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

[belimom]

Can you please show a link with the information that the turkish phone was left in the room? I am sure that everything I read about this case was saying only her clothes, passport and chargers were in the room, no mention of a phone left behind.

Upthread are media quotes where they say that Turkish LE couldn't use pings to locate her because she left her phone behind. I'm assuming it's a phone that would work locally.

 

[Dion]

It bothers me too because she would take her US phone to take pictures with and her Turkish phone to communicate with whoever she was meeting up with IMO. so what phone was reportedly in her room?

Maybe I missed it, but I read that just the chargers were found in her room.

 

[michellemarls]

After Sierra's family raised the alarm that she was missing, some of her belongings -- including her passport and medical cards -- were found in her room in Istanbul, though her iPhone and iPad were not there, according to her husband.

BBM

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/02/world/turkey-missing-woman/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

 

[ToutCa]

Would you post the link, please. Thanks.

Here are the links (can't speak for the accuracy of the reports in the Turkish press, but here they are):

--Claims preliminary research shows no trace of rape AND says she was found with the same clothes worn Jan. 21: LINK

--Claims SS spent $15,000 in Istanbul, speculates she was a drug mule:
LINK

 

[ToutCa]

Maybe I missed it, but I read that just the chargers were found in her room.

They've said over and over she also left her "Turkish phone" in the room as well, which was why they couldn't trace her by pinging it. (The chargers left behind were for the missing iPad and the missing "American phone").

 

[CMac2]

According to the timeline on the Daily Mail website:

January 30:
A Skype call was placed on her American cell phone

My question is whether or not her American cell phone was her ONLY cell phone, or if there was a Turkish phone in play here as well.

Also from the article:

Her belongings, including her passport, phone, phone chargers, and medical cards, were found in her room at a hostel in Beyoglu, Turkey. An official said authorities were therefore not able to track her by her cell phone.

So... what does this mean? If she left the phone in her room, but it was somehow activated later, days after she went missing, that means someone who had access to her room, prior to family arriving and LE rifling through her belongings, was able to take her phone and use it for **some purpose** days later.

Otherwise, she had two phones, one of which was on her when she left the room- and was subsequently taken and used by another, unknown party.

Significantly, the Skype was activated. If LE knows the person who had her phone after she vanished used Skype, can they not determine whom (if anyone) that person allegedly contacted?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-Istanbul-vanished-holiday.html#axzz2JmvUeiTM

 

[Yellow]

A friend of mine when to Turkey in November and I was so worried about her. I kept telling to please be careful and she kept saying "it's a modern and secular" country. This can mean something totally different depending on who you're speaking with. She did tell me that it was beautiful and she took great photos. I would never go there alone. I really think Sarai was set up by Taylan.

I don't think her being murdered has anything to do with it being Turkey per se. Rather, what happened could have happened anywhere. It also is not the fact that she traveled alone that was so dangerous. Alot of women may travel alone to Istabul for business or otherwise. Most women traveling alone would stay at a hotel, & perhaps join a tour group or travel on their own throughout the city. Most women traveling alone would not meet strange men to explore the city.

Rather this case should teach us all about being more careful with people we meet on the Internet. It is extremely risky behavior to sleep overnight on a stranger's couch. While that incident here may have turned out ok, meeting strange men in a foreign country when you are an attractive female especially is just plain risky. So it is not the fact that traveling alone is dangerous, it is the fact that one goes out and meets strangers that puts one at risk.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

Im so sorry to see this. I was hoping that she would be found safe.

 

[KivaSupporter]

I'm not convinced either way about how many phones she had, but notice updated articles simply list her passport and medical cards among the items left in her room. Seems she either had one phone that she took with her, had two phones, one of which she left behind or had one phone that she left in the room. Of the three options, leaving her only phone- that she used to take pictures (which was the sole purpose of her trip to begin with) while leaving to sight-see seems least likely. It's frustrating not to know for sure though. Between the language barrier and Taylan's stories, it's hard to know.

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It sounds like two phones.

http://www.gadailynews.com/news/national/149249-missing-new-york-mother-found-dead-in-turkey-body-of-sarai-sierra-is-discovered-stabbed-to-death-in-istanbul-after-she-vanished-on-holiday.html


Her belongings, including her passport, phone, phone chargers, and medical cards, were found in her room at a hostel in Beyoglu, Turkey. An official said authorities were therefore not able to track her by her cell phone.

January 30:
A Skype call was placed on her American cell phone

January 31:
Sierra's cell phone was activated again

 

[lavy]

I'll translate few updates from the links below. Just to provide something better than google translation.

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/22509010.asp

It says the reason for her death was the hit she got to her head.
They found receipts which add up to 15,000$ and this is just too much for her and her husband's (mentioned that he is a bus driver) income. They are now considering drug smuggling as it is fairly common that American women to be used to carry drugs from europe to turkey. It could be related to an international drug mafia which always use American women. Says women usually earn abou 10,000$ each time.

____ ____ _____

http://www.haberturk.com/gundem/haber/816824-flas-sarai-sierranin-cesedi-bulundu

This one mentions both the stabbing wound and the wound in the head is the reason.
No signs of rape at the initial investigation.
Her husband diagnosed the body in the hospital. (so heart breaking, may she rest in peace)

There are 15 people which are in custody, including 2 women.
They will take blood and DNA samples from all this people. Also 4 homeless people who stay in that area has been interrogated to and released. (they weren't suspects, just taken for information)

*I believe it is same for other 15 people. Turkish police tend to put everyone around the crime scene into custody. So I am guessing that 11 were just hanging around. Thats usually why people don't report suspicious things.

---------- -----------

http://www.cnnturk.com/2013/turkiye....sierranin.cesedi.bulundu/694960.0/index.html

This one also says there was a blanket next to her. Thats why they believe the body has been moved. She was wearing blue jeans, jumper and a jacket. These are the same clothes from 21st and she had her jewelery on.

 

[ToutCa]

According to the timeline on the Daily Mail website:



My question is whether or not her American cell phone was her ONLY cell phone, or if there was a Turkish phone in play here as well.

Also from the article:



So... what does this mean? If she left the phone in her room, but it was somehow activated later, days after she went missing, that means someone who had access to her room, prior to family arriving and LE rifling through her belongings, was able to take her phone and use it for **some purpose** days later.

Otherwise, she had two phones, one of which was on her when she left the room- and was subsequently taken and used by another, unknown party.

Significantly, the Skype was activated. If LE knows the person who had her phone after she vanished used Skype, can they not determine whom (if anyone) that person allegedly contacted?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-Istanbul-vanished-holiday.html#axzz2JmvUeiTM

It's very simple. Two phones, one left in her room that authorities and her family have had for days. The other one plus her iPad vanished with her. THAT'S the one that supposedly was activated the 30th and 31st.

 

[KivaSupporter]

I'll translate few updates from the links below. Just to provide something better than google translation.

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/22509010.asp

It says the reason for her death was the hit she got to her head.
They found receipts which add up to 15,000$ and this is just too much for her and her husband's (mentioned that he is a bus driver) income. They are now considering drug smuggling as it is fairly common that American women to be used to carry drugs from europe to turkey. It could be related to an international drug mafia which always use American women. Says women usually earn abou 10,000$ each time.

____ ____ _____

http://www.haberturk.com/gundem/haber/816824-flas-sarai-sierranin-cesedi-bulundu

This one mentions both the stabbing wound and the wound in the head is the reason.
No signs of rape at the initial investigation.
Her husband diagnosed the body in the hospital. (so heart breaking, may she rest in peace)

There are 15 people which are in custody, including 2 women.
They will take blood and DNA samples from all this people. Also 4 homeless people who stay in that area has been interrogated to and released. (they weren't suspects, just taken for information)

*I believe it is same for other 15 people. Turkish police tend to put everyone around the crime scene into custody. So I am guessing that 11 were just hanging around. Thats usually why people don't report suspicious things.

---------- -----------

http://www.cnnturk.com/2013/turkiye....sierranin.cesedi.bulundu/694960.0/index.html

This one also says there was a blanket next to her. Thats why they believe the body has been moved. She was wearing blue jeans, jumper and a jacket. These are the same clothes from 21st and she had her jewelery on.

Thank you so much for translating this. It is very helpful.

 

[CMac2]

Ok, so no rape, no theft of jewelry, and receipts showing that huge sums of money- well beyond her means- had been spent. Doesn't sound like this was an intimate crime, or one with a personal motive. Seems cold and emotional. That sort of supports the drug mule theory. The crazy thing is I've read nothing that tells me Sarai ever would have been open to participating in such a thing.

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[Walker]

This anti-foreigner stuff is really getting tiresome.

I've been repeatedly to Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey, among other countries. After 9/11.

I've never had the slightest problem. I'm street-smart everywhere. Where have I been the most cautious? In my home stomping grounds of Brooklyn (though I've never had a problem here either).

So, buddy, if you're terrified of the "others" and feel that it's best to avoid them, good for you, but please stop trying to force everyone to imbibe your ignorance as if it were some sort of xenophobic wisdom. It ain't.

It's not the foreigners themselves that are the problem.

Sir Walter Scott once said (paraphrase): "The greatest gift that one can have is to be able to see yourself as others see you."

Note how the Turkish media sees SS.

How did the her male companions see her?

How do we see her?

And how did she see herself?

 

[necco]

Ok, so they have receipts that say she spent large amounts of money. Now, I've never bought drugs myself, but I don't think dealers give receipts. So what were the receipts for?

 

[Yellow]

CNN article reports husband saying he personally talked to Amsterdam tour guide before she went. She was going there to photograph graffiti. Husband apparently talked to CNN in tears...he said she met people online in turkey who volunteered to be your guides. Not sure if he spoke on the phone w them but if so that would add a new wrinkle to this bc if the husband had vetted these strangers before she went she was not putting herself in as much at risk as I thought...wonder if husband talked to that T... person

 

[ToutCa]

It's not the foreigners themselves that are the problem.

Sir Walter Scott once said (paraphrase): "The greatest gift that one can have is to be able to see yourself as others see you."

Note how the Turkish media sees SS.

How did the her male companions see her?

How do we see her?

And how did she see herself?

Not sure I would look to Walter Scott for my moral parables. Dubious choice.

But as for SS, it's best not to trust any media or anyone else right now as we try to make sense of her tragic fate. We know precious little of who she was, so none of us should rush to judge what happened, or what this person was up to, or what she was all about in the world. Hopefully, we will learn more as the days go by and gain something in the learning.

 

[CMac2]

Ok, so they have receipts that say she spent large amounts of money. Now, I've never bought drugs myself, but I don't think dealers give receipts. So what were the receipts for?

I took it to mean the receipts were for items she had purchased, and when added up, totalled way more than she should have been able to afford to spend, according to her husband.

It is also possible that she had money saved up that her husband simply wasn't aware of. Not terribly likely, but I've known women who have thrown savings, and their spouses knew nothing of its existence. $15,000 is an awful lot, though.

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[steff13]

Ok, so they have receipts that say she spent large amounts of money. Now, I've never bought drugs myself, but I don't think dealers give receipts. So what were the receipts for?

I would think the theory is that the drug dealers paid her to transport the drugs, and she in turn used the large sum of money to buy things from traditional retailers.

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[KivaSupporter]

Ok, so they have receipts that say she spent large amounts of money. Now, I've never bought drugs myself, but I don't think dealers give receipts. So what were the receipts for?

Just a guess, something valuable but small, which she could easily bring into the US, like jewelry?