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

[tardislass]

Wow.

Talk about an abuse of journalism. Do we really need to see her in a body bag in church morgue? What, the casket wasn't powerful enough? Why not just show her on a slab...

</end rant>

Judging by some of the tabloids photos, I'm sure the Turkish media would print them. All the different details are confusing- even the same paper contradicts itself. Perhaps journalism standards are different in Turkey.one doesn't know what to think. Not that Americas any better- just read an article about whether it is safe for women to travel alone.:banghead:

 

[necco]

Yes, that's a probability, but the things that are missing are her cell phone and i-pad. Why would a heroine addict being high want to get rid of her technological equipment but leave her jewellery and wallet? The last person who she has talked has deleted his instagram and gmail account. Those are very suspicious moves.
And basing on what are you so sure that she was killed because she was an American?

Respectfully, I think tardislass was saying she was 99.9999% sure she WASN'T killed because she was an American. I think she got autocorrected.

 

[belimom]

Hi, everyone - I have real life duties to attend to for awhile, but I wanted to share this webpage below. You can drag the square in the lower right-hand corner around and it will show different photos of the area that people have shared. It's hard to explain until you just click on and see. I would love to fiddle with it in comparison to the videos, etc, that have been released, but I don't have time right now. I thought you guys may find it useful (below the link is a screenshot I took of it):

http://wiki.worldflicks.org/seraglio_point_(sarayburnu).html#

 

[tardislass]

Here's more from the discussion on TV:

Some former expert said "killer must be someone she knew, who respected her enough to leave her jewelry". But not enough to let her live?
WTF. I respect you enough to leave your jewelry on your corpse. Seriously.
Another one asks "how come the body wasn't discovered by others. It had been 13 days."

Some expert said "this is not an execution. So "drug mule" or "spy" theories don't make sense." Then he adds maybe they wanted us to think so. (If I heard it right.)

BTW, I don't understand why she left her passport in her room. US driver's license means nothing in Turkey.

It does seem odd her body wasn't discovered for days, but perhaps the druggies/homeless didn't want to contact the police?

 

[tardislass]

Respectfully, I think tardislass was saying she was 99.9999% sure she WASN'T killed because she was an American. I think she got autocorrected.

Thank you, my iPhone has a mind of its own sometimes.

 

[NewYork625]

Yes, that's a probability, but the things that are missing are her cell phone and i-pad. Why would a heroine addict being high want to get rid of her technological equipment but leave her jewellery and wallet? The last person who she has talked has deleted his instagram and gmail account. Those are very suspicious moves.
And basing on what are you so sure that she was killed because she was an American?

I imagine the last person she spoke with might be receiving quite a few harassing messages to both accounts, and would prefer not to deal with it, innocent or not.

 

[necco]

Thank you, my iPhone has a mind of its own sometimes.

No problem. You cannot imagine the obscene things my iPhone has told people. I think it is a pervert. It's always trying to get me into trouble. :floorlaugh:

 

[ami]

Here's more from the discussion on TV:

Some former expert said "killer must be someone she knew, who respected her enough to leave her jewelry". But not enough to let her live?

Another one asks "how come the body wasn't discovered by others. It had been 13 days."

Some expert said "this is not an execution. So "drug mule" or "spy" theories don't make sense." Then he adds maybe they wanted us to think so. (If I heard it right.)

BTW, I don't understand why she left her passport in her room. US driver's license means nothing in Turkey.

We're told to leave our official passport safely locked away (usually in our room) and bring a color copy of it, including any visas, as we walk around the streets. That way the real passport cannot be stolen if we are pickpocketed or mugged, but we still have identification including our passport number and visa information in case it's necessary.

 

[Yashim]

It does seem odd her body wasn't discovered for days, but perhaps the druggies/homeless didn't want to contact the police?

Perhaps. But someone said tourists may easily end up there trying to take photos of container ships parked at the entrance of the Bosphorus. Hard to ignore a decomposing body.

 

[lavy]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57567407-504083/sarai-sierra-missing-new-york-city-mother-found-dead-in-turkey-reports-say/

"The Milliyet newspaper said a forensic medicine lab will examine samples from Sierra's fingernails as well as hair and other samples from a blanket found near her body. It said some nail scrapings suggest she may have tried to fight off her attacker"

Maybe why they are interested in the DNA evidence?

Of course they are. All evidence are in criminal labs. And will be compared with DNA from 22 suspects.

I'm sure they don't want to leak everything to the media.

If its not an acquaintance, there is a possibility that she went there by herself to take pictures and interrupted some addicts getting high. Sadly, I know that heroin addicts can be very violent when high and I can see one or more beating her to death you would think that her Istanbul friends would warn her away from the area but in many ways they did not appear to be that helpful.

Of course. For example apparently police had other footage from 21st but never revealed that.

I agree it does make sense. I've read high people doing crazy things.
Though he was a addrict he probably run away already.

BTW, I don't understand why she left her passport in her room. US driver's license means nothing in Turkey.

We discussed all these in detail.

US Embassy advises not to carry your passport with you in Turkey.
And I use my European driving licence in Turkey without problem I am not sure why American one would be useless.

It does seem odd her body wasn't discovered for days, but perhaps the druggies/homeless didn't want to contact the police?

Possible but remember it is a very narrow and long hole and its been tried to hide her.

 

[Yashim]

We're told to leave our official passport safely locked away (usually in our room) and bring a color copy of it, including any visas, as we walk around the streets. That way the real passport cannot be stolen if we are pickpocketed or mugged, but we still have identification including our passport number and visa information in case it's necessary.

Hmm. In a world where shoes are being x-rayed for security reasons, photocopies of passports won't be valid ID unless at the embassy of the country that issued it 'cause they can look it up.

I recall of no legislation that recognizes foreign drivers' license as valid ID. Perhaps only as a driver's license. Sorry, this is a useless discussion.

 

[bet2173]

I imagine the last person she spoke with might be receiving quite a few harassing messages to both accounts, and would prefer not to deal with it, innocent or not.

Yes, buy why delete your gmail account? That account is private. Plus taylan, when she was posting pictures from Istanbul keeps asking her where she is, in Taksim, in Sultanahmet? Why the other Turkish users did not delete their accounts?

 

[ami]

Hmm. In a world where shoes are being x-rayed for security reasons, photocopies of passports won't be valid ID unless at the embassy of the country that issued it 'cause they can look it up.

We're not trying to get on a plane and leave the country with the copy, just walk around town. And I'm sure the travel advice would be different when traveling to a country in which police would randomly demand your official passport on the street. If they don't do that in Turkey, then no need to carry around the official one unless traveling in a place it is required.

 

[necco]

Hmm. In a world where shoes are being x-rayed for security reasons, photocopies of passports won't be valid ID unless at the embassy of the country that issued it 'cause they can look it up.

Yashim. The US State Department tells tourists in Turkey not to carry their passports, only a photocopy because of the danger of being pickpocketed.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1046.html

"The rate of street crime remains relatively low in Turkey. In Istanbul, petty street crime is most common in tourist areas such as Taksim Square, Sultanahmet, and in the areas around the Grand Bazaar and Spice (Egyptian) Bazaar. You should carry a copy of your passport and visa with you and leave your U.S. passport in your hotel safe. Carry only what you need when in these areas."

 

[ami]

Yasmin. The US State Department tells tourists in Turkey not to carry their passports, only a photocopy because of the danger of being pickpocketed.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1046.html

"The rate of street crime remains relatively low in Turkey. In Istanbul, petty street crime is most common in tourist areas such as Taksim Square, Sultanahmet, and in the areas around the Grand Bazaar and Spice (Egyptian) Bazaar. You should carry a copy of your passport and visa with you and leave your U.S. passport in your hotel safe. Carry only what you need when in these areas."

When we were in east Africa for 6 months the advice was the same. US passports are considered high value items there. Carry color copies/scans, including pages with visa stamps.

 

[necco]

We're not trying to get on a plane and leave the country with the copy, just walk around town. And I'm sure the travel advice would be different when traveling to a country in which police would randomly demand your official passport on the street. If they don't do that in Turkey, then no need to carry around the official one unless traveling in a place it is required.

Yes, the advice given by the State Department definitely varies by country. Some places they pretty much say you shouldn't go to the bathroom in your hotel room without your passport.

 

[KrysJP]

I think there is more than one reason for this. There's a language barrier for one thing. Along with that are translation challenges- some of the articles are written in Turkish, translated to English, back to Turkish again. Someone was saying upthread that if it is not a "clean" translation it could totally change the meaning of what was really said. Finally, someone else speculated that some of these officials that are being quoted in the press- the anonymous officials- might have reason to put a false detail into an otherwise accurate account, to keep from being identified by their superiors. They're not allowed to talk to the press without permission to do so.

EXACTLY!!!! I just want this to come to and end already

 

[belimom]

When we were in east Africa for 6 months the advice was the same. US passports are considered high value items there. Carry color copies/scans, including pages with visa stamps.

Same when we lived in Egypt. Copies carried with you, real one left in a safe place.

 

[Yashim]

Yes, the advice given by the State Department definitely varies by country. Some places they pretty much say you shouldn't go to the bathroom in your hotel room without your passport.

I am guessing no government wants to mess with US citizens. It is the other way around for Turkish citizens. You take the original with you, keep the photocopy in your room. If you lose it, you go to the nearest embassy with the photocopy to get another one. Life is though for Turks.

 

[KrysJP]

Whoever the news media sources are I think they are changing some details as to not hinder any case and not be traced back to them. I'm sure they don't want to leak everything to the media.

As for sex trafficking, at 33 she's way above the age that the pimps recruit and to reiterate- unless your Eastern European and looking for work, being kidnapped as a tourist in Turkey doesn't happen. See my rant on Taken.

If its not an acquaintance, there is a possibility that she went there by herself to take pictures and interrupted some addicts getting high. Sadly, I know that heroin addicts can be very violent when high and I can see one or more beating her to death you would think that her Istanbul friends would warn her away from the area but in many ways they did not appear to be that helpful.

Sarai wasn't Jewish, they NY papers printed the church they attended. And I'm 99.999999% sure she want killed because she was an American.

sadly, this is what I keep thinking happened