GUILTY Turkey - Sarai Sierra, 33, NY woman murdered, Istanbul, 21 Jan 2013 - #4

[alpmighty]

The currents on the Bosphorous are INCREDIBLY strong, even waited down, it is likely that the body could come loose and float to the surface.

A properly weighed down corpse wouldn't initially be effected much by the currents. Only at the late stages of decomposition would the weight might get off and you'd have a floater. But at that point, it wouldn't matter much because salt water induced late stage decomposition would severely limit the means of identification of the remains and retrieval of forensics evidence.

You might wanna go check out pictures of fished out bodies from recent suicides around Bosphorus from İstanbul Police's unidentified bodies web site to see what salt water decomposition is capable of. And consider that suicide cases don't have bodies weighed down, so bodies are fished out earlier than a properly weighed down murder victim.

Beware though, those pictures are extremely grim.

 

[Herat]

You might wanna go check out pictures of fished out bodies from recent suicides around Bosphorus from İstanbul Police's unidentified bodies web site to see what salt water decomposition is capable of

NO. You might NOT wanna go check out photos like that.

 

[alpmighty]

NO. You might NOT wanna go check out photos like that.

May God or whatever they believed in grant peace and rest to the souls of those who perished or ended up dead at sea. I just checked out some, I haven't done so for some time. Needless to say, I'm chilled to my bones. Extremely disturbing.

 

[Yellow]

These posts about putting the body in water make me wonder why didn't the murderer do that?

Is it common for LE (or even possible) to search the nearby waterways when there are murders? Or is it the case that they do not often search, even in high profile cases?

It seems that the seas around Istanbul would not be conducive for such a search, so why not put body in water? Sure, might wash up, but maybe not and some evidence could be washed away. If faces with the alternative - placing the body in a cave where it would be found eventually in the area where she last left surveillance - putting it in water would not be a bad idea, even if it would come up

Was it a timing issue? No one wanted anyone to see them dump the body? Dumping the body in water sounds like a good idea to me if I were the perp and the only reason I would not do it is bc I would not want to seen w body any more than needed...

So that makes it more likely in my mind she was killed on site bc if killed off site, why leave the body there, in a place where it was certain to be found?

 

[belimom]

There's a slightly updated version of the article I posted earlier, with this new info added (bbm):

A lifelong friend of Sarai's - who did not want to be identified - spoke exclusively to MailOnline about the rumors which have plagued her death since it was reported in the media.

The pair grew up in the same Silver Lake neighborhood of Staten Island, where she still resides, as do Sarai's husband and children and her parents, Betzaida and Dennis Jimenez.

Her friend lashed out at media reports the mother-of-two was having an affair with a man referred to as Taylan K but said she was surprised someone as cautious as Sarai would stay with men she did not know.

'A certain level of respect regardless of whatever the story is should be granted.,' she told MailOnline. 'The only truths to that are internal and that's where they should be.

'I don't know what to believe when it comes to the people she came into contact with. From recent reports and typical chatter, it seems she and her husband were going through their own rocky period. It happens.

'Is it hard to believe she may have been at a point in her life she was moving on or looking for adventure? No, I can't say that. Can I say any of that that with certainty? No.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ffair-dont-change-anything.html#ixzz2KeeSrgGp
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook​

 

[CMac2]

Timeline question:

Towards the end of last thread, the issue of the package SS allegedly received just before she went missing was being tossed around.

Does anyone know whether she changed her flight plans and cut her trip short before or after she received that package?

 

[bourne]

These posts about putting the body in water make me wonder why didn't the murderer do that?

Is it common for LE (or even possible) to search the nearby waterways when there are murders? Or is it the case that they do not often search, even in high profile cases?

It seems that the seas around Istanbul would not be conducive for such a search, so why not put body in water? Sure, might wash up, but maybe not and some evidence could be washed away. If faces with the alternative - placing the body in a cave where it would be found eventually in the area where she last left surveillance - putting it in water would not be a bad idea, even if it would come up

Was it a timing issue? No one wanted anyone to see them dump the body? Dumping the body in water sounds like a good idea to me if I were the perp and the only reason I would not do it is bc I would not want to seen w body any more than needed...

So that makes it more likely in my mind she was killed on site bc if killed off site, why leave the body there, in a place where it was certain to be found?

Perhaps where he murdered her was too far from the waters. He didn't want to risk being seen dragging her dead body to the water.

 

[belimom]

Perhaps where he murdered her was too far from the waters. He didn't want to risk being seen dragging her dead body to the water.

The other issue is that the location where she was found is separated from the water by a busy highway that runs long the water's edge. It would have been impossible to move it to the water during the day and probably somewhat risky at night as well, especially with the video surveillance cameras everywhere (the article I posted on the last thread said there were about 700 in Istanbul).

 

[bourne]

I wanted to bring this over:

Thanks for bringing this to this thread. I've not seen it before.

But I'll say either her hubby's a real saint or he's the biggest con. I'll wager it's the former because I don't believe he had anything to do with Sarai's murder.

On the other hand, I don't understand how if he loved his wife so much, why he isn't scouring all the news stories and whatever information he can find in order to find her killer and bring him to justice.

He says he's overwhelmed, but his wife, the mother of his two beautiful children, was brutally, savagely murdered. You'd think he'd want to find this murdering SOB ASAP and beat this perp senseless.

 

[belimom]

Another new article - not alot of new info though except that it says her husband last spoke to her on 1/19, not 1/14:

For Husband of Woman Killed in Turkey, a Grim and Uncertain Odyssey


For six desperate days, Steven D. Sierra crisscrossed the city of Istanbul, by foot and by car, in trains and on ferries, in search of his missing wife, a 33-year-old Staten Island woman who had never before been overseas....

....He retraced her steps, scanning crowds in the hope of seeing her among them....

..... Photography had become her passion in recent months, and meet-ups with new acquaintances from the photo-sharing site Instagram had grown common. She told him that, during her stay, she would be traveling with men she had met through Instagram, he said.

“Prior to my wife leaving, she already mentioned to me who she would be meeting and where she would be staying,” he said. Of the men she met in Turkey, including one identified by officials as Taylan K., Mr. Sierra said they were to be his wife’s tour guides....

....Almost immediately, Mr. Sierra began planning a trip to Turkey with her brother, David Jimenez, to find her. Like his wife, Mr. Sierra had never been abroad. He packed a single change of pants, in a small bag. The two men arrived on Jan. 28.

Despite having grown up in New York, Mr. Sierra found Istanbul overwhelming, with its sprawling size, bustling crowds and warrens of narrow streets. Friends of Mr. Jimenez introduced them to “friends of friends,” who put them up during their stay, Mr. Sierra said.

They had their first meeting at the American Consulate on Jan. 29, and later met with Turkish police officials. “They had a whole room dedicated to just looking at many hours of videotape,” he said.

He visited the building where his wife had stayed, in a gritty part of the city, and spoke with the man who had rented a basement apartment to her. “He was very apologetic,” he remembered. “I could see it in his eyes that he was broken.” Mr. Sierra did not go inside....

....One video had shown her eating at a downtown food court, and so Mr. Sierra, sleepless and increasingly frightened, went there. It was then that he received the call he had been dreading: a woman had been found dead that day, Feb. 2, and the Turkish police believed it was Sarai....

More at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/n...sland-woman-a-grim-and-uncertain-odyssey.html
​

 

[necco]

Grief works in mysterious ways. He may have someone feeding him the facts but leaving out the gossip and salacious angles. I believe him. I believe that even in the face of potential infidelity, in the end, what matters is not that they were going through a rough patch, it's not that she may or may not have sought comfort in the arms of another while working through some issues, what matters is that his best friend, the mother of his children and his wife was brutally murdered. I know many men who would also be able to overlook an indiscretion given certain circumstances.

 

[Herat]

I believe him and I really feel his grief and sadness.

How awful to have to wander the streets and hope that you might just see her. How futile yet compelling as you have no other insight as to how to find her. These were terrible desperate and lonely times for him.

I hope his faith and family can comfort him.

 

[bourne]

Another new article - not alot of new info though except that it says her husband last spoke to her on 1/19, not 1/14:

For Husband of Woman Killed in Turkey, a Grim and Uncertain Odyssey


For six desperate days, Steven D. Sierra crisscrossed the city of Istanbul, by foot and by car, in trains and on ferries, in search of his missing wife, a 33-year-old Staten Island woman who had never before been overseas....

....He retraced her steps, scanning crowds in the hope of seeing her among them....

..... Photography had become her passion in recent months, and meet-ups with new acquaintances from the photo-sharing site Instagram had grown common. She told him that, during her stay, she would be traveling with men she had met through Instagram, he said.

“Prior to my wife leaving, she already mentioned to me who she would be meeting and where she would be staying,” he said. Of the men she met in Turkey, including one identified by officials as Taylan K., Mr. Sierra said they were to be his wife’s tour guides....

....Almost immediately, Mr. Sierra began planning a trip to Turkey with her brother, David Jimenez, to find her. Like his wife, Mr. Sierra had never been abroad. He packed a single change of pants, in a small bag. The two men arrived on Jan. 28.

Despite having grown up in New York, Mr. Sierra found Istanbul overwhelming, with its sprawling size, bustling crowds and warrens of narrow streets. Friends of Mr. Jimenez introduced them to “friends of friends,” who put them up during their stay, Mr. Sierra said.

They had their first meeting at the American Consulate on Jan. 29, and later met with Turkish police officials. “They had a whole room dedicated to just looking at many hours of videotape,” he said.

He visited the building where his wife had stayed, in a gritty part of the city, and spoke with the man who had rented a basement apartment to her. “He was very apologetic,” he remembered. “I could see it in his eyes that he was broken.” Mr. Sierra did not go inside....

....One video had shown her eating at a downtown food court, and so Mr. Sierra, sleepless and increasingly frightened, went there. It was then that he received the call he had been dreading: a woman had been found dead that day, Feb. 2, and the Turkish police believed it was Sarai....

More at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/n...sland-woman-a-grim-and-uncertain-odyssey.html
​

Wow, I"m about to break into tears again reading about this broken man. I must be oversentimental tonight.

I still find some of his behaviors odd. E.g., this article says "Mr. Sierra did not go inside..." the apartment where Sarai stayed and this was presumably before her body was found. If it were me, that'd be my very first place to look for my missing spouse, to see if she left any clues as to her whereabouts. Hmm...

I do understand though, that individual behaviors are different. But still, I find his odd.

 

[necco]

Wow, I"m about to break into tears again reading about this broken man. I must be oversentimental tonight.

I still find some of his behaviors odd. E.g., this article says "Mr. Sierra did not go inside..." the apartment where Sarai stayed and this was presumably before her body was found. If it were me, that'd be my very first place to look for my missing spouse, to see if she left any clues as to her whereabouts. Hmm...

I do understand though, that individual behaviors are different. But still, I find his odd.

If she was going through a rough patch, if she was dealing with a medical issue (either something mental health related or otherwise) that precipitated the need for the vacation she expressed, perhaps he was afraid she was in the apartment. I can't blame him for not wanting to go in if he thought there was a chance she was in there and no longer of this earth.

 

[bourne]

If she was going through a rough patch, if she was dealing with a medical issue (either something mental health related or otherwise) that precipitated the need for the vacation she expressed, perhaps he was afraid she was in the apartment. I can't blame him for not wanting to go in if he thought there was a chance she was in there and no longer of this earth.

But didn't the landlord tell LE (and I assume by default, Mr. Sierra) that she was not in the apartment? That only her bag and Turkish phone were in there?

 

[bourne]

My latest theory -- if Taylan's the murderer -- is that his motive for killing her is that not only did Sarai reject his sexual advances and refused to stay with him in Istanbul, but that she told him the reason she didn't want to be with him is because he is unemployed and has no job.

My read of him is that Taylan's an arrogant, cocky man since he's from a well-to-do family and has an elite education abroad. From what I read, he also has lots of attractive female friends. So his ego is already inflated. He can't believe Sarai, a lowly housewife with little education and no college degree refused him. He gets offended, misinterprets her words to mean that she's calling him a loser.

He gets majorly p.o. He thinks, how dare you, a lowly *advertiser censored*, insult me, when I am far superior to you.

She backs away, seeing the fanatical rage in his eyes. He snaps. Runs after her, grabbing her. She pushes him away. He picks up a large rock and conks her on the head with it, and continues to bash her face in. The rest is history.

 

[Yellow]

I do not know what Steven can do. The investigation is in Turkey, and I think he has alot of confidence in both Turkish LE and the FBI. They want this solved.

Remember too he has two small children whose mother was murdered, 1st priority is them. If much of what has been in the press is wrong, it has to be extremely hurtful to hear rumors about your wife. And to know that your children will read those rumors one day.

Artixle indicates that hostel owner met him and was compassionate.....

Anyone find it odd that no IG friend met him there? Suppose you met fellow WS member in person in your city, then they go missing. Their family travels 5000 miles looking for them. Would you meet w the family or perhaps help family out w logistics, etc? Especially if you were last to see the person alive, I would help, email them helping w logistics, flyers, walking the area, etc. it seems only Amsterdam IG is helping out.

I am not saying Taylan is a suspect and I guess dynamics could be weird if he had sex w SS, but I would think most non romantic acquaintances would go over backward helping family w missing person

Taylan was so eager to serve as tour guide for SS, why not help out Steve and brother? Maybe the sex was something to hide, maybe he did not want to get involved, maybe he was hiding something, we do not know. I would at least thought he would have met w him ...

 

[NewYork625]

Timeline question:

Towards the end of last thread, the issue of the package SS allegedly received just before she went missing was being tossed around.

Does anyone know whether she changed her flight plans and cut her trip short before or after she received that package?

Did she receive a package? That was the first I'd heard of it and the only reference I can find of it on the internet is on WS.

 

[NewYork625]

I do not know what Steven can do. The investigation is in Turkey, and I think he has alot of confidence in both Turkish LE and the FBI. They want this solved.




Remember too he has two small children whose mother was murdered, 1st priority is them. If much of what has been in the press is wrong, it has to be extremely hurtful to hear rumors about your wife. And to know that your children will read those rumors one day.




Artixle indicates that hostel owner met him and was compassionate.....




Anyone find it odd that no IG friend met him there? Suppose you met fellow WS member in person in your city, then they go missing. Their family travels 5000 miles looking for them. Would you meet w the family or perhaps help family out w logistics, etc? Especially if you were last to see the person alive, I would help, email them helping w logistics, flyers, walking the area, etc. it seems only Amsterdam IG is helping out.




*I am not saying Taylan is a suspect and I guess dynamics could be weird if he had sex w SS, but I would think most non romantic acquaintances would go over backward helping family w missing person




Taylan was so eager to serve as tour guide for SS, why not help out Steve and brother? Maybe the sex was something to hide, maybe he did not want to get involved, maybe he was hiding something, we do not know. I would at least thought he would have met w him ...

http://http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2277329/Sarai-Sierra-Husband-New-York-mother-killed-Turkey-says-reports-traveled-affair-dont-change-anything.html#axzz2KclBGomG

"Mr. Sierra said that he is happy with the ongoing Turkish investigation into his wife's murder, and said that he even spoke to a number of the suspects himself."

 

[necco]

Way back on page 40 of thread 3, I said that I had traveled alone extensively, that I am about SS's age and in all those trips, I was only ever in danger once. And that was from someone I had known for 20 years. I was reiterating that women traveling alone are not the damsels in distress that some imagine. Nor are we all swept in upon by every con and john in a city.

Yashim then asked what country I was in danger in. So I didn't want to leave him hanging. I was in the USA.