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

[KuriousKev]

Good post Bellyup.

I was off to bed but found myself lying there thinking about SS and what might have happened up until her death.

Belly you bring up some good points, I believe there may have been issues in her marriage (which means nada at this point) I didn't want to speculate but I do feel her traveling was leaning more towards meetups rather than photography (70/30 split between the two) It's obvious there were some problems with the marriage because what man, wait let me be more clear...what young NYC Puerto Rican man living on Staten Island (Stapleton section) would allow his wife, the mother of his children, to travel to a foreign country and stay with total strangers? None, absolutely none, Latin men are VERY protective of their women. It has been stated in TV interviews and news reports that her brother and father did not want her to go. There was a very strong lure in Turkey.

 

[lavy]

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.


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

Yes, you are right. Don't have the time to translate it now but the first half is about how people keep saying "a woman alone, what was she doing there" and even the ones don't say it think about it which is very hypocrite. Nothing should matter, even the fact she is a woman shouldn't matter. She is a human and now she is dead. A human who was killed, she didn't had to be something. And it is mad that people still criticizing her.

The fact that she is American is important. It shouldn't be but somehow became important especially for the officials. Why they are not trying this hard to protect the turkish women in trouble / find the missing ones etc.

 

[YarnSpinner]

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

This just made me think. Wasn't there some jewelry still on her body AND some jewelry buried? What if the perp, in an attempt to woo her, bought her some expensive jewelry. Then when whatever happened happened ,in the panic of leaving, he buried the jewelry that could possibly be traced back to him (maybe through credit cards/ store cameras)??? Just a thought. I've been trying to figure out why some jewelry would be left on her body and some removed and buried. Maybe the jewelry left on her body was her own jewelry that she brought with her on the trip. No need to hide that.

 

[katydid23]

If there was a romantic lead that was luring her over there, wouldn't LE find that in her computer and phone logs? There would have to be a lot of messages/texts/emails/calls to get that ball rolling, imo.

And surely her friend that dropped out at the last minute would have known about it. JMO

 

[KuriousKev]

Not sure if this was shared already. It's just for curiosity. Here is Ammer's FB page. He has SS husband and sister saved on his friend's list...they were only recently added not sure when. Again, Ammer is the Amsterdam guy who is being very cooperative with LE and is NOT a suspect.

 

[lavy]

I also don't think he could do this solo in broad daylight. He would have to be in control of a murder weapon (something big or heavy enough to fracture a skull) then grab her iPad and phone, hold unto them somehow while taking off her coat, lowering her pants, dragging her body, fetching wooden planks to cover her with, all the while covered in blood juggling her electronics and coat and all this I. Broad daylight next to a busy road. I suppose its possible but surely someone would have noticed something!

Agreed, also its not just next to a busy road its just under topkapi palace. Lots of tourists looking down and taking photos. Probably there are some blind points doesn't seem possible to me. Also its winter - less leaves.

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 guess that might depend. I didn't find it strange at all. I always take an extra pair when I am far away from home & knew that I'll walk around a lot. Somehow I worry even if I wear might most comfy ones it will hurt after a while and ruin my day She must be walking a lot for the last 2 weeks.

 

[ToutCa]

Early morning unscrupulous Turkish media update:

Keep in mind these allegations have yet to be corroborated:

Police detectives say off the record:

-- Camera footage shows SS walking to meet the murderer, actual meeting NOT on camera [UPDATED EXACT TRANSLATION FURNISHED BY LAVY -- THANK YOU!!!!!]

-- The murderer was an online contact who took SS to city walls to shoot photos (of the railway nearby).

-- Within the city walls, a rape was attempted

-- SS fought back and the murderer struck her on head with a rock, the murder weapon was found at the scene

-- The "buried" earrings and headset are felt to have fallen off and become lodged in the soil during the struggle

-- Investigation shows SS was killed at scene and not carried there later

-- The haphazard piling of wood on body suggests a panicked attempt to hide body and flee

-- SS died Jan. 21 or 22

LINK


Although we don't know yet how much of this info is accurate, I concur with many of you that SS was most likely killed by a single assailant, a male she most likely knew who had some kind of romantic fixation/obsession. I've felt this was very likely Taylan from the start, so we'll see if the evidence ends up taking us there.

 

[KuriousKev]

Early morning unscrupulous Turkish media update:

Keep in mind these allegations have yet to be corroborated:

Police detectives say off the record:

-- They have camera footage showing SS meeting the murderer

-- The murderer was an online contact who took SS to city walls to shoot photos.

-- Within the city walls, a rape was attempted

-- SS fought back and the murderer struck her on head with a rock, the murder weapon was found at the scene

-- The "buried" earrings and headset are felt to have fallen off and become lodged in the soil during the struggle

-- Investigation shows SS was killed at scene and not carried there later

-- The haphazard piling of wood on body suggests a panicked attempt to hide body and flee

-- SS died Jan. 21 or 22


Although we don't know yet how much of this info is accurate, I concur with many of you that SS was most likely killed by a single assailant, a male she most likely knew who had some kind of romantic fixation/obsession. I've felt this was very likely Taylan from the start, so we'll see if the evidence ends up taking us there.

Wow. Thanks for the translation. oh my

 

[lavy]

Early morning unscrupulous Turkish media update:

Thanks, do you still have the link?

Lavy please edit the photo out of your post it's too big and is killing the whole page!!!!! Thanks!!!!

I've been trying to fix that.

 

[ToutCa]

Thanks, do you still have the link?

Posted, here it is again: LINK

I've been trying to fixed that.

Thanks, it's perfect now. And thanks for all your translation work and cultural explanations the last few days. You've helped us all immeasurably!!!!

 

[lavy]

Early morning unscrupulous Turkish media update:

Keep in mind these allegations have yet to be corroborated:

Police detectives say off the record:

-- They have camera footage showing SS meeting the murderer

-- The murderer was an online contact who took SS to city walls to shoot photos.

-- Within the city walls, a rape was attempted

-- SS fought back and the murderer struck her on head with a rock, the murder weapon was found at the scene

-- The "buried" earrings and headset are felt to have fallen off and become lodged in the soil during the struggle

-- Investigation shows SS was killed at scene and not carried there later

-- The haphazard piling of wood on body suggests a panicked attempt to hide body and flee

-- SS died Jan. 21 or 22

LINK

Thank you so much, translation is very accurate. Few correction/additions:

- They don't have the camera footage, believed that they met at a blind spot.

-A rock with blood on it found a meter away. (Previous reports said it couldn't be found)

-They got the list of people she last called from her mobile. They are searching all of them.

-People from that area with a murder or sexual assault history are also on the list of suspects.

 

[GinaSeikwa]

Wow! Not what I initially suspected. So they know who it is if they have him on camera. Wait if they have them meeting on camera wouldn't they know if it took place on the 21st or the 22nd?

 

[ToutCa]

Although we don't know yet how much of this info is accurate, I concur with many of you that SS was most likely killed by a single assailant, a male she most likely knew who had some kind of romantic fixation/obsession. I've felt this was very likely Taylan from the start, so we'll see if the evidence ends up taking us there.

Several other unsavory sources are now printing exactly the same info. PLEASE WAIT until the more trustworthy sources chime in before assuming it is accurate. We shall see.

Remember, she was found in a sort of cave-like enclosed structure some distance off the loud road (many cars whizzing by very quickly, few if any pedestrians). It's an isolated enough space that it could be a good spot for a man to lure a woman for an illicit encounter. And a quick burst of extreme violence could easily have occurred unbeknownst to anyone. It could have all been over in a minute or less.

 

[ToutCa]

Wow! Not what I initially suspected. So they know who it is if they have him on camera. Wait if they have them meeting on camera wouldn't they know if it took place on the 21st or the 22nd?

They believe it happened on the 21st. I'm guessing they mean that after the vicious assault, she may have survived in a terrible state into the 22nd.

 

[ToutCa]

LAVY, here's the crucial line. What's the precise translation? Because I don't see anything about a "blind spot", just that cameras show her meeting "the murderer" who was an online contact of hers:

- Sarai Sierra, tespitlere göre internetten yazıştığı katiliyle kameraların görmediği bir noktada buluştu.

 

[belimom]

Keep in mind these allegations have yet to be corroborated:

Police detectives say off the record:

-- They have camera footage showing SS meeting the murderer [Unfortunately this key point is murky -- our resident native-speaker LAVY says the 'meeting' was not on camera but occurred in a video blind spot]

-- The murderer was an online contact who took SS to city walls to shoot photos (of the railway nearby).

-- Within the city walls, a rape was attempted

-- SS fought back and the murderer struck her on head with a rock, the murder weapon was found at the scene

-- The "buried" earrings and headset are felt to have fallen off and become lodged in the soil during the struggle

-- Investigation shows SS was killed at scene and not carried there later

-- The haphazard piling of wood on body suggests a panicked attempt to hide body and flee

-- SS died Jan. 21 or 22

LINK


Although we don't know yet how much of this info is accurate, I concur with many of you that SS was most likely killed by a single assailant, a male she most likely knew who had some kind of romantic fixation/obsession. I've felt this was very likely Taylan from the start, so we'll see if the evidence ends up taking us there.

b/rbm

Wow. I'm assuming this is Taylan?!? Wow. And they're sure he is 'the murderer'? Can't ascertain what is on tape vs what is not.

Getting ready for work but I'll be checking for updates. Thanks for posting. I hope they have him back in custody now, before this info goes out to the public, if it is true.


Poor Sarai. I'm in tears...

 

[michellemarls]

This just made me think. Wasn't there some jewelry still on her body AND some jewelry buried? What if the perp, in an attempt to woo her, bought her some expensive jewelry. Then when whatever happened happened ,in the panic of leaving, he buried the jewelry that could possibly be traced back to him (maybe through credit cards/ store cameras)??? Just a thought. I've been trying to figure out why some jewelry would be left on her body and some removed and buried. Maybe the jewelry left on her body was her own jewelry that she brought with her on the trip. No need to hide that.

:greetings::greetings::Welcome1::welcome5:

 

[diamond12]

-- The murderer was an online contact who took SS to city walls to shoot photos (of the railway nearby).

-- Within the city walls, a rape was attempted

-- SS fought back and the murderer struck her on head with a rock, the murder weapon was found at the scene

-- The "buried" earrings and headset are felt to have fallen off and become lodged in the soil during the struggle

-- Investigation shows SS was killed at scene and not carried there later

-- The haphazard piling of wood on body suggests a panicked attempt to hide body and flee

-- SS died Jan. 21 or 22.

Snipped for space

That is actually what my theory has always been. I really hope they will find who ever was responsible for her death...and fast!

 

[lavy]

LAVY, here's the crucial line. What's the precise translation? Because I don't see anything about a "blind spot", just that cameras show her meeting "the murderer" who was an online contact of hers:

- Sarai Sierra, tespitlere göre internetten yazıştığı katiliyle kameraların görmediği bir noktada buluştu.

I'll do a word to word translation for this:

Sarai Sierra, according to the findings met with her murderer whom she was chatting on internet in a place not seen by the cameras.

Not seen by the cameras = uncovered by surveillance and I said blind spot instead.

Bolded word has a negative suffix, google translate can not determine these suffixes which change the whole meaning and thats why google translate doesn't work for turkish that well.

Of course this information is not confirmed but I am sure it says they dont have the recordings of their meeting.

 

[michellemarls]

I have always thought that maybe this Taylan completely mistook Sarai's friendship for something else. He had built up an online friendship with her for 4 months and then she visits Turkey alone and arranges to meet him in person. In his mind he could have been convinced that this was going somewhere. I still think that maybe cultural and language differences could have magnified this notion on his part...
He may have gone out of his way to accomadate Sarai, as in taking time off from his job maybe, to meet and show Sarai around...maybe he thought he was owed something in return for this. When they may have met on the day Sarai was to fly home i think he made pass. I also think that he was shocked that Sarai rejected him and became more forceful in his advances which culminated in a struggle...could Sarai have started to scream and in a panic Taylan hit her over the head?

This is all JMO of course. This seems like a likely scenario, but like i've seen here on webslueths many, many times, the most likely scenario isn't always what happened. Alot of the time it really is someone who hasn't even come onto the radar that is indeed the culprit.