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

[michellemarls]

Hmmm if whoever met Sarai intentionally knew that they were meeting in a "blindspot"...therefore wouldn't be seen on CCTV, then maybe this shows what happened to Sarai was premeditated....which blows my prior theory out the window.

 

[ToutCa]

For those who have criticized Ms. Sierra for undertaking this journey to such a "dangerous" city:

she was over eight times more likely to be murdered at home in NYC than in Istanbul.

That's right, over eight times:

According to official data, in Istanbul, less murder is committed in the metropolitan area than in other of the world's major cities. The annual number of murders in Istanbul is 1.99 per 100 thousand people out of the population of nearly 14 million. London, population 15 million, has a figure of 2.2 per 100 thousand, Shanghai, population 24 million, has 2.4 murders per 100 thousand. Sarai Sierra lived in New York City, which has a murder rate of 16 per 100 thousand in a total population of 9 million.

LINK

 

[diamond12]

For those who have criticized Ms. Sierra for undertaking this journey to such a "dangerous" city:

she was over eight times more likely to be murdered at home in NYC than in Istanbul.

That's right, over eight times:



LINK

I hope I won't offend anyone and people won't start throwing rocks at me but...after spending so much time on WS I can tell I wouldn't feel super safe traveling to the USA either. That said I don't feel super safe in my own country either.
Danger is everywhere. Denmark is considered a relatively safe country for solo travelers, yet some years ago one young man from my country got stabbed to death there. It was unexpected and everyone was shocked.
One should be careful everywhere and be prepared about the place they intend to visit.

 

[lavy]

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.

BBM.

I agree to all except the bolded part.

After reading more about her injuries, scares, wounds etc. I don't see this as something done in a panic. For me its more possible she rejected him and resisted, he couldn't take this, lost his temper, killed her. Than maybe panicked, that he could easily be seen and hided her and run away.

 

[michellemarls]

Here in the UK too, it's not a safe place. Especially in inner cities. Everywhere in the world has parts of there towns and cities where they are just no go areas...where crime is high, and safety is an issue.

 

[ToutCa]

I hope I won't offend anyone and people won't start throwing rocks at me but...after spending so much time on WS I can tell I wouldn't feel super safe traveling to the USA either.

Violent crime rates have plummeted in NYC and most American cities in recent years. There is still violence -- several people have been shot and killed in the last 5 years within 3-4 blocks of my home in Brooklyn. Most but not all of the victims -- and all of the perps -- were involved in the local drug trade.

My neighborhood is a newly trendy, fast-gentrifying area. Five years ago, there were no cafes, bars, or restaurants. Now there are dozens, and I meet European tourists in them every day (yes, we've hit the guidebooks!).

In NYC, violent crime against foreign tourists is virtually non-existent. As in any big city, though, it always pays to prepare, research, and be street-smart...

 

[tardislass]

I hope I won't offend anyone and people won't start throwing rocks at me but...after spending so much time on WS I can tell I wouldn't feel super safe traveling to the USA either. That said I don't feel super safe in my own country either.
Danger is everywhere. Denmark is considered a relatively safe country for solo travelers, yet some years ago one young man from my country got stabbed to death there. It was unexpected and everyone was shocked.
One should be careful everywhere and be prepared about the place they intend to visit.

If the information about Sierra knowing her killer is real, then she could have as easily been killed in the US. She seems to have been way to trusting of the men she met on the Internet. I've traveled solo overseas and have attended travel forum meetups. However, it's always been with a group of people and we've alway met at a bar or restaurant. I would be wary if someone asked me to go to an isolated spot alone with them. Yes people will say that I didn't get spontaneous adventures however as a solo woman, I do think extra precautions have to be taken. That said, I read another article today from an military person who says they would never let their daughter travel alone to Turkey. I replied that if she is armed with information and takes proper precautions, she would have a fun trip.
There are many young Western expats in Istanbul who somehow manage to enjoy the city. It also gals me that these people will take resort vacations to Mexico and yet just yesterday 6 Spanish tourists were raped near Acapulco.

 

[lavy]

According to the vice president of the Zeytinburnu municipality they decided to install surveillence cameras with good night vision to the area all around the city walls.

Unfortunately its too late for Sarai. I hope at least that could stop/prevent crime in that area.

 

[diamond12]

Violent crime rates have plummeted in NYC and most American cities in recent years. There is still violence -- several people have been shot and killed in the last 5 years within 3-4 blocks of my home in Brooklyn. Most but not all of the victims -- and all of the perps -- were involved in the local drug trade.

My neighborhood is a newly trendy, fast-gentrifying area. Five years ago, there were no cafes, bars, or restaurants. Now there are dozens, and I meet European tourists in them every day (yes, we've hit the guidebooks!).

In NYC, violent crime against foreign tourists is virtually non-existent. As in any big city, though, it always pays to prepare, research, and be street-smart...

That's exactly what I meant, it's a very important thing to do.
I think what you wrote is true for a lot of places.
I still can't wait to visit NYC and the States though

I just wish people would stop writing comments about Sarai being in Istanbul, tons of tourists go to Turkey all the time. Not only for the cities but also for the seaside resorts.

 

[ToutCa]

According to the vice president of the Zeytinburnu municipality they decided to install surveillence cameras with good night vision to the area all around the city walls.

Unfortunately its too late for Sarai. I hope at least that could stop/prevent crime in that area.

What a great idea.

Something good can come out of this horrendous tragedy.

From what we know of Ms. Sierra, I'm sure she would have loved the idea of making the city walls safer for tourists and photographers the world over to explore...

 

[Kluver13]

Hmmm if whoever met Sarai intentionally knew that they were meeting in a "blindspot"...therefore wouldn't be seen on CCTV, then maybe this shows what happened to Sarai was premeditated....which blows my prior theory out the window.

Agreed. I think a romantic liaison was been premeditated/expected, however this probably quickly devolved into an attempted rape and subsequent murder.

 

[ToutCa]

Turkish press is reporting that Taylan's blood (and sperm) samples have been taken.

This is confirmed in mainstream, reliable Turkish press.

That's good -- they will have his DNA to compare to what is found on scene.

Samples have been taken from 22 "suspects" over all -- beyond Taylan, who knows who all the others are...

I am guessing they might include witnesses, local homeless, druggies, locals with a record of violent crimes and sexual assaults, as well as possibly other online Istanbul contacts of SS.

No word on whether Taylan is currently detained, just under surveillance, or what...

LINK

LINK #2

 

[stmarysmead]

My guess is that this tragedy really has little to do with where it took place, culture or nationality. I think that putting her photos on Instagram...just fourmonths ago...and finding praise and acclaim for her very real talent...opened up a new exciting world to this young wife and mother. Suddenly, she was "meeting" and being praised by artistic young men in wonderful cities around the world. Her hard working husband of 14 years may have suddenly seemed dull to her.

IMO, this trip was as much about meeting these artistic new friends...enetering into this "artsy" world where she suddenly fit in and found praise and excitement. She thought she "knew" these people, but , in online relationships, how much can you really know? I think she decided to meet the most fascinating of these online friends in their cities, even if she had to sleep on a couch in a strangers home. I think this may be why the friend backed out.

SS knew only that these were artistic young men who shared her love of photography. Sheknew nothing of their temperment, criminal history, etc. I can see the glamour of this to a beautiful young woman who perhaps married too young and never explored her own talents before. She was besotted by the whole artistic side of these men. Maybe she did not want romance, but there is "romance" in this kind of blindness.

These men she visited were the ones that probably fascinated her most...they appear to be young, attractive students. She was not meeting anyone's grandfather though surely there are some fabulous photographers in every age group.

The fact that she was coming home early may indicate she was missing her REAL life. I don't think anyone necessarily wanted to force her to stay. It might just be temper, or emotional issues etc...all things easily disguised in an online personality.

This might have happened meeting some strange artist in Kansas. She just thought that knowing they also loved photography, was all she needed to know.

 

[lavy]

Turkish press is reporting that Taylan's blood sample has been taken.

That's good -- they will have his DNA to compare to what is found on scene.

Samples have been taken from 21 "suspects" over all -- beyond Taylan, who knows who all the others are...

I am guessing they might include witnesses, local homeless, druggies, locals with a record of violent crimes and sexual assaults, as well as possibly other online Istanbul contacts of SS.

No word on whether Taylan is currently detained, just under surveillance, or what...

LINK

Yes. In one of the previous reports its been that locals with a record of violent crimes and sexual assaults, witnesses (do we have any) and people she met are in that area are among that 21.

I hope they took samples from her landlord too. Didn't liked the fact that she didn't feel safe at the place she is staying.

Another source says they took blood and sperm samples from Taylan.

 

[ThinkHard]

:what:

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

Looking at this writing in its entirety, I'm pretty sure what the author is questioning is why American seem to think that this event had anything to do with her being America, or in Turkey. She references the Pippa story, and how she was not American. She also talks about how violence exists everywhere. I think she is saying society should take issue with violence in general, and not turn it into a profiling, racism, or gender issue. That's how I was best able to understand it anyway.

 

[lavy]

By the way; how do you meet with someone in instagram? You comment on each others photos and then what ??? How do you go to the next stage (e.g. how do you give your email address?) Is there a messaging facility?

It also gals me that these people will take resort vacations to Mexico and yet just yesterday 6 Spanish tourists were raped near Acapulco.

I've read that, its awful. They were sleeping in their rooms. It is beyond my understanding that how sick some people are.

 

[tardislass]

According to the vice president of the Zeytinburnu municipality they decided to install surveillence cameras with good night vision to the area all around the city walls.

Unfortunately its too late for Sarai. I hope at least that could stop/prevent crime in that area.

That's a good start and it's indeed unfortunate that most of these changes occur after a crime has been committed. According to Hurriyet English- the funeral director has confirmed the head and face wounds detailed in the papers.

 

[belimom]

A huge shoutout to all the LE scouring countless surveillance video, trying to spot SS and/or Taylan. What a time-consuming and tedious job.

 

[ThinkHard]

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.

It's highly unlikely like she could have followed the tracks from the station. It's very busy in the location, and I doubt she could have gained access to them from there, a Turkish police would have stopped her.

I likely path would have been along Kennedy cadessi. I believe her body was found by the base of the walls.

I don't get the logic that her body couldn't have been brought there by car. We saw exactly how close the walls were to the road in that location. I understand the car could not have driven to the exact spot. But surely a 110lb women could have been carried. If the perp knew the area well, he would have known exactly how to access this spot.

 

[tresptip]

:what:

Looking at this writing in its entirety, I'm pretty sure what the author is questioning is why American seem to think that this event had anything to do with her being America, or in Turkey. She references the Pippa story, and how she was not American. She also talks about how violence exists everywhere. I think she is saying society should take issue with violence in general, and not turn it into a profiling, racism, or gender issue. That's how I was best able to understand it anyway.

After seeing all the pictures of the area where she was murdered ,it looks like a place where I would feel comfortable taking pictures ,alone ,in broad daylight.Looks safe to me. I think it was a sexual advance that was rejected.