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

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KivaSupporter said:
Also, they waited 5 days to report her disappearance to the police. In my opinion, that is strange.

BBM
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This is not the link I originally saw. Still trying to find it.

This one shows Jan. 25

The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet quoted unnamed police sources as saying investigators were not notified about the disappearance until Jan. 25.
(She was expected to arrive to Newark on Jan. 22)

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/01/29/missing-american-woman-turkey/1875587/

From the same link:

Diaz-Sierra told the Staten Island Advance that his wife had been in contact over the Internet with a Dutch tour guide she had met in Istanbul.
At the beginning, I thought that was the person she later visited in Amsterdam. Now I don't know. Bad reporting?

Also, I don't remember seeing this.

She rented a room from Yigit Yetmez, a student at the local Bilgi University who said he rented his spare room out to Sierra after they connected on the Internet, according to Turkish news media.

For what it's worth.
 
Here are (some of) the questions I want answers to:

- Who paid for her trip and how?
- How did SS get to and from the airport in IST both times. Did someone pick her up?
- How long in advance did she tell the AirBnB guy she wouldn't be staying for the duration of the trip she initially planned for?
- Why did Steven transfer the money in two increments and how did she receive it?
- At what point did her friend back out? If money was really the reason, she likely didn't have a ticket booked. Did the friend also talk with these men SS had been chatting with or did she feel SS had some sort of budding romantic interest abroad?
- Why did SS really feel the massive urge to get out of IST early, to the tune of spending a chunk of money to do so?
- Was SS at the wall before, if so with whom? What was her reason for going there?
- Where the heck is that ipad and her phone?
- How much money was found in her room with that green bag she ironically ALWAYS had, yet this time was there waiting for LE.
- I take tons of photos while traveling and it takes some time to edit or post them various places, but why, with immediate IG, were there just a few from this entire "photo trip"?
- If she had access to skype and talking with her family then why not upload more images?
- What did her MUC trip entail and how long was she here?

There are probably a zillion more, but this is so slow going. I hope that means LE are being very thorough.

What things are boggling your minds about this case?
 
Herat said:
Back to smuggling as a motive. It makes the most sense that she would be approached to bring something to the US, or maybe Turkey to Amsterdam, but not Amsterdam/Munich to Turkey.

Antiquities? Seem to be heavy/bulky and easily identified in xraying luggage

Drugs: I know from the scholarly exposition on Locked Up Abroad that most dummies caught seem to be wearing loaves of bread around their waist or in their luggage. Is there some drug stuff that is worth smuggling in tiny amounts?

Nuclear materials: I don't have any idea how much one would need to be useful as a nuclear material mule but I assume it is measured in wheelbarrowloads. Not really very feasible and why would one want to smuggle fissionable material INTO the US?

From personal experience in third-world countries, I have been approache more than once to bring back stuff to the US. Not illegal/contraband stuff, but local hand-made jewelry that I was supposed to sell and send the money back. I can't see that making any sense as a scam and not anything where someone could lose their life over.

Microfilm is so 50's. Military secrets can all be done electronically. What's left- antique lace? I'm just out of ideas for the smuggling aspect.
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This is the idea that I had weeks ago. But it was pooh poohed down. To me it's the only thing that matches all the clues.

One of the people she was meeting Friend A probably convinced her to go to Amsterdam with them. Then they cancelled the trip and they let her meet a friend Friend B over there in Amsterdam and do a day trip.

Friend A plants heroin on her. She gets through without realizing and the Friend B picks up the stash. Only Friend B in some way reveals to her that she was used as a mule.

Since it's an "Instagram group" Friend A realizes she could reveal him. Perhaps he's not even really involved in the whole thing, he's doing it for another friend.

All goes well until she gets to Amsterdam, she realizes what happened and travels to Munich just to "get out of dodge." Comes back and decides to cut her trip short using the excuse of "missing her kids." She doesn't say anything to her friends or family because she's afraid that even mentioning it could wind up having her detained.

Thinking "Brokedown Palace" thinking "Amanda Knox." Confrontation occurs, she's "mugged and killed" by associates of Friend A.

I knew they'd find her dead, poor thing. To me it's crystal clear what happened.

ETA I've been out of the loop and just looked up something online. Don't know if you all saw this.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2984851/posts
 
Munich said:
Here are (some of) the questions I want answers to:

- Who paid for her trip and how?
- How did SS get to and from the airport in IST both times. Did someone pick her up?
- How long in advance did she tell the AirBnB guy she wouldn't be staying for the duration of the trip she initially planned for?
- Why did Steven transfer the money in two increments and how did she receive it?
- At what point did her friend back out? If money was really the reason, she likely didn't have a ticket booked. Did the friend also talk with these men SS had been chatting with or did she feel SS had some sort of budding romantic interest abroad?
- Why did SS really feel the massive urge to get out of IST early, to the tune of spending a chunk of money to do so?
- Was SS at the wall before, if so with whom? What was her reason for going there?
- Where the heck is that ipad and her phone?
- How much money was found in her room with that green bag she ironically ALWAYS had, yet this time was there waiting for LE.
- I take tons of photos while traveling and it takes some time to edit or post them various places, but why, with immediate IG, were there just a few from this entire "photo trip"?
- If she had access to skype and talking with her family then why not upload more images?
- What did her MUC trip entail and how long was she here?

There are probably a zillion more, but this is so slow going. I hope that means LE are being very thorough.

What things are boggling your minds about this case?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I would want to rule out her pregnancy status for the sake of completeness.
 
Chewy said:
This is the idea that I had weeks ago. But it was pooh poohed down. To me it's the only thing that matches all the clues.

One of the people she was meeting Friend A probably convinced her to go to Amsterdam with them. Then they cancelled the trip and they let her meet a friend Friend B over there in Amsterdam and do a day trip.

Friend A plants heroin on her. She gets through without realizing and the Friend B picks up the stash. Only Friend B in some way reveals to her that she was used as a mule.

Since it's an "Instagram group" Friend A realizes she could reveal him. Perhaps he's not even really involved in the whole thing, he's doing it for another friend.

All goes well until she gets to Amsterdam, she realizes what happened and travels to Munich just to "get out of dodge." Comes back and decides to cut her trip short using the excuse of "missing her kids." She doesn't say anything to her friends or family because she's afraid that even mentioning it could wind up having her detained.

Thinking "Brokedown Palace" thinking "Amanda Knox." Confrontation occurs, she's "mugged and killed" by associates of Friend A.

I knew they'd find her dead, poor thing. To me it's crystal clear what happened.

ETA I've been out of the loop and just looked up something online. Don't know if you all saw this.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2984851/posts
Click to expand...

I don't think anything about this case is as you say "crystal clear". Especially not that she was a drug mule. Via her own IG account she knew she would be visiting both Amsterdam and Germany before she left the US, so I don't think it was her attemp to "get out of dodge". The article you linked, is old, those 11 people were detained not arrested.
 
ThinkHard said:
Thank you for the further information. There is also historical references to coptic Christians hiding out in Cappadocia, there are even coptic style crosses painted on many churches that were dug into caves in the Cappadocia region of turkey. I was just visiting this region this summer and was surprised to learn much of this myself. It is my understand that even armenian orthodox can trace their original routes to the coptic Christians who fled Egypt during this time.

Cappadocia was a region where early coptic christians carved out houses and beautiful churches out of strange, mushroom shaped rock formations in central turkey.
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Have you ever been to Egypt? You seem to be quite drawn to Turkey, I have never been. If I had the ability to take the time, I would go and take it in.
 
Munich said:
The only thing that doesn't align with this is if she had tried to skirt around trafficking something by having her ticket changed and leaving early she posted it on public IG, which would negate that idea. Leaving 4 days early is just strange, especially considering the amount of money (which she didn't have) to change the ticket.
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I've been researching the drug smuggling angle. I still think it's a long shot, but I was curious.

**Drug smugglers often have mules change plans abruptly, including dates of travel.

So maybe they told her to change it, and in fact even urged her to post a cover story about the date change on social media.

If the meeting was the final handoff of objects to be smuggled, it still doesn't seem quite right though:

--why would she show up without all her stuff for the airport? Normally they prep you right before you go and take you directly to the airport.
--why would she pay all the money for the trip (say $2000 minimum overall) only to make the paltry salary of a drug courier -- seems to be about $5000 tops?


If the meeting was to pay her for objects delivered:

--why would they wait a couple days after she was back in IST?

If she had been sent money by American parties to do a buy:

--where was she going to put the stuff and why go all the way back to her apartment and then leave later? Only increases the risks.

It looks possible, but still flimsy if you think it through.
 
looking4answers said:
Have you ever been to Egypt? You seem to be quite drawn to Turkey, I have never been. If I had the ability to take the time, I would go and take it in.
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No unfortunately I have not had the opportunity yet to go to Egypt, though I hope to someday. I have very close friends who live there, some Egyptians, some American studying there, and some close family friends who are coptic Christians from Egypt but who's parents moved to the US when they were very young.

Some of my Egyptian friends, and American friends who study there are also quite familiar with Istanbul and we have had lots of conversations discussing how the two places are alike and different. It just makes me want to experience it first hand. Though I hear that some of the amazing artifacts in Egypt are not as heavily guarded as they should be. With such a rich history, that is such a pity.

I highly recommend Turkey, if you've never been, I lived there for a while, which is why I am quite familiar with it, though I have no Turkish roots in my family line. Cappadocia specifically is fascinating and quite rich in history, I think you would really enjoy it.
 
ThinkHard said:
I agree I don't think they would care at all. Additionally yes 99% of Turks are Muslims on PAPER. But the degree to which the celebrate or follow their religion varies greatly. Also if you do not declare your religion as something specifically non Muslim, it is assumed you are Muslim, and this also accounts for the 99% on paper.
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In my experience every Muslim in the world never touches alcohol nor strays outside the bounds of marriage.

:snowball:
 
ToutCa said:
I've been researching the drug smuggling angle. I still think it's a long shot, but I was curious.

**Drug smugglers often have mules change plans abruptly, including dates of travel.

So maybe they told her to change it, and in fact even urged her to post a cover story about the date change on social media.

If the meeting was the final handoff of objects to be smuggled, it still doesn't seem quite right though:

--why would she show up without all her stuff for the airport? Normally they prep you right before you go and take you directly to the airport.
--why would she pay all the money for the trip (say $2000 minimum overall) only to make the paltry salary of a drug courier -- seems to be about $5000 tops?


If the meeting was to pay her for objects delivered:

--why would they wait a couple days after she was back in IST?

If she had been sent money by American parties to do a buy:

--where was she going to put the stuff and why go all the way back to her apartment and then leave later? Only increases the risks.

It looks possible, but still flimsy if you think it through.
Click to expand...


Because she didn't know. I've posted that already. I don't think she knew what was going on. She was a perfect mark. She wasn't paid for anything.

She wasn't mugged and the body was stashed, not left where she was killed. She was hidden. What killer goes to the trouble of hiding a body? Not a random mugger, but someone who needs to buy themselves time. I doubt the person is still in Turkey.

I personally think she realized what happened and wanted to get out of the country ASAP but couldn't say anything because she was afraid that she'd get stuck over there. I doubt she knew the country's drug laws, and probably panicked.

Her Ipad and Iphone were stolen to hide information about people she had contacted.
 
Hello, I've been following the correspondence here for some time with great interest. I'm Turkish, and the notion of whom I perceive as a guest to my country ending up in dead in such circumstances frustrates me, which led me to follow up this case with an unusual obsession.

I've joined this forum to share some insights, which may or may not have been shared before. I realize there's been a lot of talk and some very interesting theories, but the sheer length of the correspondence inclines me to think that perhaps what I'm sharing may have been brought up before. Therefore, I apologize if that turns out to be the case.

Now, firstly, this is an extremely high profile case, because it involves a foreigner. As such, there's an equally high amount of pressure on Turkish National Police from the political players, so you may rest assured it's given the highest priority. Turkey's politics which are set on full integration with the west, specifically EU, necessitates that any case with this particularities involving a member of the minorities or foreigners be given highest priority.

Secondly, there's been speculation of Taylan/Tarkan being an Intel/MIT guy. I don't buy that. Much has been leaked to the press about him even before his attorney came forward. If this was an intelligence officer or even a mere asset, such leaks would not be allowed to happen in the first place. Besides, his background provided to us, having master's degrees abroad and living abroad, are an overkill for government service, which is known for meager pay as compared to private sector. It would take somebody who's extremely dedicated to have a position in gov service with that education, and any such dedication would prevail over having social network accounts and meddling with people over Internet. So, I think that speculation can be summarily dismissed.
 
Herat said:
I think the covering with a blanket is also one of those possible indicators that her assailant knew her and had some type of emotional connection to her. Like he wanted to comfort her and protect her post-mortem. The blanket seems excessive. One could have just as easily covered her face with her pants or the missing jacket.
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If I had a nickel for every place at the crime scene the blanket has been reported...

It has been reported to be, from memory: 1 meter away, 10 feet away, 10 meters away, wrapped around her, folded nearby with her stuff laid out on top of it, wrapped around some of her possessions...and said to belong obviously to the killer, obviously to homeless in the area...said to have obviously been used to carry her, to obviously belong to the homeless, to be just litter in the area...

Edit: Also, forgot to mention that sometimes it reproduces and becomes two blankets, for extra additional interpretation madness.

It's one of the many items in the story that dance around and mean pretty much whatever you want them to mean.
 
ToutCa said:
I've been researching the drug smuggling angle. I still think it's a long shot, but I was curious.

**Drug smugglers often have mules change plans abruptly, including dates of travel.

So maybe they told her to change it, and in fact even urged her to post a cover story about the date change on social media.

If the meeting was the final handoff of objects to be smuggled, it still doesn't seem quite right though:

It looks possible, but still flimsy if you think it through.
Click to expand...

I'm also still bothered about The Day Without The Big Green Bag. We have never seen any of the Jan 21 CCTV photos, right? So we don't know exactly what she was or wasn't carrying.

What if she was given a bag in Am/Munich to carry back and was to give that bag to a contact on Jan 21? It could have contained something she was to smuggle take back to the US via Turkey or could have been empty and she was supposed to pick up the material at the ?meeting point in the walls near Sayanbunu.

Would aiport security keep images from all baggage screenings at the airports that could be reviewed by LE? That should't be an immense task to be able to correlate her arrival/departure times with screenings. Would any airport cameras have images with her and her bags?

I'm still a bit bothered by why images of her last day have not been released, even when she was just missing. Usually there is a description of physical characteristisc and "last seen wearing" stuff.

Flimsy, yes, but so much of this investigation just doesn't seem to be jelling.
 
Chewy said:
This is the idea that I had weeks ago. But it was pooh poohed down. To me it's the only thing that matches all the clues.

To me it's crystal clear what happened.
Click to expand...

Your theory is possible, but intricate. We'll see. Saying it's "crystal clear" that it's the only explanation is oversell, my friend. But it's a possible theory, for sure.
 
ToutCa said:
In my experience every Muslim in the world never touches alcohol nor strays outside the bounds of marriage.

:snowball:
Click to expand...

I'm going to have to assume this is an example of sarcasm. :what:
 
Are you "offended" that I am confident in my theory? I am usually right in the way I interpret things, so maybe it comes off arrogant. We'll see
 
Chewy said:
Because she didn't know. I've posted that already. I don't think she knew what was going on. She was a perfect mark. She wasn't paid for anything.

She wasn't mugged and the body was stashed, not left where she was killed. She was hidden. What killer goes to the trouble of hiding a body? Not a random mugger, but someone who needs to buy themselves time. I doubt the person is still in Turkey.

I personally think she realized what happened and wanted to get out of the country ASAP but couldn't say anything because she was afraid that she'd get stuck over there. I doubt she knew the country's drug laws, and probably panicked.

Her Ipad and Iphone were stolen to hide information about people she had contacted.
Click to expand...

This certainly makes as much sense as anything else out there. However, thinking you are being set up for a drug mule transaction, I would have taken any available transport to get out of Turkey. Any available flight to any city in Europe. She could have returned the ticket and begged her way onto a quick flight to Rome or Athens or anywhere, just out of there. Then called here husband panic-stricken to wire her a ticket home.

I think she must have walked into this assault blindly.
 
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