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

[Herat]

There is a video on YouTube that is pretty good footage of a camera crew sneaking around behind the walls to try to get shots of the place SS's body was found. They even rode a train past the spot to catch it:

Sarai Sierra Katilin İzi Kanlı Taşta - YouTube

The picture of the tracks at the body is real close to where she was found IMO.

That is really interesting footage. You can see the area is full of those thick brick arches like where her body was found. You can see the little areas with stuff like homeless people use to camp with- sheets of plastic, some garbage, cut up sticks. The area has lots of trees and bushes, so there are only narrow paths, unless you follow beside the train tracks. From the looks of those little paths, you would have to drag a body over lots of sticks, twigs, and rocks, unless you took the chance to drag it along the grass by the railroad tracks. That area is quite open and you would take a risk of being seen by a passing train. Which makes me think the body might have been transported at night.

If you look at the other excellent url for the excellent trip down Kennedy with the streetview option, I think it looks deceptively safe if you stick to the water side of the stree.

We don't really know where SS got to the other side of the wall but I'm thinking it was from the railroad tracks north of where the body was found, rather than farther south. Maybe she was photographing them or some of the little bum hovels. I don't see any graffiti on the track side of the wall. It does have an isolated, deserted look and feel to it, and it's not difficult to see vagrants are living there. Even at midday I would not want to be there.

It makes me wonder if she actually went there alone or if she did go with someone. As someone who was with other photographers in the railyards and grafffitti strewn areas of NYC, this seems an anomaly to go down there by herself.

 

[NewYork625]

I definitely think it's highly plausible she could have chosen to walk there without any sort of assignation because I walked there when I was visiting Istanbul last fall. Yes, it did feel creepy but it made sense when I was looking at a map (major route next to the water) and once I was there I felt committed to the route I'd chosen. I did not climb up into the wall area but I'm not a photographer. I'd imagine that after having spent a couple of weeks there (excluding side trips) she was feeling fairly comfortable.

Below is a link where you can "walk" along Kennedy Caddessi and get a little bit of a feel for the area...the kind of feel somebody like myself, or Sarai, who was not familiar with Istanbul would have.

http://tinyurl.com/bprw7vm

the link is to http://harita.yandex.com.tr but it was really long. It offers "street view" of Istanbul which google maps doesn't.

Thank you for the link! It is much as I was imagining it to be.

By choice I live in a rural area, in a 200+ year old (old for the US) stone house. I am fascinated by history, and generally not at all fearful walking in wooded/uninhabited areas.

Staten Island, where Sarai lived, has some "country" type areas as well.

Not knowing it was possibly a "bad" area, I can imagine I would not have hesitated (and would have wanted to) explore the walls myself, particularly on a sunny day. The added factor of Sarai being a photographer makes me think she most likely went their willingly, and with a sense of curiosity and adventure.

ETA I don't know about there, but here the wooded areas are quite "wild" looking, and often have quite a bit of litter, either from passing cars, teenagers, whatever...My point is that seeing refuse wouldn't make me assume that the area was inhabited by homeless people, and I don't think Sarai thought that either.

 

[zarra30]

I agree too, but why was she walking around there? And noone else agrees that she looks like shes carrying a big box in that "last seen" footage?

Hey E.B. Can you (or someone) please tell me the post number or link of the big box everyone is talking about? Thanks.

 

[NewYork625]

Yes, you are right. My parting is always in the same place, and so is my daughters. In fact, unless you were trying out a completely new hairstyle that would be the way your hair naturally part. If you wanted something different with your hair you have to "train" your parting. It takes a while, and you can use grips at night ect to "train" your hair to lay in a different way...haha i'm prob boring you now!!

I've been out all day, and am trying to catch up, so forgive me if I repeat something someone else has already said. I have long hair and my part is always on the same side, but not always in the same place. I use a comb, and sometimes make it a little higher, and sometimes a little lower.

 

[EncyclopediaBrown]

Hey E.B. Can you (or someone) please tell me the post number or link of the big box everyone is talking about? Thanks.

post 1438

just looked again and it looks like a big shopping bag--like one you'd get from ikea.

 

[NewYork625]

This is the footage where it looks like she is carrying a big package/box under her right arm. Look at the second half of the video.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/Default.aspx?pageID=428&VideoID=486

 

[ThinkHard]

Under that scenario, the murder would have had to have taken place on the 20th. Could you really organize that in less than a day, though? And what woman would be a willing accomplice in that? Maybe she might not knew what she is doing, but now that the video is all over the news, why take the risk someone third party would leak it?

Also, why do it where the body was found? The video led the police right to the body. Why not do a similar video in another part of town, call in an anonymous tip that you saw SS there and throw LE off the trail? The location of the video does not make sense for a deliberate disguise bc why do the video anywhere near the body?

I think it is hard to tell from videos what people look like. I do not see any reason LE would be misleading on this and we hear nothing from her family saying it is not here. At least by now I am sure someone in her family saw the video and no one is disputing it. She looks similar to the video in the airport.

I explained why I thought they could get someone to go along with it, by saying that perhaps the girl was a prostitute in the country illegally.

Now I know this whole theory is a stretch I freely admit that.

But for argument sake, let me attempt to answer your question in the context of this scenario. The reason they would do so, would be to lead the LE to her body.

That way it would be believable that she got there on her own merit and make the random act of violence theory more believable of course!

 

[ThinkHard]

It might be an intelligent cover, I can't think of any cases where such a cover had been done, I.e., involving a third party to dress as the victim. If you are going to leave the body there anyway, what purpose does it serve? Alot of people are still suspicious of some of the IGs so there is still alot of suspicion on them anyway,,,

To throw off the time, date, and location she went missing from of course.

If LE isn't even starting there investigation from the right place, it lessens the chance of finding the truth.

 

[ThinkHard]

Where did you that he came from a family with connections? Because he met with LE away from the police station?

Because they keep saying he came from a good family. Usually that means a family with means.

 

[ThinkHard]

Where are they getting that he comes from a family with connections? I haven't gotten any of that from any news reports. Yes, he went to college out of the country but so do a lot of Turks.

Turks who come from families that can afford to send them to grad school abroad.

 

[ThinkHard]

Regarding the decoy theory, unless law enforcement or the killer knew that some damning evidence existed, I see no reason why such a diversion would even be attempted.

I could understand if there was video of Sarai and the suspect together on the 21st, because this would motivate the killer to distance himself from the murder. Even then, I think the killer would just flee rather than manufacture a falsehood.

Until now nobody seems to be saying that Sarai was seen with any suspicious characters on the day she disappeared, though I may have overlooked this.

What if the damning evidence was that Taylan was the last person seen with her alive on the night of the 20th,

So it had to appear that she was still alive on the 21st in order to distance himself.

 

[NewYork625]

What if the damning evidence was that Taylan was the last person seen with her alive on the night of the 20th,

So it had to appear that she was still alive on the 21st in order to distance himself.

If that was the case, when he activated her phone wouldn't he have sent a message to someone to make it look like she was still alive?

 

[zarra30]

This is the footage where it looks like she is carrying a big package/box under her right arm. Look at the second half of the video.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/Default.aspx?pageID=428&VideoID=486

If this is the best they got.....
all I can say is even a bad American lawyer would be celebrating.

This whole case is off kilter.

Poor Sarai.

 

[ThinkHard]

Hey I'm not entirely sold on this decoy Sarai as being a highly plausible theory yet either, but on the other hand I haven't really seen anything that totally discounts it. And it does roughly fit it with what we do know and have heard.

But between knowing less then 5% of what LE knows, and not knowing which of the things we have heard are fact and which are speculation...it's really hard to deduce much of anything with any amount of certainty in this case.

I just hope, as I'm sure we all do, that justice is served for Sarai. And any and all accountable parties are held responsible. And I hope her boys can find peace and are not afraid to explore the world themselves as a result of their mothers death. But are able to stay warm, and compassionate, and happy.

 

[Fantazteko]

What if the damning evidence was that Taylan was the last person seen with her alive on the night of the 20th,

So it had to appear that she was still alive on the 21st in order to distance himself.

But people saw her alive on the 21st. let’s not forget the witnesses who said they saw her walking in front of some hostel full of foreigners and she had a determined look on her face.

I remember reading other witness statements who saw her walking by businesses, &c.

It wasn’t the cameras only that prove she was alive on the 21st.

Sadly, I’m all too aware of the unreliability of eyewitness testimony. So many people had already seen her in media coverage when they came forward with their claims, which might have only affected their memory.

I’m not sure at what time of the 20th the hostel owner said he saw her last. If it was in the evening, I’m unsure what this fact will do to the decoy theory.
Can her phone usage and the location where she last used it be traced without having the actual phone?

Also, they were saying in earlier reports that there was footage of Taylan showing up at the bridge. If Taylan was indeed the mastermind behind this supposed decoy, why would he even bother to show up there and feign missing this appointment? I think the murderer wouldn't willingly put himself at the scene.

I’m not sure if I am recalling this fact correctly. I apologize if I screwed up.

 

[EncyclopediaBrown]

haven't seen yashim around today. wondering what he's thinking.

 

[CMac2]

Yes! Where is Yashim?

I bought a Samsung Galaxy S3 today, btw.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

 

[ThinkHard]

If that was the case, when he activated her phone wouldn't he have sent a message to someone to make it look like she was still alive?

Well if your referring to the call on the 21st...that's precisely my point, if she was killed on the 20th then perhaps someone did send texts on the 21st to make it look like she was alive.

If you're referring to when it was turned on after she went missing. I believe a Skype call was made but we never heard more about this.

But all just speculation, because we don't really know what's true and what's not.

 

[ThinkHard]

But people saw her alive on the 21st. let’s not forget the witnesses who said they saw her walking in front of some hostel full of foreigners and she had a determined look on her face.

I remember reading other witness statements who saw her walking by businesses, &c.

It wasn’t the cameras only that prove she was alive on the 21st.

Sadly, I’m all too aware of the unreliability of eyewitness testimony. So many people had already seen her in media coverage when they came forward with their claims, which might have only affected their memory.

I’m not sure at what time of the 20th the hostel owner said he saw her last. If it was in the evening, I’m unsure what this fact will do to the decoy theory.
Can her phone usage and the location where she last used it be traced without having the actual phone?

Also, they were saying in earlier reports that there was footage of Taylan showing up at the bridge. If Taylan was indeed the mastermind behind this supposed decoy, why would he even bother to show up there and feign missing this appointment? I think the murderer wouldn't willingly put himself at the scene.

I’m not sure if I am recalling this fact correctly. I apologize if I screwed up.

Well he might if be wanted to look like a man who wasn't yet aware of the fact she was already missing...

Also there is the possibility that Taylan wasn't in fact the last person sarai saw the night of the 20th, but she had met up with another acquaintance after leaving Taylans company, someone who's name we have not heard of yet.

 

[SophieRose]

haven't seen yashim around today. wondering what he's thinking.

Yashim said he was leaving the forum and wasn't planning to return.