GUILTY Turkey - Sarai Sierra, 33, NY woman murdered, Istanbul, 21 Jan 2013 - #2

[Gio]

Hello again...and thanks for welcoming to the forum.

Just wanted to comment on a couple of themes that keep coming up:

1) camera/no camera, not enough photos, etc: She was a NOVICE, please don't forget that. If she were an established photographer with years of experience, then all those items would be interesting to dissect. But she had been playing around with photography for a couple of months.

2) purpose of her trip: Much like her new found hobby...this trip was yet another step in her attempt to break away from the life she lead for 15 years, IMO. I'm not getting caught up in how much photography played a role in the trip. Frankly to me, it's irrelevant.

3) double-standard: Some have commented that she is getting unfairly criticized for the choices she made (leaving children, husband, meeting up with internet friends, etc.). And that if it were a male doing this nobody would care. Umm, sorry but if it were her husband who took off to Turkey to pursue his new found hobby, while leaving behind a wife and 2 kids...and taking up on the couch of some ladies he met on the internet. You honestly think he'd get a pass in the court of public opinion. The choices she made were questionable (for a wife or husband).

Just my thoughts, FWIW.

 

[bet2173]

She was studying psychology by the way in college. That's what I've just read on one of her comments on instagram. Sorry, if it was mentioned before.

 

[KuriousKev]

Hello again...and thanks for welcoming to the forum.

Just wanted to comment on a couple of themes that keep coming up:

1) camera/no camera, not enough photos, etc: She was a NOVICE, please don't forget that. If she were an established photographer with years of experience, then all those items would be interesting to dissect. But she had been playing around with photography for a couple of months.

SS captured and shared photos quite frequently. Her IG account is more than a few months old. Paying for photography classes, I'd say she's more than playing around with photography...I'd say she's taking it very seriously.

Taking a trip, traveling thousands of miles for photography what are you going to do on that trip? Take photos.

 

[ThinkHard]

I hate to say it, but a coverup wouldn't surprise me at all. IF TK is a man of resources as some have speculated, how hard would it be to have a buddy claim to have seen something he never actually saw, in a place completely different from where SS was last seen? Generally I'm not big on the conspiracy theories, but with this case, I'd believe an alien space ship picked her up at those walls, killed her and beamed her back down to her final resting place. This. Is. Ridiculous.

Hmm coverup. This has definitely crossed my mind too. But if its a cover up I'm thinking a group is involved and not just Taylan.

 

[ToutCa]

I hate to say it, but an alien space ship picked her up at those walls, killed her and beamed her back down to her final resting place.

I'm just gonna misquote CMac2 and run with this story from now on!

 

[looking4answers]

State Prosecutor proves NY Post "reporting" inaccurate
---------------------------------

But State Prosecutor Huseyin Kaplan insisted that the man, identified only as Taylan K., is not considered a prime suspect.

Kaplan said nothing Taylan, whom Sierra met online weeks before she arrived in Istanbul, told cops raised any red flags.


..

Kaplan knocked down reports that Sierra met with criminal types during her Turkish vacation.

"When we look at what she did, she went to cafes. She went to shops," said Kaplan. "Right now, we don't see anything that she was involved in the drug trade or anything like that."


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wor...-sarai-sierra-article-1.1257628#ixzz2KELT1H4q

 

[ThinkHard]

I meant that sitting in an airport, waiting for her flight, alone, there's a good possibility that she was playing on her phone to pass the time. It would have been a good opportunity to take a picture (in the airport like kurious mentioned). I saw it mentioned she was not a frequent traveler, there wouldn't be a history of posting such photos. for the waiting room, I just meant that is another place where people tend to play on their phones bc they are sitting around, often alone. Same for commuting. I didn't mean a waiting room was a good place to take pictures, nor that she did that. Nor that they would be of herself. I was merely agreeing with another poster that the airport was a good photo-op. most people I know on IG or FB do tend to take a picture or update their status or check-in when they are leaving/returning for vacation.

I think the more curious part about the amount of pictures is that there are only 6 from turkey when you compare that there are 5 in ONLY 3 days in Amsterdam.

 

[CMac2]

I'm just gonna misquote CMac2 and run with this story from now on!

You heard it here first, folks.

 

[ToutCa]

SS captured and shared photos quite frequently. Her IG account is more than a few months old. Paying for photography classes, I'd say she's more than playing around with photography...I'd say she's taking it very seriously.

Taking a trip, traveling thousands of miles for photography what are you going to do on that trip? Take photos.

Unless your marriage is on the rocks and what you're really enticed by is all the foreign guys queuing up for your attention -- with, you thought, no bad consequences for adventures because you were alone, thousands of miles from anyone you knew. . .

 

[looking4answers]

Did Sarai ever bring a real camera with her? If not, does this seem strange to anyone else?

I understand the thought, but just think about this: Most tourists don't have SLR or DSLR cameras, most just use simple point and shoot. Todays phones are really an integration of phone and point and shoot camera technology, and with the addition of smart phone app and internet access, they are actually a leg up on old point and shoot. In fact, most camera companies are looking to add app technology as well as internet access into future models, since they know this will cause a shift in market demand of their mainstay products.

 

[ThinkHard]

Does anyone know why and when her instagram account allthings_sarai was changed to memyself_sarai?

Not sure but I think it's a way cool handle....like me myself and I....me myself sarai.....very creative on her part I dig it.

 

[bet2173]

I think the more curious part about the amount of pictures is that there are only 6 from turkey when you compare that there are 5 in ONLY 3 days in Amsterdam.

Yes! That was my point the whole day

 

[CMac2]

Not sure but I think it's a way cool handle....like me myself and I....me myself sarai.....very creative on her part I dig it.

Also, getting psycho-analytical with it, her original handle included "all things"- which might encompass her entire life, including hubby and/or kids. MeMyself_Sarai is much more "me" oriented. Finding herself, her identity away from family, friends, kids, etc. Or I could be totally off base and just thought of a cool handle one day and said to herself, "I'll use it!"

 

[ToutCa]

Take it with a grain of salt, but NY Daily News quotes the State Prosecutor in Turkey as saying Taylan is not a suspect in this case. That while yes, there was a sexual relationship, nothing he told LE raised any red flags.

LE also disputes the reports that SS was hanging out with any criminal element.

Also says she was found in a shirt and underwear, and that DNA was found on her body. LE confident the DNA will lead to her killer.

Keep in mind the Daily News is the direct competitor of the Post. I don't like either, but the Daily News was bound to put out an article rejecting the Post's "omg omg omg someone's cousin off record told us maybe...
SARAI DRUG MULE??????!!!!!???????!!!!!!???????!!!!!"
story of yesterday.

To any LE in the world, a guy claiming to have had sex with the missing wife of another man the night before she disappeared and who just happened to somehow mess up a meeting with her just before she was killed, right by where she was killed. . .would surely raise red flags.

Come on!!!!! Just please please please let there be convincing DNA that nails the killer, Taylan/Tarkan or no Taylan/Tarkan...

 

[Gio]

SS captured and shared photos quite frequently. Her IG account is more than a few months old. Paying for photography classes, I'd say she's more than playing around with photography...I'd say she's taking it very seriously.

Taking a trip, traveling thousands of miles for photography what are you going to do on that trip? Take photos.

I get that. But photography was the means by which she was filling a more important void in her life. Because of photography she was getting lots of attention from men. Are there no women in Turkey, A'dam, Germany that take pictures? I'm sure there are...but yet she never established the same ties with them.

So, if during the trip she had the opportunity to hang out with some of her new friends (or other friends she met there)...then photography would have taken a back seat to that. Again, just my opinion.

 

[ami]

I meant that sitting in an airport, waiting for her flight, alone, there's a good possibility that she was playing on her phone to pass the time. It would have been a good opportunity to take a picture (in the airport like kurious mentioned). I saw it mentioned she was not a frequent traveler, there wouldn't be a history of posting such photos. for the waiting room, I just meant that is another place where people tend to play on their phones bc they are sitting around, often alone. Same for commuting. I didn't mean a waiting room was a good place to take pictures, nor that she did that. Nor that they would be of herself. I was merely agreeing with another poster that the airport was a good photo-op. most people I know on IG or FB do tend to take a picture or update their status or check-in when they are leaving/returning for vacation.

I don't mean there would be a history of "airport waiting room" photos, but a history of "times that a normal adult would be bored and playing with their phone to pass the time" photos. Was she the sort of IGer who would post random pics of her current situation during times one would expect to be fairly boring?

I mean some people are like that. My facebook feed is groaning under the weight of my sister's pictures of her lunch, the traffic she's stuck in, and her cube at work. Whereas I've never once posted a picture like that. People are different, and I don't think there's really a "most people" behavior when it comes to that. I'm just wondering if the evidence of Sarai's history on IG seems to suggest that she would post random pictures like that when bored. If she's not the type to do that, then there's nothing strange about her not posting pics. It would be out of character for her. She posted some pics from Amsterdam trains that were quite artistic and in line with a photo challenge someone else had invited her to participate in. Looking back through her history, this seems par for the course with her. JMO.

 

[Rolandred]

So she didn't post a lot of pictures and she only used her phone. So what? She was a poor Puerto Rican girl who wanted an adventure abroad. None of us on here believe she "only" went to take photos. Obviously she wanted a foreign adventure and to meet, flirt with, and perhaps have romantic adventures with foreign men.

She could have been making use of her photography hobby to loosely cover up her desire for a fun foreign adventure. And the two do go hand in hand...

It has been said she planned the trip to Amsterdam before she left NYC. Either she already had the tickets and then met Ammer as she searched IG pals for a host, OR she bought the tickets on cheap travel websites after she met Ammer.

I still don't see how that makes her a drug mule. We need facts, solid evidence of that -- it all fits the picture of a woman looking for a fun foreign adventure, but concerned with softening the image of it to a respectable photography trip for certain of her loved ones.

A poor Puerto Rican girl? I thought she had never been out of the USA? She was from Puerto Rico?

 

[ThinkHard]

I'm going back to the idea Taylan isn't involved or at least not directly involved...my two strongest possibilities at this point are:

It was another of her online friends who she met in turkey, who maybe was jealous of Taylan, or mad she wouldn't agree to stay with him...

Or

She was the victim of a group organized scam that Taylan or another IGer may or may not be part of and the scene was staged.

 

[ami]

I think the more curious part about the amount of pictures is that there are only 6 from turkey when you compare that there are 5 in ONLY 3 days in Amsterdam.

Have they reported how many pictures she took? Or are you just going by the number of pictures she uploaded to the IG website?

 

[KuriousKev]

Keep in mind the Daily News is the direct competitor of the Post.

You're a New Yorker!:rocker: