This work focuses on the processing of wh-in-situ dependencies in Turkish to understand the mechanisms of the search process for the scope position of a wh-in-situ element. Despite the lack of overt movement, it is argued that there is a covert relationship between the SPEC CP position of the scope-bearing clause and the wh-element. Previous work investigating the processing of wh-in-situ elements finds evidence for an abstract dependency between the scope position and the wh-element. This study focuses on the search process for upcoming structural information, specifically, whether the clause most local to a wh-element is expected to bear scope. Since Turkish only marks the scope of the wh-element via intonation, a reading study on wh-in-situ can allow us to directly probe the relationship between the two ends of the dependency. A self-paced reading study shows that embedding clauses that do not allow local scope incur a slowdown in reading times when they contain a wh-element. A follow-up fragment completion study shows an overwhelming preference for local scope when participants are provided with fragments containing a wh-element. The results are interpreted as a locality preference during the production and processing of wh-in-situ dependencies.