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

[Herat]

WAIT! I got an idea!
She had 2 pairs of shoes with her.

If she tucked her jeans into her boots, that would explain the "skinny" jeans look. If she later put on sneakers (which to me it looks like she could be wearing in the sidewalk pic) the jeans would look more flared.

She must have thrown her boots into the Bosphorus because that bag she is carrying is not carrying those wedge-shaped boots.

 

[ThinkHard]

Just as a side note, whenever Ive traveled in the Islamic world, such a statement usually means that the community is okay with foreigners standing out. Im paranoid so I always cover, even if I look like a foreigner, at least it lends a sense of untouchability among most ppl. IMO, standing out isnt worth it. But, I suppose it boils down to the reason a traveler is there.

Yes but you can't really apply traveling to other Islamic countries to Istanbul. Turkey is secular and Istanbul is especially westernized. Up until recently, due to changes made by Erdogan, even if you chose to wear a headscarf, if you were at school, or held a job at a government run agency, airport, post office etc you were not allowed to wear your head scarf there....this was to keep separation of religion and state.

In Istanbul its not just a matter of people being ok with not having your head covered, its that the vast majority of people, I'd guess at least 70% do not cover their head in any way. You would actually stand out more by covering your head. Trust me on this, I lived in Istanbul for over a year.

So your assumption about standing out in Istanbul for not being covered are incorrect.

 

[Herat]

Do you think she is on the phone in this picture?

No, I think she is pulling her hair back behind her ear.

We've seen the Amsterdam photos with her carrying a bag on her right shoulder and she has her cellphone up to her left ear, held in her left hand.

 

[zarra30]

Chief Capkin said that when her body was found, Ms. Sierra was wearing the same outfit she was seen in on video recorded at a food court and on a street the day she disappeared.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/nyregion/turks-turn-to-dna-in-search-for-staten-island-womans-killer.html?_r=0

That's probably another mis-translation or a blind. Just can't buy it.

Not in a New York minute is a girl like Sarai going to wear the exact same shirt two days in a row. LOL
KrsP, poster from SI New York where are you? We need you in this fashion debate, girl!

 

[Herat]

Exactly.....the really bad bit of video we saw earlier which looks like somebody other than SS, made me wonder if the whole 'we have her on tape up to point x' thing is just a red herring and not true.....since they had also said that she could have been attacked elsewhere and later taken to the walls..(that is....not walking along Kennedy at all)

Aaargh.

Maybe they don't actually have the right person on surveillance and don't have a freakin' clue about where she was.

Do LE have any women on their force who would be able to explain this to Captain Capkin?

 

[alpmighty]

alp, that seems like so twelve hour's ago - the release of Jan 21 surveillance photos have rocketed discussion along new channels.

We're discussing fashion now. Although we haven't yet gotten into Istanbul internet cafe fashion for recyclers.

Not for recyclers but for financially disadvantaged who cannot afford to own a computer. Long term serving non college grad conscripts, children of poor families etc. As a matter of fact, since owning a computer and Internet subscription is currently well affordable for middle class, you do not see much of Internet cafes around that you assume it would be the case anymore, those are long out of business. They were a phenomenon of 90s and early 2000s.

Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2

 

[writer411]

I sure hope Turkish ppl can sue for defamation bkuz this endless stream of names and photos being trotted out in the media as potential killers seems kind of unjust. Why dont they just focus on solving the case?

 

[ThinkHard]

WAIT! I got an idea!
She had 2 pairs of shoes with her.

If she tucked her jeans into her boots, that would explain the "skinny" jeans look. If she later put on sneakers (which to me it looks like she could be wearing in the sidewalk pic) the jeans would look more flared.

Good point. But where would she be carrying her boots? I would think they would be heavy and bulky. We can't tell what kind of bag she is carrying but it doesn't seem like a large one.

 

[alpmighty]

I think someone can't translate Turkish very well.

And I think Captain Capkin will never work in the fashion industry.

His rank and status does not correspond to Captain in typical US LE sense. He is at the helm of Turkish National Police in the whole Istanbul province. Chief of police or Superintendent would be more appropriate.

Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Herat]

Good point. But where would she be carrying her boots? I would think they would be heavy and bulky. We can't tell what kind of bag she is carrying but it doesn't seem like a large one.

Those boots ain't in that bag.

 

[alpmighty]

Z could even be illeterate

Might or might not be. But his family is clearly lower middle class and elementary school attendance was mandatory and free even at the time of his childhood. I'm inclined to think he is literate, but he most likely doesn't speak any foreign language.

Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2

 

[SANDOVAL]

Do you think she is on the phone in this picture?

I wondered, but i thought someone said she holds her phone in right hand.

 

[necco]

Good point. But where would she be carrying her boots? I would think they would be heavy and bulky. We can't tell what kind of bag she is carrying but it doesn't seem like a large one.

If the boots are soft leather or suede, they wouldn't take up much more room in a bag than sneakers. If they were work books or harder leather like Docs, that's a different story. Even though can fold down pretty well though.

 

[Herat]

His rank and status does not correspond to Captain in typical US LE sense. He is at the helm of Turkish National Police in the whole Istanbul province. Chief of police or Superintendent would be more appropriate.

Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2

Chief of Police / Superintendant / Grand Visar of the Turkish National Police has either been misquoted or mistranslated.

 

[NewYork625]

Z could even be illeterate

Um....

 

[alpmighty]

When will the misinformation end? I don't know if the Turkish officials don't know the facts, or they are trying to confuse the public - Turks here - which one do you think?

Turkish LE would have no motive to confuse the public, unless it was felt that confusion would aid the investigation and the manhunt.

Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Herat]

If the boots are soft leather or suede, they wouldn't take up much more room in a bag than sneakers. If they were work books or harder leather like Docs, that's a different story. Even though can fold down pretty well though.

I disagree because I think the wedge heels are going to be non-compressible and ick- dirty.

 

[ThinkHard]

In this image it looks like those steps are to a hotel or something in the eminonu area.

I was thinking it was the tiled counter in front of a takeout place- like some place that might sell ice cream, but your post makes me realize it is a step with a flowerpot in front of a place with at least one sign on the right and probably another on the left.

But if this image the one from 130pm is TRULY the last image of her....then she really could have disappeared from anywhere....into a house, into a car.....maybe she didn't even make it to the walls.

Or into that building.



Yet, the insistence by LE that the rock that was used to kill her was found in the walls.

Maybe she was killed at the walls, but maybe just not within the time frame we have been led to believe she was there. Maybe the info about the rock is just another red herring I guess that could be possible to. Maybe its intentional, maybe LE wants the public to believe, that LE believes she was killed there and that they are not pursuing other possibilities.

I just think the time frame of her disapearance at least of what we have been led to believe so far is inaccurate. And I think its significant. And at least to me makes the idea of random attack because she wandered randomly to the walls less plausible.

After all there is a big difference btw being spotted in serkeci headed to cankurtan at 1:15. And then being spotted by an eminonu camera clearly in front of a building at 130.

 

[NewYork625]

Do you think she is on the phone in this picture?

Holding your phone to your right ear with your left hand would be awkward. I think she's brushing the hair from her face.

 

[alpmighty]

Aaargh.

Maybe they don't actually have the right person on surveillance and don't have a freakin' clue about where she was.

Do LE have any women on their force who would be able to explain this to Captain Capkin?

Çapkn personally doesn't lead the investigation, he is the chief of police for Istanbul province. And yes, there are a lot of women at various levels in Turkish National Police.

Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2