GUILTY Turkey - Sarai Sierra, 33, NY woman murdered, Istanbul, 21 Jan 2013 - #1

[NewYork625]

Carrying an extra pair of shoes seems to me a hindrance unless you're wearing dress shoes that are uncomfortable and want to change into more comfortable shoes at some point, or vice versa....

 

[CMac2]

It is so profoundly sad that her boys do not yet know she died. They do not plan on telling them till dad comes home. They have to know something is up. I cannot imagine they would not be asking, as they were in contact w her daily and now 2 weeks w no contact? Then dad and uncle leave? I have to think they know deep down, being 9 and 11 it would be hard to pull off some story...also, wonder if they are in school

You know how mean kids are, it would be horrible to find out in school or TV, her face is on all the news sites... It is such a shame for her family. I hope they catch the perp.

I read she put up a fight & there could be fingernail evidence from 1 or more attackers. It was on NBC or abc news. I found it interesting they said "at least one attacker." Wonder why?

I agree. As big a story as this is, how is it that none of their classmates/friends are aware of this situation? Someone must have said something at school. 9 and 11 years old is definitely old enough to have put 2 and 2 together... I worry that those boys already know what's up with their mom, and will harbor resentment for years to come that no one gave them enough credit as intelligent boys to tell them the truth sooner.

 

[necco]

Carrying an extra pair of shoes seems to me a hindrance unless you're wearing dress shoes that are uncomfortable and want to change into more comfortable shoes at some point, or vice versa....

yeah, I thought that until I once had to climb down out of a very high cathedral bell tower in my socks because I had on my long distance sandals which were COMPLETELY unsafe on the stone stairs that were so old and worn they were actually concave in the middle. Ruined a great pair of socks and wished I had a pair of lace up sneakers that day.

 

[CMac2]

Carrying an extra pair of shoes seems to me a hindrance unless you're wearing dress shoes that are uncomfortable and want to change into more comfortable shoes at some point, or vice versa....

Do you have any theories about the extra shoes? Not being rude- I'm legitimately curious. The only scenario I can come up with is that she brought them along knowing she'd have a long walk ahead- and wanted something comfortable to slip into if necessary. That doesn't necessarily make sense, however. Why not just wear the comfortable shoes to begin with? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

 

[NewYork625]

It is so profoundly sad that her boys do not yet know she died. They do not plan on telling them till dad comes home. They have to know something is up. I cannot imagine they would not be asking, as they were in contact w her daily and now 2 weeks w no contact? Then dad and uncle leave? I have to think they know deep down, being 9 and 11 it would be hard to pull off some story...also, wonder if they are in school

You know how mean kids are, it would be horrible to find out in school or TV, her face is on all the news sites... It is such a shame for her family. I hope they catch the perp.

I read she put up a fight & there could be fingernail evidence from 1 or more attackers. It was on NBC or abc news. I found it interesting they said "at least one attacker." Wonder why?

I agree...When one of my sons was young I didn't tell him a relative had passed away until the following day and he was very upset with me for not telling him sooner. To this day I am always sure to let him know everything that's happening as soon as possible.
I really don't know how the family is keeping it from them with school and all of the media coverage!

 

[necco]

I agree...When one of my sons was young I didn't tell him a relative had passed away until the following day and he was very upset with me for not telling him sooner. To this day I am always sure to let him know everything that's happening as soon as possible.
I really don't know how the family is keeping it from them with school and all of the media coverage!

My guess is, they aren't in school.

My guess is also that they know and just aren't letting on.

 

[NewYork625]

Do you have any theories about the extra shoes? Not being rude- I'm legitimately curious. The only scenario I can come up with is that she brought them along knowing she'd have a long walk ahead- and wanted something comfortable to slip into if necessary. That doesn't necessarily make sense, however. Why not just wear the comfortable shoes to begin with? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

I wish I had a theory, but can't come up with anything. The shoes are bothering me, but maybe it is as simple as she just wanted a spare pair of comfortable shoes. I don't know if she had any extra clothing with her, but if she did then the shoes might be more significant.

 

[KuriousKev]

I agree. As big a story as this is, how is it that none of their classmates/friends are aware of this situation? Someone must have said something at school. 9 and 11 years old is definitely old enough to have put 2 and 2 together... I worry that those boys already know what's up with their mom, and will harbor resentment for years to come that no one gave them enough credit as intelligent boys to tell them the truth sooner.

Very sad. Who helped the children with school work and greeted them when they returned from school while SS was away traveling and their father was at work? I assume their grandmother? SS had an amazing support system.

 

[KuriousKev]

I wish I had a theory, but can't come up with anything. The shoes are bothering me, but maybe it is as simple as she just wanted a spare pair of comfortable shoes. I don't know if she had any extra clothing with her, but if she did then the shoes might be more significant.

Some women carry a pair of flats in their purse if they feel they may end up somewhere boots are not necessarily needed...like someones apt.

 

[ThinkHard]

Even this kind of follows my jealously/rebuffed lover/lover scorned theory. In addition to humiliating SS for rejecting him (pants, panties around the knees), perhaps he left just enough of their email correspondence untouched in her inbox to show her husband that SOMETHING was going on between the two of them (again, I'm saying the "something" that was going on between them was a figment of his imagination- I am NOT saying she cheated on her spouse with Taylon at all). I think he'd relish the idea of making her husband wonder what the nature of his relationship was with SS. Especially if the rumblings of marital unrest between SS and her husband are true.

I don't think he would leave them for the husband. It would have been too risky putting himself in that kind of contact with her the same day she disappeared.

However your lover scorned theory made me think of another angle..
What of one of the other people she met online was the jealous type. What if it was him that was following her ( if that following thing is true) and this other IGer saw her with Taylan. What if he thought they had something special and when he saw her acting just as friendly with other men, it made him nuts. Maybe that's why he was following her in the first place because he was the crazy jealous type. Maybe she she first met this other guy in person she didn't get a good sense about him, but didn't think he was an actual threat. Maybe it was this other guy the Amsterdam guy meant. Maybe it was him he didn't trust.

 

[NewYork625]

fftobed: goodnight all!

 

[ThinkHard]

Some women carry a pair of flats in their purse if they feel they may end up somewhere boots are not necessarily needed...like someones apt.

That's an interesting point.

FYI in Turkey it is customary to remove your shoes when entering someone's home. A lot of homes have guest slippers to lend out when people come over, because bare feet is also a no no in Turkish culture ( they think bare feet will result in a stomach ache, I dunno, don't ask, just a Turkish olld wives tale)

 

[Yellow]

My guess is, they aren't in school.

My guess is also that they know and just aren't letting on.

I would have to think they do not have access to Internet as 11 yr old would google. Also news has previews of case.

Between mom being missing, dad gone, grandmom upset (do they not know she was on today show?), no school I assume, and access to Internet, TV and friends being limited, they have to know...

I wonder if husband , etc will go to turkey for trial for impact statement, I wonder what kind of system they have there for trial, whether like ours or like Italy, etc (where 2 trials like we saw in Knox case)

I was just thinking this was probably husbands first trip outside of USA maybe. What a horrible thing for him that it would be to go to turkey to reclaim his wife...

 

[bellyup]

I'm catching up and saddened to hear about Sarai's death...


Some random thoughts (IMO, MOO, all that)

From the beginning this has seemed personal & emotional to me. I'm STILL of the mind that an American mother doesn't take huge risks like foreign travel to a country that has US warnings and travel advisories, plan to go with a friend then decide to go alone to stay in a hostel and couch surf JUST for pictures taken on her iphone. A fairly NEW hobby I might point out. There was something "more" that was luring her. It's possible that Sarai was just an incredibly trusting individual but I don't get that vibe at all. She's a NY'er. Her husband comes across as a street savvy kind of guy.

IMO, that lure was romantic interest or perceived romantic interest. Having been someone who has done her fair share of internet/long distance dating, it can come across as amazingly romantic. Online relationships are free of any fault. They are flawless. The person on the other end is perfect. Add in the lure of meeting in a city rich in landscape and sharing a mutual passion in photography and you have the perfect recipe for a "dream" come true. Something worth taking such a big risk for. Rumors of discord in Sarai's marriage don't surprise me at all. I know they are unconfirmed RUMORS at this point but it fits with my feelings all along on this.

Some have said that doesn't fit, she was in constant contact with her family, her husband, her kids. I see two likely and possible explanations for this. #1 Guilt is powerful force. #2 Maybe once she arrived "Prince Charming" wasn't exactly what she was expecting and she longed for the comfort of the "known" versus the unknown. This can be supported by her wanting to come home early. The reasons she gave for that, to me, are pretty irrelevant. It just points to the fact that despite outward appearances of a good time she didn't want to be there as long as planned.

IMO further support is the personal nature of how she was killed. This wasn't a robbery gone bad. (jewelry still on her body, some of it buried?) This wasn't a random sexual attack (assuming prelim rape kit reports are right). This wasn't a fall (you don't get beaten unrecognizable from a fall at that height). This wasn't a gang / drug mule / organized crime (I doubt if that was the case they would have found her at all).

It was personal. Someone didn't want Sarai to leave. They didn't want her to return to her husband and kids. It was a crime of passion. Someone was incredibly angry at the circumstances. Maybe he was rejected. Maybe he wasn't and simply couldn't bear to let her go. Whomever did this .... believed they cared about Sarai. The place her body was left is NOT a coincidence. Look at her art and look at the surroundings of where the body was found. Whomever put her there did it in a poetic way, almost romantic. They did it because they knew it was a place she would have loved.

And her jewelry was buried? There's something to that. Whomever put her there didn't want it taken from her.

I go back and forth with theories on if it was Taylan or if it was someone else. It could have been Taylan but it doesn't quite fit. He was well educated, he knew he would be quickly connected to her, he knew records would show he was supposed to meet her very near where the body was found. He was quickly released by authorities which tells me he either had a solid alibi OR he gave them information that led them to a "real" suspect.

Maybe she was spending so much time with Taylan because he was protecting her from another guy ? It would fit as to why he was released so quickly. He could have told them, look, Sarai and I became friends. While she was here she met up with XYZ who couldn't take no for an answer. I've been spending time with her because that guy was making her uneasy. This theory may also point to why the two trips OUT of Istanbul. If things went south with who she originally intended to spend most of her time with and she was uncomfortable, maybe she then decided to go visit with IG friends in Amsterdam & Munich. (which may have further enraged whomever did this)

 

[Yellow]

Good post above. The sad part about it is that her husband and family probably were hoping she ran off w a man; that was the only feasible scenario (being in love) where a women like SS would leave her kids without warning.

Maybe if her and her husband were in a rough patch( you can tell her really loves her), she did not want to give up the marriage but maybe she just was innocently flirting. They had an article today saying that in turkey, merey smiling to strangers has a different connotation that her. Maybe she gave off the wrong impression (innocently) and someone did her harm.

I agree, this was personal. If linked to a failed suitor why no rape? Could it be that maybe it was done at location of body and no time? Or perhaps attack was interrupted? I do not understand how attack could have happened in broad daylight in tourist area. Was she moved?

 

[bellyup]

I agree, this was personal. If linked to a failed suitor why no rape? Could it be that maybe it was done at location of body and no time? Or perhaps attack was interrupted? I do not understand how attack could have happened in broad daylight in tourist area. Was she moved?

I actually thought about that. Why no rape if it was a failed suitor? But with the conflicting reports in the media (semen found on the body????) I'm not completely on board with ruling out any sort of sexual assault.
Even if there was none, I think there are scenarios that could support that. Perhaps the situation escalated and she was harmed before she could be raped? Or an attempt that failed? (that alone could enrage someone to the point of violence)

I'm pretty convinced that she was moved. I don't think the attack happened in the area she was found based on the reports of how populated the area is. I think police are pretty sure it didn't happen there as well. As it was posted earlier, if it did happen there there would be significant amounts of blood in the soil and authorities would have already determined that.

I wish we knew a time of death ~ at least within a day or so. It would clarify if Sarai was harmed immediately or if she was kept for a period of time before meeting her fate. That could really help zero in on a profile of the suspect.

 

[necco]

bellyup, the side trips were planned before she ever left the states.

 

[lucky181]

This isn't going to help solve the murder, but I came across this. I wish the translation was better, but it seems to be an editorial about SS being an American and women's rights in Turkey. I thought it was interesting.

Excuse me, but I think I need to be American to die even
as the presense of Sarai Sierra lost and dead in horror event, watched sadly.

The United States has dealt with this subject, would you also save our women right? spilling onto the street I wonder Or better yet
"We are all Americans!" Do you turn on the banners?

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/22523856.asp

 

[necco]

Respectfully snipped:

I actually thought about that. Why no rape if it was a failed suitor? But with the conflicting reports in the media (semen found on the body????) I'm not completely on board with ruling out any sort of sexual assault.
Even if there was none, I think there are scenarios that could support that. Perhaps the situation escalated and she was harmed before she could be raped? Or an attempt that failed? (that alone could enrage someone to the point of violence)

Because just because someone is capable of murder doesn't mean they are capable of rape. Rape isn't about sex, it's about power. People kill for love. They rarely, if ever, rape for love.

 

[SophieRose]

I'm not sure where the body was found, but there are rail tracks right above the wall ruins. I've read several articles that mention them. One article mentioned that her body could not have been tossed/dragged from a car so perhaps the body location was above the pictures. Her mother said that one of her interests in photography was train stations and tracks. She could have even been following the tracks from the Sirkeci train station.