GUILTY Turkey - Sarai Sierra, 33, NY woman murdered, Istanbul, 21 Jan 2013 - #3

[ToutCa]

The first mention of the trip change was on her IG account 12 days after her arrival. So it was somewhat public and early on. If she didn't want "bad guy traffickers" to know she'd changed it she likely wouldn't put it online like that.

If I'm not mistaken one of the articles mentioned they found $400 in her room after she went missing. That would be at the end of the trip... who knows with the way info comes out what is actual fact and what is fiction.

Both good points.

I still don't really buy the drug mule theories, but I'm trying to think them through to imagine how they might have worked!

The exact days she was in MUC and whether it was 3 AMST/1 MUC or 1 AMST/3 MUC has never been officially resolved. 3 AMST/1 MUC makes the most sense. But we don't know how long she was in MUC, where she stayed or what she did.

Another black hole.

 

[yannis]

you're right but we don't know how lucky the killer was or under what circumstances the murder happened , i think it's a posibility we can't ignore ..... with that murder we have the wife dead and Taylan (the lover) behind bars ....the ultimate revenge

 

[Munich]

Both good points.

I still don't really buy the drug mule theories, but I'm trying to think them through to imagine how they might have worked!

The exact days she was in MUC and whether it was 3 AMST/1 MUC or 1 AMST/3 MUC has never been officially resolved. 3 AMST/1 MUC makes the most sense. But we don't know how long she was in MUC, where she stayed or what she did.

Another black hole.

I don't know that we will find out about her MUC trip, because there is no press coverage here about any of it. Seeing as she opted for this AirBnB / couch surfing thing I would think she'd have some sort of contact (also likely male).

There isn't a big interaction on her IG with anyone from what I can tell from MUC, so I think it was a 9 hour layover and nothing more.

As I've mentioned in the past, if she didn't use one of those options she would have likely stayed near the train station in a hostel where it's a largely Turkish area.

Her IG account has images posted from AMS on January 16, 18 & 20th. This doesn't mean they were taken on these dates, but they were posted then. Nothing at all from MUC.

 

[Kluver13]

I don't know that we will find out about her MUC trip, because there is no press coverage here about any of it. Seeing as she opted for this AirBnB / couch surfing thing I would think she'd have some sort of contact (also likely male).

There isn't a big interaction on her IG with anyone from what I can tell from MUC, so I think it was a 9 hour layover and nothing more.

As I've mentioned in the past, if she didn't use one of those options she would have likely stayed near the train station in a hostel where it's a largely Turkish area.

Her IG account has images posted from AMS on January 16, 18 & 20th. This doesn't mean they were taken on these dates, but they were posted then. Nothing at all from MUC.

What's curious about the Munich aspect is that she told people prior to her trip that she would be going to both Amsterdam and Munich as well as Istanbul. When I'm travelling overseas, I generally wouldn't discuss a stopover as part of my itinerary unless I had something planned during the stopover (i.e. quick visit to a friend, brief sightseeing etc).

 

[belimom]

greetings everybody , this is my first post and thank you for the opprtunity to talk about this story ....i started having some thoughts in a different direction , so far we can't be sure of what has happened ...so maybe , the killer traveled from the USA ? We miss the motive so far .... i know this is very serious to say but if we think a bit on this .....well it fits

:welcome5:

Interesting theory. I'm going to ponder it a bit - it meshes a little with something someone else said a ways back. (Just a theory, not any facts)

@myeyes_stevied

Thank you - good find... I just looked over his entire account b/c it's not that much. At one point, he admitted to someone that he was new to "all of this" (IG/photography) and was "trying to catch up".

I don't make much of his other posts, except that he is very religious. But we're not sure who posted the FB post that he has a screenshot of about leaving before cheating on someone.

I do think it's interesting that they weren't following each other. He was not in the same league so to speak as Sarai when it came to photography.

Honestly, I think he was trying to save his marriage and was trying to find a common interest - such as getting involved with photography and the whole IG crowd. She had over 3000 followers, which means she was getting attention from the public for her photos. He has about 300, which is more or less your own social network (i.e., about the same amount as FB users have - hope this makes sense) and not any public acclaim for his photography.

 

[belimom]

We are talking about this because Steven Sierra yesterday said in a one-on-one interview that he last talked with her January 14 (see upthread).

This contradicts earlier statements that he talked with her up until Jan. 20.

But did he say he *talked* to her up until the 20th, or just that they were keeping in touch? It seems that in the recent interview, he was asked specifically when was the last time he *spoke* with her.

 

[belimom]

Not only venturing out but the article cites Turkish media (so who knows?) saying that SS brother sent her a facebook message saying that if she was going to cheat on her husband she should just leave him already.

So apparently her brother knew she was cheating, according to that article.

There is a FB post on his IG account to that effect - a screenshot. But honestly, I don't think it's from the brother. The avatar is a heart, I believe. I think it's one of those things sites that posts little sayings that get reposted.

 

[belimom]

Brothers aren't always their sisters' easiest critics. Especially if they're older brothers. IF he sent her a facebook message that said that, I don't know that I'd call that conclusive that he knew what she was up to, or just judged/suspected.

She did not take her ring off. She could have left it home, said she didn't want to travel with jewelry, but she didn't. She wasn't out of this marriage. Not completely.

bbm

Do we really know this? Evidently she was found with jewelry on, including a ring (or rings). But many women wear more than one ring. Has it been reported that she was still wearing her wedding ring? Thanks - I may have missed it, but if it hasn't been reported, then I'm not sure we can assume that to be true necessarily.

 

[belimom]

(Sorry for the multiple posts - I'm just catching up from last night)

Some posters mentioned she had changed her flight days after her arrival. I cannot find specific information on her travel or the ticketing changes. The flight change makes me feel she was fearful, because that is a chunk of money to pay and have someone wire for 4 days.

I'm curious if she commented to the AirBnB host that she'd be leaving early and at what point.

Someone else mentioned perhaps the package contained the cash to change the flight. Mailing cash sounds especially risky, but I'd also like to know how she received it. Changing a flight takes a lot of calling and wait time. It's not a simple task or inexpensive.

New corroborrated evidence sure would be nice.

Selfishly, I don't want to believe this could be random, because it scares me to no end that people like that exist out there, but we all know that they do.

bbm

I read in an article that she decided to leave after being there for 12 days. Here it is:

She had initially planned to visit the country for three weeks, but after 12 days she posted online that she had to cut the trip short.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ternet-went-missing-Turkey.html#ixzz2KVQIemDb

 

[yannis]

hi Belimom ! i think his instagram account was made ( it's quite recent ) just to express his feelings and in a point to relate to her since she was obsessed with ig ... i don't think he was into this app as a photographer ! both her brother and husband are very religious , another thing surprised me a lot .. is that they opened an instacanvas account when both were in Turkey .. a day after they saw Sarai dead .... just sayng the facts as i saw them on instagram

 

[english]

There is a FB post on his IG account to that effect - a screenshot. But honestly, I don't think it's from the brother. The avatar is a heart, I believe. I think it's one of those things sites that posts little sayings that get reposted.

I was looking at Steven's IG account earlier and puzzling on this. It is a facebook group in the name "Don't cheat in relationship. if you are not happy then just leave". It appears to be mainly African.

 

[lavy]

I couldn't find the part mentioning Taylan's friend.
Is it in a different link?

Wouldn't a local know where the cameras were? Couldn't the killer, in theory, have brought the body back to near where she was last on camera to throw off investigators?

Only if he/she interested. I have no idea where the cameras in the area I live (reminds me its probably good to check)

 

[belimom]

Another question: If she was going out to sight-see for a good while, and to meet up with Taylan, why did she leave her "Turkish phone" in her apartment?

Drug mule angle explanation: She has been instructed not to bring the local phone so that no one can track her by pinging. Would explain Taylan's confusion and difficulty reaching her. Maybe she was trying to induce Taylan to come along to the walls and hang out nearby as unwitting security blanket. Because she changed to an inhabitual form of communication for Taylan and her, she got unlucky and couldn't find him. Maybe the contact at the city walls then sees her "American phone" by accident, freaks, thinks she has disobeyed, that she's a rat, and violence ensues.

Innocent explanation: She forgot to charge it the night before. Be honest, we've all done it!

IF she did in fact have a Turkish phone, perhaps she left it behind b/c she was finished with her job (I'm really not leaning toward her being a drug mule, but I want to follow this train of thought for the sake of argument and a theory). And the dealers were then finished with her... no reason to keep her around any longer, she was leaving for the US, they were afraid she would rat them out, etc, etc.

Again, just playing along with a scenario. At this point, I'm not leaning toward the drug mule idea. However, and I can't believe I'm actually saying this, I'm opening up more and more to a random attack. And that includes the man with the business cards and/or his acquaintances: who knows if those other women hasn't met up with similar people, a kind of M.O. of the perps - a way to get women to let down their guard?
:truce:

 

[belimom]

I commented on this in a prior post / thread. Taylan said they met for drinks had lamb intestines split the bill and he walked her back since it was a "sketchy neighborhood". (This is conflicting with "just meeting for tea twice" as well.)

I don't buy the bathroom sex, because clearly they could have shacked up at her place if he knew where she stayed, walked her there, and she had told the AirBnB guy she was single if she was really worried about being judged by someone who "knew" her and might see Taylan there.

Bathroom sex surely happens, but really? I think it's just the media trying to discredit her. Even if she did partake in an amorous bathroom session it doesn't much matter.

No proof exists. Taylan's attorney waffled when asked directly if his client had sex with SS. Journalists then went back to Turkish LE and asked if Taylan had claimed to them he had sex Jan. 20 with SS in a bar bathroom. Off the record they said yes.

That's far from proof, but it's not just wild rumors either. It's somewhere in between, like much of our info.

People have risky sex because it's fun.


The reason there was so much focus on this was not just to bad-mouth SS, it was because Taylan was the last to have contact with SS. It's natural that their relationship and his actions would come under intense LE focus.

bbm

I agree with ToutCa here.

I posted way back that I think the sexual attraction/pressure between Sarai and Taylan/Tarkan had been building for months, starting with a little flirting on IG. I also believe that maybe the 'fire' got going during dinner or conversation that night, and he suggested it to her. Being that this trip (IMO) was an attempt by her to 'see what's out there' and to experience a lifestyle that she had not gotten to experience since she married so early, she accepted the offer. I think it happened just like he said it did.

 

[belimom]

hi Belimom ! i think his instagram account was made ( it's quite recent ) just to express his feelings and in a point to relate to her since she was obsessed with ig ... i don't think he was into this app as a photographer ! both her brother and husband are very religious , another thing surprised me a lot .. is that they opened an instacanvas account when both were in Turkey .. a day after they saw Sarai dead .... just sayng the facts as i saw them on instagram

I think we're kinda of on the same page here. His account was 3 months old. My parents recently divorced after decades of marriage, and before giving up, my mom took up all kinds of hobbies of my dad's -- b/c this new woman was into them. Try as we might to convince her that it wouldn't work - that if he was gone, he was gone - she did it anyway. And it was sad to watch my elderly mom trying so hard to keep her marriage. It didn't work.

I think something similar was going on with Steven and the whole IG thing. IG is a way to share photographs. And even if he wasn't interested professionally, as she was, it was a new hobby to him from what I gather.

 

[KuriousKev]

It wasn't a hostel, it was an apartment. She was there alone.

Those who refer to it as a hostel just didn't understand the nature of AirBnb or where she was staying. She may have led some to believe it was a hostel of some kind to make it sound less dangerous. Her mom even stated in an interview she was in a hotel in Istanbul.

She wasn't in a hotel. She wasn't in a hostel.

She didn't share it with anyone. The neighbors and the AirBnb landlord have repeatedly described the solo rental in great detail many times already.

She was in an apartment. She didn't share it. She was alone.

Thank you Tout.

 

[KuriousKev]

Not only venturing out but the article cites Turkish media (so who knows?) saying that SS brother sent her a facebook message saying that if she was going to cheat on her husband she should just leave him already.

So apparently her brother knew she was cheating, according to that article.

I'm catching up on where I left off from my last login so please excuse me digging up past comments. I try to only comment on post that move me.

Did not know about the FB message between SS and her brother. This explains her intentions on going (maybe). I bet her girlfriend knows even more. I wonder what SS's reply was to her brother's comment? (I'll continue reading, maybe it's discussed down thread)

 

[yannis]

yes and this hobby was just to keep a contact or trying to get her back ... it's obvious he didn't want to lose his wife

 

[Yashim]

I’ve also been entertaining the idea that maybe some English-speaking homeless vagabond, some shady drifter headed elsewhere was passing through instanbul, and probably thought that spot would make a nice temporary home.

Fantazteko, Thanks for the post.

Just one note from a local:

English-speaking homeless in Istanbul would be as rare as a polar bear in Sahara Desert. Having spent most of life in Istanbul, I have only heard of one foreign homeless dude. And that was quite a while ago. He must have retired by now.

BTW, Not only this, but some of the profiles in the scenarios provided in thr last couple of days just don't fit the Istanbul scene. Yet with so few facts, it's hard to dismiss all.

 

[KuriousKev]

Brothers aren't always their sisters' easiest critics. Especially if they're older brothers. IF he sent her a facebook message that said that, I don't know that I'd call that conclusive that he knew what she was up to, or just judged/suspected.

She did not take her ring off. She could have left it home, said she didn't want to travel with jewelry, but she didn't. She wasn't out of this marriage. Not completely.

Her brother probably overheard actual conversations and seen messages, who knows

With all of the conflicting reports do we know for certain she was wearing her wedding ring? There are some photos of SS wearing a costume type jewelry ring. We need to see the official postmortem report.