Turkey's state-run news agency said police are searching a villa in the country's northwest as part of an investigation into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Anadolu Agency said Monday's search is taking place at a villa in the town of Termal in Yalova province. The agency said crime scene investigators and sniffer dogs are part of the search.

Other Turkish media reports however went further, saying police were searching for the remains of The Washington Post columnist who wrote critically about Saudi Arabia's crown prince.

It wasn't immediately clear who the villa belongs to.

Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Turkey says he was killed by a 15-member Saudi hit-squad and that his body was dismembered before being removed from the consulate.