GUILTY Turkey - Sarai Sierra, 33, NY woman murdered, Istanbul, 21 Jan 2013 - #1

[Wanderlust]

We may not know the relationship between the Turkish police and its citizens. Not all police are as nice as Americans one (I say that half joking). Maybe in Turkey if you show up at the police station you get beat. I know this happens in the Carribbean countries. So, he may have been simply scared.

This is true. The police is not liked by everyone Turkey (and for good reasons). If this guy Taylan was Kurdish, for example, he would've had a good reason not to go to the police.

A number of people here have found it strange that a married mother of two would be travelling the world by herself. I would like to point out that this would seem even weirder to an average Turkish person. While Istanbul comes across as a very modern and liberal city, Turkey on the whole is religiously conservative. Large areas of the country can only be described as rather backward. Most Turkish women are probably still virgins when they marry (marrying of course, being the norm) and honour crimes are still reported even in the more developed Western parts of the country. Under the current government the country has become even more conservative.

Added to that, I am afraid, the majority of Turkish men view Western women as "easy".

Unless some new evidence comes up, I doubt Sarai was being used as a drug mule or that she ran away with someone. The fact that she stayed with someone she had never met before, while in Amsterday, suggests that she trusted people very (too) easily. I think it is more likely that she met some unsavory character in Istanbul and trusted them when she shouldn't have.

Either that or she became a victim of some random attack in Tarlabaşı, which, as someone was writing here, is not a normal neighbourhood in a lower income country, but a truly notorious one.

 

[Orgona]

Yes I agree, especially since the Police themseleves said this is not accurate. Plus CC and Banks DO NOT release this info, and even if the Police had this info, it is not relevant to finding her and would not release it. Anyways, they said it is not true..

This info could only have been released by the husband IF it's true.
He could have given that portion of their CC statement to the police in hope of this could help retracing her steps. Then that could have been leaked to the press. Again, IF it's true.
But I could equally see that the press made this up in order to hype up the story.

 

[Orgona]

Yes, this makes me think she could have met a Turk lover, or maybe even in another country. Do you need your passport to cross borders in the EU once you are in the EU? I would assume you do.

Once you are in the EU you can come and go as you please. No passport needed to cross any borders, they are non existent between the countries inside the EU. Not even by airplane.

Turkey is not in the EU though.

 

[Elley Mae]

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...sager-detained-turkish-cops-article-1.1253066

A CCTV video released by Turkish police on Jan. 29 shows a woman identified by cops as Sarai Sierra, 33, right, walking outside a shopping mall in Istanbul, Turkey.

 

[lucky181]

I was reading her Amsterdam host's IG a couple days ago. In comments on a Missing poster picture of her on his IG, 5 days ago he posted the name of the last person to see her (s......d). I found that person's IG, but it's private. The person's IG name has since been removed from the comments and Am guy said that her family is doing research so he doesn't want to post any names. Is s......d Taylan? I'm thinking probably yes. And also Am guy said that the Munich flight was just a layover. I'm thinking that is why she did not post any pictures from Munich.

 

[GinaSeikwa]

So then she spent several days in A'dam and only a few hours in Munich? Wish they would confirm the itinerary.

 

[nursebeeme]

So then she spent several days in A'dam and only a few hours in Munich? Wish they would confirm the itinerary.

this makes me think she either
1) had a layover (air)
or
2) had a train stop

from the earlier link it would seem she made an instagram friend that she stayed with in Amsterdam.:twocents:

 

[KivaSupporter]

I was reading her Amsterdam host's IG a couple days ago. In comments on a Missing poster picture of her on his IG, 5 days ago he posted the name of the last person to see her (s......d). I found that person's IG, but it's private. The person's IG name has since been removed from the comments and Am guy said that her family is doing research so he doesn't want to post any names. Is s......d Taylan? I'm thinking probably yes. And also Am guy said that the Munich flight was just a layover. I'm thinking that is why she did not post any pictures from Munich.

Turkey's private Dogan news agency meanwhile, reported that police had established that Sierra had traveled to Amsterdam, Netherlands, from Istanbul on Jan. 15 and then journeyed on to Munich, Germany, on Jan. 16, before returning to Istanbul on Jan. 19. Police were trying to determine the reason for her visit to the European cities, the report said.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/istanbul-police-try-trace-missing-us-woman

It would appear that the AM guy did not tell the truth or Sarai gave him wrong information about the trip to Munich being a layover.

I also remember reading that the AM guy had stated that Sarai went to Munich to see a photography exhibition. I will try to find the link.

I am inclined to believe the police, since they had Sarai's passport.

Certainly confusing.

 

[Janeumayer]

Facts:
- She stayed in Turkey in a rented room.
- She traveled to Amsterdam to meet AR (as evidenced by the photos he provided).
- She went to Germany.
- She was seen on video in the airport.
- She was seen on video near the bridge alone.
- She had 2 phones, 1 American and 1 Turkish and an iPad.
- She left her passport in the room.
- TK was questioned and released.

Any more to add?

- She stayed on AR's couch. Met his friends.
- She was followed by a man while in the Mall.
- Met Taylan twice before. One in Syrkeci? on Jan. 20th.

 

[Orgona]

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...sager-detained-turkish-cops-article-1.1253066

A CCTV video released by Turkish police on Jan. 29 shows a woman identified by cops as Sarai Sierra, 33, right, walking outside a shopping mall in Istanbul, Turkey.

OMG, I was almost fooled, I was getting so excited. I had to do a double take. I thought the video was of the 29th, but the second time I already saw only the release of it was on that date. It's a pity. Probably it's not such a good idea to read and cook at the same time.

 

[Yellow]

I wonder how poplar Skype is in Turkey or whether they have their own version of such a site. I say that because the phone being on Skype might mean it was her who used it. Like if it was the English version of Skype - it would seem it was her who used it bc if a random turkey person found the phone and then coincidentally went on Skype, it would seem odd if they too went to English version; a Turkish person would have used the Turkish version. This is all assuming that the English version is what was used.

Also, was it just a coincidence that the phone used Skype and that was a site she frequented? Seems too convenient, would a random person finding it go to Skype as soon as they get the phone? Seems odd

 

[nursebeeme]

does her husband know all the instagram friends? Was he aware of them before she left or did he know of them while she was there?

 

[looking4answers]

this makes me think she either
1) had a layover (air)
or
2) had a train stop

from the earlier link it would seem she made an instagram friend that she stayed with in Amsterdam.:twocents:

I agree. I think the friend in Amsterdam showed a pic of him on a train..saying he was heading back. Maybe he went to Munich with her to catch a flight from Munich back to Turkey. No matter what happened between them, he seems like a decent guy, and is helping the family try to find out what happened to her in Turkey.

 

[lucky181]

this makes me think she either
1) had a layover (air)
or
2) had a train stop

from the earlier link it would seem she made an instagram friend that she stayed with in Amsterdam.:twocents:

Her IG friend in Am picked her up at the airport, she stayed on his couch for 3 days while he and his friends took her all around the city, he drove her to the airport and had coffee and a snack in the airport before she left. They "met" on IG.

He said he is fully traceable with visited friends, public transportation etc that can confirm his story...that she was there for 3 days.

Wanted to add that he does not mention a car....he picked her up at the airport could mean that he used public transportation to meet her there. They biked and walked around town. I forget that not everyone has a car.

 

[looking4answers]

Turkey's private Dogan news agency meanwhile, reported that police had established that Sierra had traveled to Amsterdam, Netherlands, from Istanbul on Jan. 15 and then journeyed on to Munich, Germany, on Jan. 16, before returning to Istanbul on Jan. 19. Police were trying to determine the reason for her visit to the European cities, the report said.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/istanbul-police-try-trace-missing-us-woman

It would appear that the AM guy did not tell the truth or Sarai gave him wrong information about the trip to Munich being a layover.

I also remember reading that the AM guy had stated that Sarai went to Munich to see a photography exhibition. I will try to find the link.

I am inclined to believe the police, since they had Sarai's passport.

Certainly confusing.

I don't agree, I think this is misinformation from the news sourse. Many news sources corroborate her being in Amsterdam a few days and Munich less than a day. Also, his Instragram with pics of them going around Amsterdam for a few days corroborates this too. There is also a pic with him taking a train back, which she posts on saying she had a great time with him. Train back from where? Probably the airport either in Amsterdam or Munich where he might have travelled with her to take her flight back. Munich was nothing but a connection if anything.

 

[KivaSupporter]

Her IG friend in Am picked her up at the airport, she stayed on his couch for 3 days while he and his friends took her all around the city, he drove her to the airport and had coffee and a snack in the airport before she left. They "met" on IG.

He said he is fully traceable with visited friends, public transportation etc that can confirm his story...that she was there for 3 days.

Would you please post a link that shows she stayed in Amsterdam for 3 days.
Thanks.

 

[looking4answers]

I wonder how poplar Skype is in Turkey or whether they have their own version of such a site. I say that because the phone being on Skype might mean it was her who used it. Like if it was the English version of Skype - it would seem it was her who used it bc if a random turkey person found the phone and then coincidentally went on Skype, it would seem odd if they too went to English version; a Turkish person would have used the Turkish version. This is all assuming that the English version is what was used.

Also, was it just a coincidence that the phone used Skype and that was a site she frequented? Seems too convenient, would a random person finding it go to Skype as soon as they get the phone? Seems odd

Yeah but it is not corroborated info released by a police source, sounds like an assumption. My only point is we do not know enough about the use of the phone to know who used it, and that she is alive and used it. All we know at this point from a few news sources is that "possibly" a piece of her technology was turned on by someone somewhere.

 

[looking4answers]

Her IG friend in Am picked her up at the airport, she stayed on his couch for 3 days while he and his friends took her all around the city, he drove her to the airport and had coffee and a snack in the airport before she left. They "met" on IG.

He said he is fully traceable with visited friends, public transportation etc that can confirm his story...that she was there for 3 days.

Wanted to add that he does not mention a car....he picked her up at the airport could mean that he used public transportation to meet her there. They biked and walked around town. I forget that not everyone has a car.

Agreed. Yes you are right he also had pics while waiting with her on the last day, which was 3 days in. Yes yes, and whatever news sources are saying otherwise, are misinformed.

 

[Drella]

Once you are in the EU you can come and go as you please. No passport needed to cross any borders, they are non existent between the countries inside the EU. Not even by airplane.

Turkey is not in the EU though.

Only between Schengen EU countries.

 

[Orgona]

Until now I haven't seen a direct quote from LE about the exact days she stayed in Amsterdam and Munich.
Only something like X agency reported that the police established Sarai did this or that. Or that an anonymous police source said this or that.
I think LE only said directly, that she left to Amsterdam on January 15 and was flying back on January 19 from Munich. They got me really confused with all the different information from different sources, so I could be wrong.