who had strong ties to the Gülen movement persuaded the prosecutor in Turkish judiciary with ties to the same movement to pull the case off the records. Ahmet Altan has been arrested in 2016 and the case has been reopened into the death of Foster, while a travel ban is placed on Kerem to prevent him from fleeing the country.