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

[belimom]

Steven Sierra, her husband, sent her 350 and 150 dollars, Ülgütol said, adding there was no evidence for any large money transitions.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/sarai-sierra-killed-with-blow-to-the-head-official-says.aspx?pageID=238&nID=40383&NewsCatID=341[/QUOTE]

I'm confused by this. How did he "send" it to her? I'm assuming this is the $500 reportedly sent to her to change her flight return to an earlier date? Seems like any changes to a flight would more than likely be done online. Otherwise, she would have gone to a ticket counter, but I doubt they deal with cash there either. :waitasec:

ETA - I can't find anything now about her husband sending her $500 to change her flight. So perhaps he was just sending her money b/c she needed it. Again, why *send* it? Does that mean he just put it into her account so she could withdraw it? Did he wire it? Sorry - it probably doesn't matter anyway.

 

[belimom]

Sorry if this has been posted - I'm popping in here between real life duties.

So:
- no receipts for $10,000 or so
- LE does not believe the witness
- she was not stabbed
- LE found the body

Police refute media’s questionable claims about Sarai Sierra

On Monday afternoon, İstanbul Police Chief Hüseyin Çapkın refuted widespread claims that Sierra, who disappeared two weeks ago while vacationing in İstanbul, had been stabbed to death.

“The investigation continues. The forensic medical report has not yet been released,” Çapkın, the first police official to comment on the case, told Turkish media at İstanbul Ataturk Airport. “But we are now certain she was killed by a blow to the head,” Çapkın added....

.....For starters, who found Sierra? Some Turkish media outlets have reported residents tipped off the police. Others say police found the body after scouring the surrounding area. There was even talk of a 17-year-old girl stumbling across the body, at which Ülgütol laughed.

“A 17-year-old girl?” he asked incredulously. “No, no. The police found her.”

Next, in what condition did the police find the body?

Ülgütol confirmed that report. “She was still wearing her ring. Her iPad and cellphone, though, are missing.”...

.....ot long after police found Sierra's body, a woman told the media she passed a white car parked near the city walls on the evening of Jan. 29. While a man tried to remove something from the car, she said she caught a glimpse of a hand, Anatolian News Agency reported.

Ülgütol called the woman’s statement a lie. “False,” he said matter-of-factly....

....Sierra’s husband did send her money two times while she was traveling. But that totaled to $500. And the receipts Turkish press reported police found in Sierra’s room? “They were for 5TL, at most 10TL each,” Ülgütol said.

“She was just a tourist,” Çapkın said on Sunday.

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-306...s-questionable-claims-about-sarai-sierra.html​

 

[lavy]

I was thinking the same thing about if she died somewhere with him accidentally. Maybe he wasn't as single as he claimed. That would be motive for him to move her.

I didn't knew that he said he is single. I have to make a note here. In turkish the word used for single actually means "not married" it does not imply if he has a girlfriend. The only way to tell that you are not in a relationship is to say I don't have a girlfriend.

I think you can (and should) only go so far in trying to "please the locals". In Turkey it's perhaps a good idea to dress a bit more conservatively than back home. But in the end, even being covered from head to toe will not mean that some ignorant chauvinist will respect you any more. And someone that is convinced that Western women are "easy" will also continue to think so, regardless of how you dress.

I agree on that. Unfortunately that's true. There is also the language barrier. So lets say if she met with people like this they might be talking with a normal manner to her and saying different things to each other.

I'm confused by this. How did he "send" it to her? I'm assuming this is the $500 reportedly sent to her to change her flight return to an earlier date? Seems like any changes to a flight would more than likely be done online. Otherwise, she would have gone to a ticket counter, but I doubt they deal with cash there either. :waitasec:

I am guessing either online banking or sthg like western union. People would usually avoid sending money twice as it is charged. For changing the ticket my personal experience was changing through internet never works and you usually end up changing through a call center.

I don't know which airlines she was flying with but there are lots of travel agencies in taksim area she might have changed through one of them.

Edit: She might have changed it at the airport on the way to Amsterdam or when she arrived to istanbul where all airlines have a desk/office.

 

[CocoChanel]

Sorry if this has been posted - I'm popping in here between real life duties.

So:
- no receipts for $10,000 or so
- LE does not believe the witness
- she was not stabbed
- LE found the body

Police refute media’s questionable claims about Sarai Sierra

On Monday afternoon, İstanbul Police Chief Hüseyin Çapkın refuted widespread claims that Sierra, who disappeared two weeks ago while vacationing in İstanbul, had been stabbed to death.

“The investigation continues. The forensic medical report has not yet been released,” Çapkın, the first police official to comment on the case, told Turkish media at İstanbul Ataturk Airport. “But we are now certain she was killed by a blow to the head,” Çapkın added....

.....For starters, who found Sierra? Some Turkish media outlets have reported residents tipped off the police. Others say police found the body after scouring the surrounding area. There was even talk of a 17-year-old girl stumbling across the body, at which Ülgütol laughed.

“A 17-year-old girl?” he asked incredulously. “No, no. The police found her.”

Next, in what condition did the police find the body?

Ülgütol confirmed that report. “She was still wearing her ring. Her iPad and cellphone, though, are missing.”...

.....ot long after police found Sierra's body, a woman told the media she passed a white car parked near the city walls on the evening of Jan. 29. While a man tried to remove something from the car, she said she caught a glimpse of a hand, Anatolian News Agency reported.

Ülgütol called the woman’s statement a lie. “False,” he said matter-of-factly....

....Sierra’s husband did send her money two times while she was traveling. But that totaled to $500. And the receipts Turkish press reported police found in Sierra’s room? “They were for 5TL, at most 10TL each,” Ülgütol said.

“She was just a tourist,” Çapkın said on Sunday.

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-306...s-questionable-claims-about-sarai-sierra.html​

Has to be a misprint in the paper.....it isn't Monday yet, even there.

 

[Rolandred]

Sorry if this has been posted - I'm popping in here between real life duties.

So:
- no receipts for $10,000 or so
- LE does not believe the witness
- she was not stabbed
- LE found the body

Police refute media’s questionable claims about Sarai Sierra

On Monday afternoon, İstanbul Police Chief Hüseyin Çapkın refuted widespread claims that Sierra, who disappeared two weeks ago while vacationing in İstanbul, had been stabbed to death.

“The investigation continues. The forensic medical report has not yet been released,” Çapkın, the first police official to comment on the case, told Turkish media at İstanbul Ataturk Airport. “But we are now certain she was killed by a blow to the head,” Çapkın added....

.....For starters, who found Sierra? Some Turkish media outlets have reported residents tipped off the police. Others say police found the body after scouring the surrounding area. There was even talk of a 17-year-old girl stumbling across the body, at which Ülgütol laughed.

“A 17-year-old girl?” he asked incredulously. “No, no. The police found her.”

Next, in what condition did the police find the body?

Ülgütol confirmed that report. “She was still wearing her ring. Her iPad and cellphone, though, are missing.”...

.....ot long after police found Sierra's body, a woman told the media she passed a white car parked near the city walls on the evening of Jan. 29. While a man tried to remove something from the car, she said she caught a glimpse of a hand, Anatolian News Agency reported.

Ülgütol called the woman’s statement a lie. “False,” he said matter-of-factly....

....Sierra’s husband did send her money two times while she was traveling. But that totaled to $500. And the receipts Turkish press reported police found in Sierra’s room? “They were for 5TL, at most 10TL each,” Ülgütol said.

“She was just a tourist,” Çapkın said on Sunday.

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-306...s-questionable-claims-about-sarai-sierra.html​

She was probably followed, robbed, pushed and or fell...ipads and iphones are "popular" items to rob -EVERYWHERE - One should be cautious using those now in public..wasn't she was using her ipad at the food court? (captured on serv.camera)-And listening to music (the earphones) not wise - this can distract from being extra aware... hope to hear some more details soon. Such a tragic story.

 

[CMac2]

Has to be a misprint in the paper.....it isn't Monday yet, even there.

The article does at least seem to confirm what I'd originally suspected- that the witness' statement claiming to have seen a man (or two men, depending where you happened to read about it) carrying what appeared to be a body is false.

 

[ToutCa]

There's a lot of speculation on here about an accidental fall, but I don't see any Turkish or American media saying that yet.

If we discount the female witness saying she saw a body moved from a car Tues night, there are still quite a few possibilities:

(1) SS alone explored walls and graffiti on her own and fell. Someone scavenged her iPad/phone after death.

(2) SS met up with Taylan and they explored walls and she fell. He abandoned her there. Someone scavenged iPad/phone after death.

(3) SS met up with Taylan, who murdered her in the wall complex. He or someone else took the iPad/phone.

(4) Persons unknown in the wall complex murdered her -- either for her iPad/phone or for other reasons.

(5) She was abducted by Taylan or someone else and then returned there.

There have been so many twists and turns so far, it's hard to say which scenario took place. Hopefully more evidence will continue to come out...

 

[lavy]

There's a lot of speculation on here about an accidental fall, but I don't see any Turkish or American media saying that yet.

If we discount the female witness saying she saw a body moved from a car Tues night, there are still quite a few possibilities:

(1) SS alone explored walls and graffiti on her own and fell. Someone scavenged her iPad/phone after death.

(2) SS met up with Taylan and they explored walls and she fell. He abandoned her there. Someone scavenged iPad/phone after death.

(3) SS met up with Taylan, who murdered her in the wall complex. He or someone else took the iPad/phone.

(4) Persons unknown in the wall complex murdered her -- either for her iPad/phone or for other reasons.

(5) She was abducted by Taylan or someone else and then returned there.

There have been so many twists and turns so far, it's hard to say which scenario took place. Hopefully more evidence will continue to come out...

Good summary.

I know I said this before but I still can not see Taylan being involved as he was released that easily. I feel like he should have proven that he didn't met her during the day and night to be released. It is a big case, many turkish and us officials are involved, FBI is involved and it is all over the media and he was the only suspect and the last person to meet with her. They must have been stupid to release him if he didn't show enough proof that he was not related. It is just my opinion, I don't know what everyone would think about this but it doesn't make sense to me.

 

[ToutCa]

Good summary.

I know I said this before but I still can not see Taylan being involved as he was released that easily. I feel like he should have proven that he didn't met her during the day and night to be released. It is a big case, many turkish and us officials are involved, FBI is involved and it is all over the media and he was the only suspect and the last person to meet with her. They must have been stupid to release him if he didn't show enough proof that he was not related. It is just my opinion, I don't know what everyone would think about this but it doesn't make sense to me.

You know the Turkish law enforcement scene far better than me, so I give a lot of weight to what you say. In the US, things are very different. It is not unusual here in high-profile cases for suspects to be released and re-arrested later. We have high evidentiary bars to clear to arrest and charge someone, and -- especially in high-profile cases -- officials are reluctant to do so until they feel they really have a slam-dunk case they cannot lose.

If Taylan was not involved, the mystery deepens. If it was indeed an accident, that is the least terrible of all tragic outcomes. But that will be difficult to show, and the missing iPad/phone make "accident" tougher to believe (not impossible, just tougher). . .

 

[CMac2]

Good summary.

I know I said this before but I still can not see Taylan being involved as he was released that easily. I feel like he should have proven that he didn't met her during the day and night to be released. It is a big case, many turkish and us officials are involved, FBI is involved and it is all over the media and he was the only suspect and the last person to meet with her. They must have been stupid to release him if he didn't show enough proof that he was not related. It is just my opinion, I don't know what everyone would think about this but it doesn't make sense to me.

I don't know enough about Turkey's legal system to say for sure whether or not they had a choice BUT to release him. For example, it's a regular occurrence here in MO that POIs are called in for questioning- it's clear to LE that the person knows something important- but in the end they have to let him/her go, for lack of evidence. If they need evidence to hold him, and there isn't any at this moment, would they have had a choice? Again, I don't know one way or another, as I'm just not familiar with Turkey's investigation process. But I do know if it's anything like our system, it happens every day.

Obviously being more familiar with the country itself, maybe you can shed some light on that particular aspect of things?

In my mind, the FBI's involvement has nothing to do with whether or not Turkey will arrest a suspect. The FBI doesn't have jurisdiction and would merely be assisting the investigation as a courtesy.

I don't know that any suspect has to prove they weren't involved in a crime. Rather, LE has to prove they WERE involved.

 

[belimom]

The cost of in iPad in Turkey is higher than in the States. I think this is true in many countries, partly due to VAT. It's not uncommon for folks in other countries (at least when we lived in Egypt) to ask friends going to the States to purchase electronics and bring them back to them.

With that being said, I can see someone robbing her for her iPad and phone. Her ring was with her, etc. But the electronics are gone.

16GB iPad current generation , WiFi only (for cost comparison only - we don't know what model she had):

US - $499 (or 872 Turkish Lira)
Turkey - 1199 Turkish Lira (or $686)

http://store.apple.com/us/buy/home/shop_ipad/family/ipad
http://en.teknoblog.com/tablets/how-much-is-the-new-ipad-in-turkey.html

 

[tresptip]

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.

No that was not what I was thinking.I was thinking she was taking a picture and wasn't paying attention to what was on the ground and tripped and fell and died.I was thinking the accident happened near a drug users dwelling and to avoid being questioned by the police and getting caught with drugs they moved her body to a different place and maybe took the iphone and ipad because they had pictures on them of the last plast place she was at,which was where she fell,next to the persons dwelling.

 

[Walker]

I really don't know why you keep bringing her clothing. Believe me or not her clothing is more conservative than many turkish women walking around in istanbul. Even women who cover their heads do wear tight jeans. Anyway, I know its not related.

So you are saying that many Turkish women do cover their heads for religious reasons.

What's acceptable to some people in a country is not necessarily acceptable to all. Her lodgings were in a dive on the back streets with bars over the windows. Among the criminal class, she might have been seen as provocative.

I initally thought the reason that Taylan doesn't want to be named could be because he has a girlfriend/wife who does not know that he met with SS.

SS's behavior, even if totally innocent, may have seemed strange, and would have sounded strange to some people even in the US.

Maybe Taylan's wife also didn't buy the photographer explanation, and got hold of his cell phone. That explains why he didn't receive the messages, and didn't see SS that day. The wife pretended to be him, and lured SS to the wall. Maybe Taylan knows his wife is the perp and is trying to cover for her.

 

[CMac2]

Completely O/T, but I keep refreshing my screen, and going back to already-read articles to see if there are any updates on the case. It is making my blood boil, reading the comments of ignorant readers. The general consensus seems to be an American woman traveling alone to Turkey is an idiot, and she deserved what happened. Smart American women stay in the US and do not venture out. When did we become so closed-minded and cold? Like it's a crime to want to experience something outside of your own back yard. SMH.

Ok, done with my rant. Back to the case!

 

[CMac2]

No that was not what I was thinking.I was thinking she was taking a picture and wasn't paying attention to what was on the ground and tripped and fell and died.I was thinking the accident happened near a drug users dwelling and to avoid being questioned by the police and getting caught with drugs they moved her body to a different place and maybe took the iphone and ipad because they had pictures on them of the last plast place she was at,which was where she fell,next to the persons dwelling.

I gotcha. That must have been one heckuva stash of drugs... why not just hide them? Then again, if it was an addict, they probably aren't known for their critical thinking skills, so you may be on to something.

I still think, had she tripped and fallen, there would be other signs of trauma on the body- not just trauma to the head. I had said somewhere upthread that had she fallen, unless she was hanging from something upside down, and fell straight- head first- other parts of her body would have shown trauma from the fall, IMO. Plus, if there was a chance this was an accident and not foul play, I think the investigators would be pushing that theory hard- no one wants the misconception that their city- especially one known for tourism- is a dangerous place to be.

Finally, LE has debunked the story of the lady who says she saw two men moving a body. Not that a drug addicted criminal couldn't have moved her without witnesses- that happens all the time, unfortunately.

Wow. At the end of the day, I have no idea. :banghead:

 

[ami]

Completely O/T, but I keep refreshing my screen, and going back to already-read articles to see if there are any updates on the case. It is making my blood boil, reading the comments of ignorant readers. The general consensus seems to be an American woman traveling alone to Turkey is an idiot, and she deserved what happened. Smart American women stay in the US and do not venture out. When did we become so closed-minded and cold? Like it's a crime to want to experience something outside of your own back yard. SMH.

Ok, done with my rant. Back to the case!

People use news comment sections to vent whatever anger and ugliness they're feeling. The news could post a picture of a kitten playing with yarn and the entire comment section would be filled with political venom and hatred within 5 minutes. In this case it's a beautiful woman dying in a far off country and that's just the template some people use to vomit out their ugliness. If it were a story about Felix Baumgartner's space jump then that's the template they'd use to vomit out their ugliness. I've never heard anyone speak like that in real life - at least anywhere I've ever lived no one would want to go near them. So I try to never read the comment sections and when I do I just think of them as the internet's toilet where people expel all the waste too humiliating to excrete in the rest of their lives.

 

[tresptip]

I gotcha. That must have been one heckuva stash of drugs... why not just hide them? Then again, if it was an addict, they probably aren't known for their critical thinking skills, so you may be on to something.

I still think, had she tripped and fallen, there would be other signs of trauma on the body- not just trauma to the head. I had said somewhere upthread that had she fallen, unless she was hanging from something upside down, and fell straight- head first- other parts of her body would have shown trauma from the fall, IMO. Plus, if there was a chance this was an accident and not foul play, I think the investigators would be pushing that theory hard- no one wants the misconception that their city- especially one known for tourism- is a dangerous place to be.

Finally, LE has debunked the story of the lady who says she saw two men moving a body. Not that a drug addicted criminal couldn't have moved her without witnesses- that happens all the time, unfortunately.

Wow. At the end of the day, I have no idea. :banghead:

It would be easy for her to fall on her head and not be able to catch the fall because she had her camera in her hands and if the camera was real expensive (plus it had all her pictures) she might instinctively not drop it while falling to protect it.

 

[CMac2]

It would be easy for her to fall on her head and not be able to catch the fall because she had her camera in her hands and if the camera was a real expensive one she might instinctively not drop it while falling to protect it.

Did she have a camera? I've been wondering about this as well, but everything I'm reading says she didn't have one- that she was using her phone to take pictures on, and uploading them to IG. If she had one, it seems that is missing too, along with her other electronics.

 

[ami]

It would be easy for her to fall on her head and not be able to catch the fall because she had her camera in her hands and if the camera was a real expensive one she might instinctively not drop it while falling to protect it.

The medical examiners must be able to tell the difference between a fall injury and a strike inflicted by someone else, surely? I agree with the post upstream that said the government would probably be thrilled to take the stigma of violent street crime against a tourist off their books, if they could even "anonymously" float the theory that she had fallen from the rocks, if it looked at all likely to be true.

 

[WillenFan21]

Sierra was murdered according to CNN.

Turkish police found the New York woman's body near ancient stone walls in Istanbul's Sarayburnu district, the semi-official Anatolian Agency reported. Police suspected she had been killed at another location.

Police told CNN's sister network CNN Turk that the body of the 33-year-old mother of two showed signs of stab wounds. However, the police chief of Istanbul, Huseyin Capkin, said Sierra died from a blow to her head.

At least nine suspects had been detained in connection with Sierra's disappearance and death, Anatolian reported.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/02/world/turkey-missing-woman/index.html?hpt=hp_t1