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

[CMac2]

You seem to be reading morality into the situation. It's not about morality; it's about survival. Alone, esp. in a foreign country, you have to control the type of image you are projecting.

I'm having a hard time figuring out what type of image SS "projected". If anything, she was trusting of people who were not trustworthy, but that's about it- that's a crime I'm sure we're all guilty of committing at some point in time or another.

Otherwise, she strikes me as a woman who was given the chance of a lifetime- especially if she isn't wealthy- to travel to a place she may not otherwise have been able to see. She chose inexpensive lodgings- again, because she was not rich- and tried to capture as much beauty- both by way of photography and meeting people- as she possibly could.

Obviously something terrible happened, but it had nothing to do with any "image" she was projecting. She was simply THERE. That's the extent of it, unfortunately. When bad people enter an equation, intent on doing harm, that's all it takes, IMO.

 

[tresptip]

Don't forget she has also fainted without warning from dehydration in the past.
She could have gotten dizzy and easily tripped.

 

[lavy]

I think at this point, the assumption is that she died right around the time she disappeared, based on the location of the body (almost exactly where she was last seen on surveillance footage).

Is there surveillance of that area where her body was found? What about the lady who says she saw someone carrying a body in that area? If true, that would mean, of course, that original speculation is correct, and her body HAD been moved from somewhere far enough away that a car was required to transport her. If that's the case, it is possible SS was alive for some period of time after she went missing.

Is it the general consensus that the lady (who thought she saw a man carrying a body) is mistaken?

I don't remember reading about the exact date of her death. I am sure police know it by now but they haven't released that information.

I don't think there are any surveillance around there. I don't have guess if she was carried or not but If I understand correctly from looking to the photos the hole where the body was found it higher than ground level and I think that it might hard to climb while carrying a body if the guy was alone.

Photos: http://galeri.haberturk.com/gundem/galeri/423800-sarai-sierranin-cesedi-bulundu

 

[CMac2]

I have found nothing fishy with the T guys story to be honest.

What I tend to find suspicious about Taylan's story is the convenience/coincidence of it all. That she went to the bridge to meet with him and take pictures on what was suddenly supposed to be her last day and then vanished is strange to me. Also, that with all the emails they allegedly exchanged back and forth, this ONE CRUCIAL MESSAGE from her on that particular day is the ONE MESSAGE he claims she never got? I don't know... strikes me as odd.

That said, I also think the theory that she simply happened upon a bad area, perhaps falling victim to the local criminal element seems just as plausible to me. If Taylan didn't meet her as she'd planned, she was without a proper guide. She could have unknowingly and innocently come across an area that a local guide could have steered her away from.

 

[michellemarls]

I think we should all get back to discussing the case. I think sometimes there are posters who post something alot of people disagree with but we shouldn't dwell on it. We can voice why we disagree and then move on, i suppose everyone has the right to an opinion. Maybe some people have strong opinions or values because of their own beliefs/culture/upbringing...lets all agree to disagree on on this one.

 

[necco]

Don't forget she has also fainted without warning from dehydration in the past.
She could have gotten dizzy and easily tripped.

Good point.

Until "manner of death" is ruled definitely to be murder, this is a very good point. Even if she was moved, she could have passed out and hit her head someplace inconvenient and been relocated to avoid unwanted attention.

 

[tresptip]

What day did the lady say she saw the guy with the car and the hand?

 

[belimom]

You seem to be reading morality into the situation. It's not about morality; it's about survival. Alone, esp. in a foreign country, you have to control the type of image you are projecting.

I don't think the way she dressed has anything whatsoever to do with her being murdered. If anything, she may be guilty of being too trusting or of going to isolated places alone. But no one can just "get you" off the street b/c of what you have on. You would have to place yourself in a situation where someone would have the opportunity to do something. And that can happen regardless of what someone is wearing. She was found fully-clothed - so at this point, unless someone re-dressed her, I don't believe sexual assault was the motive nor do I think it occurred. I think the answer lies somewhere between the IG contacts she had (including Taylan) and the area where she was headed/found.

 

[ami]

What I tend to find suspicious about Taylan's story is the convenience/coincidence of it all. That she went to the bridge to meet with him and take pictures on what was suddenly supposed to be her last day and then vanished is strange to me. Also, that with all the emails they allegedly exchanged back and forth, this ONE CRUCIAL MESSAGE from her on that particular day is the ONE MESSAGE he claims she never got? I don't know... strikes me as odd.

That said, I also think the theory that she simply happened upon a bad area, perhaps falling victim to the local criminal element seems just as plausible to me. If Taylan didn't meet her as she'd planned, she was without a proper guide. She could have unknowingly and innocently come across an area that a local guide could have steered her away from.

The only reason I don't really think it's a random act of street crime is that she still had some jewelry on her when they found her. By all descriptions, the people who inhabit those caverns at the wall are some type of marginalized folks - drug users, people who camp out/live there, etc.

It's hard to sort out, since earlier reports had people somehow knowing there was a body there days before they reported it, or seeing someone dump a body there (but not reporting it).

 

[CMac2]

Good point.

Until "manner of death" is ruled definitely to be murder, this is a very good point. Even if she was moved, she could have passed out and hit her head someplace inconvenient and been relocated to avoid unwanted attention.

Good point. However, if she was innocently hurt by falling and hitting her head, it seems a HUGE risk to take for someone to possibly be seen moving her body. If the person is truly innocent, and just happened upon her, why risk being seen and therefore questioned by police, just to dump someone? Sounds to me like whoever moved her was willing to take the risk of being seen because the risk of being caught WITH her was an even greater one.

 

[ami]

What day did the lady say she saw the guy with the car and the hand?

"Shortly after her body was discovered, a woman came forward and told police she had seen a white car parked near the city walls as she was driving there the night of Jan. 29, Anadolu reported. She said a man was trying to remove "something" from the car.

"At that moment, I noticed a woman's hand,""

from: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162...ssing-new-york-woman-sarai-sierra-found-dead/

 

[CMac2]

What day did the lady say she saw the guy with the car and the hand?

She says she saw the man carrying the body in the area on the night of January 29th.

Shortly after her body was discovered, a woman came forward and told police she had seen a white car parked near the city walls as she was driving there the night of Jan. 29, Anadolu reported. She said a man was trying to remove "something" from the car.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57567326/turkish-police-confirm-nyc-mom-sarai-sierras-murder/

ETA: Sorry, Ami! I didn't see you'd already answered this!

 

[panthera]

According to the last Hurriyet news. She was killed by a single blow to the head which broke her skull. The police now say the blanket may have been there originally and that Sarai could have been killed soon after she disappeared due to the cold weather conditions. I'm thinking she may have been targeted by the isolation and never knew what hit her. So it seems like it was quick and sudden since there are no other marks on her.

That is far different from the article I saw yesterday which said she had been stabbed. And I believe it was from CBS News.

MOO

 

[tresptip]

Good point. However, if she was innocently hurt by falling and hitting her head, it seems a HUGE risk to take for someone to possibly be seen moving her body. If the person is truly innocent, and just happened upon her, why risk being seen and therefore questioned by police, just to dump someone? Sounds to me like whoever moved her was willing to take the risk of being seen because the risk of being caught WITH her was an even greater one.

Right! They probably had drugs in their house.

 

[ami]

It's actually even more grim to think that she may have been killed shortly after she disappeared, but her body transported to the site where they found her only on the 29th, 8 days later.

Where was her body for 8 days? Who keeps someone they've murdered "on hand" in case they need to be moved? And how could others close to the murderer not know they were in possession of such a thing? For reasons unnecessary to explain, after a few days it should have been impossible to hide her.

 

[CMac2]

Right! They probably had drugs in their house.

So you're thinking maybe she was visiting someone specific, who had drugs on them? Then, when she passed out/hit her head that person decided to dispose of her rather than risk getting caught with her? That isn't a scenario I'd considered, but that sort of thing happens in the states all the time. Only differences I can see is that A) I've only seen this happen when the victim OD's on drugs and the people present panic and dump the person (we've seen nothing to suggest SS was a user) and B) From what we've read, I have a hard time imagining her going to a stranger's house- especially in a not-so-great area such as this one. At least without letting someone know. She seemed a bit naive, in that she met up with people she'd only previously known from the internet, but she seemed to have tried to take basic precautions, not doing overtly risky things.

 

[bourne]

The people who would be on my POI list would be known drug dealers or users who may live near where she was last seen.They might have moved her body to avoid being questioned by the police or having drugs be found in their possession.
Because it appears to be only one hard blow to the head,and not much of a robbery, it makes me think it could have been an accident.I have found nothing fishy with the T guys story to be honest.

I don't think drug addicts killed her because she was not robbed of her jewelry. Only her laptop and phone were stolen which leads me to think that maybe she had accidentally taken photos of illicit dealings somewhere on her trip.

Maybe when she posted the pics on Instagram, the criminals took note and decided she needed to be killed for the incriminating evidence. IDK but the fact that she was stabbed in the head multiple times suggests someone wanted her not only harmed, but permanently dead. It's likely someone who has deep-seated hatred and jealousy for foreigners who are women who dare to walk the streets alone. Maybe even someone who was jealous of her looks and took particular offense to the way she was dressed.

 

[CMac2]

It's actually even more grim to think that she may have been killed shortly after she disappeared, but her body transported to the site where they found her only on the 29th, 8 days later.

Where was her body for 8 days? Who keeps someone they've murdered "on hand" in case they need to be moved? And how could others close to the murderer not know they were in possession of such a thing? For reasons unnecessary to explain, after a few days it should have been impossible to hide her.

I'm not sure I fully believe the woman saw what she believes she saw. She might have her dates mixed up, or she may have seen something completely innocent, and later after hearing the news got her wires crossed. It's also possible she didn't see anything at all, and is just inserting herself into this whole thing. I'm not convinced it isn't true, but I guess I'm not convinced it is true, either.

Remember, when she first came forward, it was while investigators were still claiming SS was alive for some period after she disappeared. They were point to the fact that her phone had been activated on the 30th and 31st of January as reason to believe that. This witness may be piggy backing off of those reports.

 

[ami]

She says she saw the man carrying the body in the area on the night of January 29th.



http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57567326/turkish-police-confirm-nyc-mom-sarai-sierras-murder/

ETA: Sorry, Ami! I didn't see you'd already answered this!

No it's fine! But look - here's another quote that has 2 men carrying the body...

"After the body was discovered, a witness went to police claiming she saw something suspicious Tuesday night while driving past the city walls, according to Turkish media. The female witness said she saw two men pulling something out of a car. "

http://www.digtriad.com/news/article/267136/175/Police-Blow-To-Head-Killed-NYC-Woman-In-Turkey

 

[CMac2]

IDK but the fact that she was stabbed in the head multiple times suggests someone wanted her not only harmed, but permanently dead. It's likely someone who has deep-seated hatred and jealousy for foreigners who are women who dare to walk the streets alone. Maybe even someone who was jealous of her looks and took particular offense to the way she was dressed.

I thought cause of death was a blow to the head, not stabbed in the head?