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

[Yellow]

8 January: Gets settled in the basement studio she rented in Tarlabasi

9 January: Goes out to get to know the area. Meets the grocery store guy, checkso out places to eat

10 January: Leaves room at noon. Goes to Sulyanahmet (Square). Visits Blue Mosque and Byzantium obelisks in teh Suqare to take photos. Return to Tarlabasi

11 January: First goes to Karaköy., teh to Galata Bridge. Eats at one one the fish restaurant under the bridge. Afterwards, takes photos on the bridge.

12 January: Goes back to Sultanahmet, visits Arasta Bazaar and Ahmet the third Foundation.

13 January: Goes to Eminönü around noon, takes a tour ferry to see Bosporus. Takes photos of Istanbul from teh ferry. Meets Taylan K.

14 January: Resumes her visit to Eminönü. Goes to Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar. Does some shopping and takes photos. Returns Taksim in the early evening. After sunset, goes to Galata Tower. Goes in the Tower, takes photos. Lates, takes photos of the Arabic Mosque. (was initially a Gothic church)

15 January: Leaves room to go to the Airport and takes off for Amsterdam.

16-17-18 January: Out of Turkey

19 January: Arrives at Istanbul Airport. Goes to her flat.

20 January: Wanders around in Beyoglu. Goes to a mall. Walks around Istiklal Avenue. Meets with Taylan K.

21 January: The day she went missing. On the Galata Bridge at 11:30. Seen in Sirkeci circa 13:15.

Do we know where this itinerary came from? I read that her father said she was updating them with commentary and photos throughout her trip. I also read seperately that she had taken 264 photos. Of course, I can't find the links now. Is it possible her photos were online for her family to see but she didn't put many on instagram until she had the chance to do whatever photographers do to them (you can tell I'm no photography buff!)?

I wonder where they got this detailed schedule from. I suppose she was writing her family each day what she visited and that is how LE came up w this schedule.

What is odd, if indeed LE deduced this schedule based on what she was emailing her family, was why the lack of detail for the days in Amsterdam and munich? Was she not writing family every day what she was doing there?

 

[lavy]

Just as an FYI, I usually go back on the last day of vacation to a spot where I wanted to take more photos. So I don't see that as strange.

I do the same too but it is still strange when I think she passed the bridge at least 8 times with either tram or on foot.

Totally OT, I need my coffee in the morning. Are there many Starbucks in the Old City?

Not any that I can remember. There is one at Karakoy just before the Galata bridge.

By the way the best Starbucks ever is the one in Bebek. I think ThinkHard said the same the other day.

Apparently there are 5 more at the area
http://www.starbucks.com.tr/store-locator

 

[Munich]

Does anyone remember the discussion about the gold jewelry, probably in the first thread? It had to do with the way gold is marked in Turkey and elsewhere.

Did we ever find out how Saria's jewelry was marked?

I believe it might be interesting to find out, especially about her potential purchases in Turkey and the value of the purchases.

Is gold jewelry a popular tourist purchase?

I remember when "everyone" used to travel to Italy to purchase gold jewelry because it was reasonable and good quality.

Yes... 14K etc. vs. 585 in Turkey. Those little details I don't believe have been released, but seeing as though there was this budget I am guessing these were personal pieces from the US.

There's a lot of haggling to be done, and while there are plenty of jewelers at the Grand Bazaar, you have to really know what you want and what it's worth or it's easy to be had. I also always thought, perhaps unfairly, that the salesmen would prefer to haggle with the men rather than women.

 

[KivaSupporter]

Forget Starbucks, you must try Turkish Coffee while you are there. It's divine, but yes so thick you actually probably can get your spoon stuck in it!

Love, love, love Turkish coffee.

Do they serve it with a cube of sugar?

Or, and, are you familiar with telling fortunes reading the coffee grounds? I learned from the best.

I apologize this is off topic.

 

[english]

Have these articles about the postman been translated anywhere that I've missed?

http://www.takvim.com.tr/Guncel/2013/01/30/son-kareler
http://www.timeturk.com/tr/2013/01/28/abd-li-sierra-nin-evine-evrak-getiren-postaci-konustu.html

 

[KivaSupporter]

Yes... 14K etc. vs. 585 in Turkey. Those little details I don't believe have been released, but seeing as though there was this budget I am guessing these were personal pieces from the US.

There's a lot of haggling to be done, and while there are plenty of jewelers at the Grand Bazaar, you have to really know what you want and what it's worth or it's easy to be had. I also always thought, perhaps unfairly, that the salesmen would prefer to haggle with the men rather than women.

I think you are right about haggling. I was curious about what she might have purchased and if it might be in some way helpful to solve this case.

 

[Munich]

Perhaps it is too many episodes of Locked up Abroad / Banged up Abroad, but I still think she was approached at some point to transport something illegal from IST back to NYC. She may have had her trip paid for, she may have not, but that would explain both the unsavory characters and the urgent need to get out of there 4 days early at any cost.

The traffickers likely caught wind of her plans and this didn't bode well, which had this tragic ending we're all trying to piece together. Between ease of getting around with the metro and watching for her in areas she'd often cross this could easily be a group.

I think payment would be given at the airport when they brought her or last possible moment, which would explain why she needed money from her husband for the ticket change.

 

[ToutCa]

I wonder where they got this detailed schedule from.

The itinerary came from the Turkish paper Radikal this morning. The sources for it are not made clear. It is thus not set in stone, and you shouldn't rely in anything in it as being the definitive word. It covers Turkey only, because yes, it was a Turkish paper that said they got the itinerary from Turkish LE, more or less. They don't have a clue what SS did off Turkish soil, certainly not on a day by day, hour by hour basis. Yashim translated it for us.

 

[tardislass]

Have these articles about the postman been translated anywhere that I've missed?

http://www.takvim.com.tr/Guncel/2013/01/30/son-kareler
http://www.timeturk.com/tr/2013/01/2...i-konustu.html

Postman??



Will try Turkish coffee. I heard there's a good coffee shop in the Grand Bazaar.

 

[Yellow]

Perhaps it is too many episodes of Locked up Abroad / Banged up Abroad, but I still think she was approached at some point to transport something illegal from IST back to NYC. She may have had her trip paid for, she may have not, but that would explain both the unsavory characters and the urgent need to get out of there 4 days early at any cost.

The traffickers likely caught wind of her plans and this didn't bode well, which had this tragic ending we're all trying to piece together. Between ease of getting around with the metro and watching for her in areas she'd often cross this could easily be a group.

I think payment would be given at the airport when they brought her or last possible moment, which would explain why she needed money from her husband for the ticket change.

I believe she changed her schedule to come home early within a few days of arriving in Istanbul. It was not a totally last minute change (though there was the thing about husband wiring money so I am not sure)

Still, if you accept this theory, perhaps she did not tell anyone of her change in plans till later. Something had to have happened for her to change her plans and pay all that extra money. Some say it was school problems, but I think it must have been something more..

 

[Yashim]

Totally OT, I need my coffee in the morning. Are there many Starbucks in the Old City?

Yes, all over the city. Some Neros. And remnants of Gloria Jeans. Some new local chains incl. Kahve Dünyası (Coffee World)

Oldest coffee house was in Istanbul: Kiva Han.

There is some establishment called Kiva Han, but it is not a coffee shop, it is an authentic Anatolian (rest of Turkey) cuisine. Istanbul cuisine is so rich that it alone has 300 types of rice dishes, yet they want to sell Anatolian dishes to tourists in Istanbul. Go figure.

 

[Wolf Dreamer]

This may have been posted already but

Istanbul authorities say the area where the mother-of-two was murdered is a known rape black spot in a run down part of the city.
A Swedish tourist was raped at knife point in the same place in January 2007, and in March 2010 a Japanese girl suffered a chillingly similar attack to Sarai's murder when she was beaten about the head with a rock and raped, according to Turkish daily newspaper Takvim.
Another 24-year-old Turkish girl was attacked at knife point at the same spot but managed to fight off her attacker and flee to safety.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...told-landlord-single-woman.html#ixzz2KRkegwmT

 

[lavy]

Have these articles about the postman been translated anywhere that I've missed?

http://www.takvim.com.tr/Guncel/2013/01/30/son-kareler
http://www.timeturk.com/tr/2013/01/28/abd-li-sierra-nin-evine-evrak-getiren-postaci-konustu.html

:what:

Never remember seeing them.
These are old ones, from before she was found.

The first one says there was a parcel for her and she disappeared after receiving it.

Second one: they talk to the postman. He says about 15-20 days ago I came to this building. He hasn't seen her. He says:
"Parcel was from USA, I delivered the documentation. I gave the parcel to the guy in basement. There are usually mail for him. There was a young friend staying. Missing woman's post came from USA."

What?? Its not my translation, this is the way it was.

 

[Munich]

:what:

Never remember seeing them.
These are old ones, from before she was found.

The first one says there was a parcel for her and she disappeared after receiving it.

Second one: they talk to the postman. He says about 15-20 days ago I came to this building. He hasn't seen her. He says:
"Parcel was from USA, I delivered the documentation. I gave the parcel to the guy in basement. There are usually mail for him. There was a young friend staying. Missing woman's post came from USA."

What?? Its not my translation, this is the way it was.

Umm... super interesting. No wonder that courier slant has stayed in the media. Let the speculation being as to what was in it.

 

[Yellow]

This may have been posted already but



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...told-landlord-single-woman.html#ixzz2KRkegwmT

What I do not understand is why all these tourists would be anywhere near this spot. It is my impression that this was a more deserted area. Why would the tourists be there? And why would they be there alone?

I would find it odd, in any city, for their to be one spot where you have alot of women being rapes or murdered. Especially if it is not an open spot

 

[Yashim]

"Postman" is a mistranslation.

They are about allegations that SS was a drug "courier", not a "postman".

On first glance, there is nothing new in them.

:floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh:

An American friend of mine was trying to learn Turkish. She was assigned an essay. In the essay, she wanted to say she was a Fine Arts major. She looks up the word "major" in dictionary and uses teh first word she sees: Binbaşı. Her teacher taught she was in the army, because "binbaşı" is the word for major as a rank in military forces.

This is the most I laughed since then.

 

[belimom]

:what:

Never remember seeing them.
These are old ones, from before she was found.

The first one says there was a parcel for her and she disappeared after receiving it.

Second one: they talk to the postman. He says about 15-20 days ago I came to this building. He hasn't seen her. He says:
"Parcel was from USA, I delivered the documentation. I gave the parcel to the guy in basement. There are usually mail for him. There was a young friend staying. Missing woman's post came from USA."

What?? Its not my translation, this is the way it was.

Hmmm. I wonder if this was the money her husband sent her? Remember the talk that he "sent" money rather than put money in an account for her to withdraw via ATM? I assumed "sent" may have meant wired. Surely he didn't literally send cash?

Aside from that, what could be in the package? And who sent it?!?

Wait - the guy in the basement? Wasn't Sarai the only one in the basement?!? Was the so-called landlord down in the basement while she was out? Or someone else?

 

[lavy]

It was written on the 28th. The postman says it was 15-20 days ago.
So a parcel for her from US in her first week.?

By the way I thought she was living in the basement and the airbnb guy was on the ground floor?

I didn't get who postman refers to by saying friend. It could be SS, the airbnb guy or somebody else.

 

[ToutCa]

This may have been posted already but

Yah, was posted this morning.

It was discussed upthread...the Japanese tourist is scarily similar.

The question we had, is was she a random attack like these other women, or lured there by someone to make it appear that way?

Still leaves us with questions...

 

[english]

:what:

Never remember seeing them.
These are old ones, from before she was found.

The first one says there was a parcel for her and she disappeared after receiving it.

Second one: they talk to the postman. He says about 15-20 days ago I came to this building. He hasn't seen her. He says:
"Parcel was from USA, I delivered the documentation. I gave the parcel to the guy in basement. There are usually mail for him. There was a young friend staying. Missing woman's post came from USA."

What?? Its not my translation, this is the way it was.

Thanks for that. It's how I translated it but as my turkish is only so-so I just wanted confirmation.