GUILTY Turkey - Sarai Sierra, 33, NY woman murdered, Istanbul, 21 Jan 2013 - #3

[alpmighty]

Has anyone else noticed Sarai's IG profile picture seems to symbolize that there are two different sides to her?

Indeed, in the true Janus sense, two different sides.

 

[ThinkHard]

Yep. I also think that people who are projecting this into a "judgment" are either single or don't have kids.

It's not about "Tisk tisk tisk, that bad woman how could she do this to her kids"

It's about "What in the world would compel her to leave her kids behind like that? How in the world did it seem ok to stay in the house of a man in another country like that?"

I see you are from NY as well so I think you understand what I mean about the culture and whatnot.

One of my best friends is a man, and I trust him tremendously as does my husband. If I wanted to stay with him in another country it would be ok.

But to leave my kids in the middle of the school year and go on a trip like this where any issue that came up could completely disrupt their lives?

It would take a LOT to make me feel it was worth it. A lot. IF Turkey was her passion and she'd always dreamed of it and didn't want to give it up then that would make sense to me a little.

But this whole thing doesn't look like that. It looks like she went there to meet specific people. Not because she wanted to go to Turkey. And it seems like there is way way more to the story than is told.

Personally I think someone finding themselves in a third life crisis is a much more compelling reason to take yourself away from your children, then leaving them to take the HUGE risk of being a drug mule.

 

[Yashim]

It looks like she went there to meet specific people. Not because she wanted to go to Turkey. And it seems like there is way way more to the story than is told.

This is what I used to think. But if this was a mission, there would be more leads. It doesn't usually take LE this long to come with something, make an arrest.

 

[Chewy]

hey there. i'm new here. nice to meet you all!

just my own thoughts as i join the discussion --

i don't think she knowingly went to a seedy area of the city. she probably chose to stay there because it was close to people she wanted to meet. she wanted to be close by having no contacts in the city. meeting people online and meeting them in person is quite normal. i have done it. her staying with guys - well, she obviously wasn't happy in her relationship - i don't even like to meet guys now that i am in a relationship - let alone sleep on their couches. maybe the guy in amsterdam has more information then had been previously told. it was stated in a previous post that she had mentioned that she wasn't feeling so safe with some of the people in turkey - her landlord or something. maybe there is more information that he has on that. and maybe, hopefully, that is it. it would be really odd if he is somewhat connected to her being murdered in turkey. outlandish. i think she chose turkey not because of photography - although she liked taking pictures - but because she wanted to meet these people she had been talking to. her marriage was on the rocks, she wants to 'save' her relationship, so she decides to take a solo trip - maybe it was their last ditch effort to save the relationship - she goes away and has this adventure and clears her mind. the turkish police haven't given us anything - it's possible they are on the other people she has met on instagram or facebook and they are keeping it mum until they get in contact with these people and are trying not to scare this person away. taylan or whatever, she met him twice -- if she was really into this guy she wouldn't have waited so long to get back in contact. there has to be somebody else.

i noticed while perusing her instagram that she changed her account name about 4 months or so back -- not sure if that's even relevant to any of this...i can post a screengrab if any of you are interested in that.

also - i haven't seen anywhere anything about her receiving mail. anyone have a link to that?

Can you post the screen grab? I'm curious.

 

[belimom]

hey there. i'm new here. nice to meet you all!

just my own thoughts as i join the discussion --

i don't think she knowingly went to a seedy area of the city. she probably chose to stay there because it was close to people she wanted to meet. she wanted to be close by having no contacts in the city. meeting people online and meeting them in person is quite normal. i have done it. her staying with guys - well, she obviously wasn't happy in her relationship - i don't even like to meet guys now that i am in a relationship - let alone sleep on their couches. maybe the guy in amsterdam has more information then had been previously told. it was stated in a previous post that she had mentioned that she wasn't feeling so safe with some of the people in turkey - her landlord or something. maybe there is more information that he has on that. and maybe, hopefully, that is it. it would be really odd if he is somewhat connected to her being murdered in turkey. outlandish. i think she chose turkey not because of photography - although she liked taking pictures - but because she wanted to meet these people she had been talking to. her marriage was on the rocks, she wants to 'save' her relationship, so she decides to take a solo trip - maybe it was their last ditch effort to save the relationship - she goes away and has this adventure and clears her mind. the turkish police haven't given us anything - it's possible they are on the other people she has met on instagram or facebook and they are keeping it mum until they get in contact with these people and are trying not to scare this person away. taylan or whatever, she met him twice -- if she was really into this guy she wouldn't have waited so long to get back in contact. there has to be somebody else.

i noticed while perusing her instagram that she changed her account name about 4 months or so back -- not sure if that's even relevant to any of this...i can post a screengrab if any of you are interested in that.

also - i haven't seen anywhere anything about her receiving mail. anyone have a link to that?

:welcome:

Welcome to WS - thanks for joining us!

I think someone pointed out the name change - or did she have two accounts? Was the other one 'allthings_sarai' or something like that? :waitasec:

Here's the link to her receiving mail (Lavy speaks Turkish):

Have these articles about the postman been translated anywhere that I've missed?

http://www.takvim.com.tr/Guncel/2013/01/30/son-kareler
http://www.timeturk.com/tr/2013/01/28/abd-li-sierra-nin-evine-evrak-getiren-postaci-konustu.html

:what:

Never remember seeing them.
These are old ones, from before she was found.

The first one says there was a parcel for her and she disappeared after receiving it.

Second one: they talk to the postman. He says about 15-20 days ago I came to this building. He hasn't seen her. He says:
"Parcel was from USA, I delivered the documentation. I gave the parcel to the guy in basement. There are usually mail for him. There was a young friend staying. Missing woman's post came from USA."

What?? Its not my translation, this is the way it was.

 

[Herat]

IMO Ammer looks Mid-Eastern/Turk extraction

I just wouldn't go there. It just seems like a speculation that may be irresponsible and causing more harm than good.

I'm sure LE is scrubbing all the internet data available on poor Ammer and any contacts he may ever have had in his entire life, the lives of his family, and everyone he's known, every internet message he's ever made.

I really doubt this is going to lead to The Great Instagram European Drug Mule bust.

 

[Chewy]

This is what I used to think. But if this was a mission, there would be more leads. It doesn't usually take LE this long to come with something, make an arrest.

I don't know how many times I have to post it. But here goes.

I don't think she realized what she had involved herself in. I think in her mind she was just there to meet friends. But she got mixed up in something else (mule) and once she found out she wanted to go home ASAP and couldn't tell anyone because she was afraid she would get trapped in Turkey.

When the problem that she got involved with realized she knew, they fought with her and killed her, maybe even by accident. The crime scene was a set up.

 

[NewYork625]

hey there. i'm new here. nice to meet you all!

just my own thoughts as i join the discussion --

i don't think she knowingly went to a seedy area of the city. she probably chose to stay there because it was close to people she wanted to meet. she wanted to be close by having no contacts in the city. meeting people online and meeting them in person is quite normal. i have done it. her staying with guys - well, she obviously wasn't happy in her relationship - i don't even like to meet guys now that i am in a relationship - let alone sleep on their couches. maybe the guy in amsterdam has more information then had been previously told. it was stated in a previous post that she had mentioned that she wasn't feeling so safe with some of the people in turkey - her landlord or something. maybe there is more information that he has on that. and maybe, hopefully, that is it. it would be really odd if he is somewhat connected to her being murdered in turkey. outlandish. i think she chose turkey not because of photography - although she liked taking pictures - but because she wanted to meet these people she had been talking to. her marriage was on the rocks, she wants to 'save' her relationship, so she decides to take a solo trip - maybe it was their last ditch effort to save the relationship - she goes away and has this adventure and clears her mind. the turkish police haven't given us anything - it's possible they are on the other people she has met on instagram or facebook and they are keeping it mum until they get in contact with these people and are trying not to scare this person away. taylan or whatever, she met him twice -- if she was really into this guy she wouldn't have waited so long to get back in contact. there has to be somebody else.

i noticed while perusing her instagram that she changed her account name about 4 months or so back -- not sure if that's even relevant to any of this...i can post a screengrab if any of you are interested in that.

also - i haven't seen anywhere anything about her receiving mail. anyone have a link to that?

:welcome5:

I noticed the same thing. I also noticed that Ammer was tagging his pictures of himself "me myself and I", and wondered if she changed her name because of him tagging his photos that way, or if he was tagging his photos that way because she changed her name. I didn't take the time to check the dates...

It was one of the things that felt like flirtation to me.

 

[ThinkHard]

Chewy has made it clear in several posts that I think she was an UNKNOWING participant in illegal activity. I have repeatedly stated this and even gone so far (this is the third time) of reminding people that I am not saying she willingly participated in it.

So please do not speak for me since you are clearly misunderstanding it.

You still believe she was involved in illegal activity, do you not?

Nothing in what I said was incorrect. That is your belief about this case you made that clear. That's all I stated.

It is my personal belief that I disagree with this angle and don't feel the facts point to this. Your entitled to your opinion as I am mine. But I didn't state anything false knowingly, not knowingly you still believe she was involved in illegal activity. That's all I stated.

 

[belimom]

I don't know how many times I have to post it. But here goes.

I don't think she realized what she had involved herself in. I think in her mind she was just there to meet friends. But she got mixed up in something else (mule) and once she found out she wanted to go home ASAP and couldn't tell anyone because she was afraid she would get trapped in Turkey.

When the problem that she got involved with realized she knew, they fought with her and killed her, maybe even by accident. The crime scene was a set up.

Chewy, I can totally see this happening. Exactly as you say.

As to whether or not that *is* what happened, I have no idea anymore. I've entertained every possibility since Day One in my brain and now my head is spinning. The waiting game is tough - waiting for LE to actually make an arrest. :jail:

I really hope that happens. I really hope we're not sitting here debating this in a year, another cold case. :no:

 

[EncyclopediaBrown]

here's the screenshot - yes, allthings_sarai. you can see that people are posting for her but she is answering from another new screenname.

 

[Rolandred]

Has anyone else noticed Sarai's IG profile picture seems to symbolize that there are two different sides to her?

Maybe it's just the ME /MYSELF - that's who I am - sort of theme? Symbolic of being one person and alone that person without anyone else.

 

[english]

I'm not sure where I'm going with this thought and the answers may have already been given ...

Her family knew she was meeting with IGer Ammer.

Her husband sent a message to Taylan asking where is she. Did her family know she had met with or planned to meet with Taylan? If she had been corresponding with several IGers in Turkey, why didn't her husband send the same message to them all?

 

[alpmighty]

Where did Lavy get that from?

Well my friends, if there was indeed a Parcel that came through, this might turn out to be another Isdal woman case.

Why would you receive a parcel when you are abroad for a short term stay?

Besides, Turkish customs and Turkish Postal Service are neferious about incoming packages. The parcel might arrive from the destination country in just two days, but the customs screening and the Turkish Postal Service delivery takes at best case, a week. Exemptions are EMS and commercial services like UPS, DHL, FedEx, but they are still subject to the same Customs procedures and they do hold up any packages of interest and you are required to pay brokerage fees or go and receive the package after the customs inspection from the courier services depot.

But there was a postman mentioned, and if there's a postman, it's Turkish Postal Service.

And they don't just leave the EMS packages to anybody in the address. They are signed for. If you are not present yourself, you have to pick it up from the local post office after unsuccessful delivery.

Therefore any parcel for her is most likely not an EMS. Regular delivery. May be registered or not. But regular deliveries for the reasons I mentioned above are completely unreliable for all time schedule intents and purposes.

 

[Yashim]

Personally I think someone finding themselves in a third life crisis is a much more compelling reason to take yourself away from your children, then leaving them to take the HUGE risk of being a drug mule.

Never exactly fit the profile anyway.


The obvious mistakes drug mules make which alert customs officials:

- wearing inappropriate clothing for the weather in the country to which they are flying
- being overly nervous and sweating
- posing as a tourist, but not having any idea about tourist attractions
- often travelling for short periods to different countries
- not having enough luggage for their stay
- not having any idea where you're staying that night
- not having enough money for their stay
- carrying suspiciously large amounts of cash
- not eating or drinking anything on the flight


http://www.health24.com/news/Columnists/1-4618-4619,76396.asp


Here's slideshow on how to spot a drug mule:

http://investigation.discovery.com/investigation/drug-mules/spot-mule-slideshow.html

SS's handbag looked too distinctive to fit one of the indicators.

 

[EncyclopediaBrown]

yeah, the cutting the trip short could have been because she felt she was in danger - or maybe because she just felt uneasy being out all on her own and felt she needed to go back and get back to her life. or guilt. maybe she didn't find what she was looking for... the side trip to amsterdam was because of her friend there. i don't believe she was a mule. munich was a layover, that is all.

 

[belimom]

I'm not sure where I'm going with this thought and the answers may have already been given ...

Her family knew she was meeting with IGer Ammer.

Her husband sent a message to Taylan asking where is she. Did her family know she had met with or planned to meet with Taylan? If she had been corresponding with several IGers in Turkey, why didn't her husband send the same message to them all?

I believe the husband didn't know about Taylan/Tarkan until Sarai went missing. I think he logged into some of her accounts and found his name, IIRC.

 

[EncyclopediaBrown]

Maybe it's just the ME /MYSELF - that's who I am - sort of theme? Symbolic of being one person and alone that person without anyone else.

on instagram, the amsterdam guy tags #memyselfandi on his self portraits. she could have changed hers because her name rhymes with 'i' and she thought it was cool...

 

[belimom]

Never exactly fit the profile anyway.


The obvious mistakes drug mules make which alert customs officials:

- wearing inappropriate clothing for the weather in the country to which they are flying
- being overly nervous and sweating
- posing as a tourist, but not having any idea about tourist attractions
- often travelling for short periods to different countries
- not having enough luggage for their stay
- not having any idea where you're staying that night
- not having enough money for their stay
- carrying suspiciously large amounts of cash
- not eating or drinking anything on the flight


http://www.health24.com/news/Columnists/1-4618-4619,76396.asp


Here's slideshow on how to spot a drug mule:

http://investigation.discovery.com/investigation/drug-mules/spot-mule-slideshow.html

SS's handbag looked too distinctive to fit one of the indicators.

bbm

Huh. Interesting that the very distinctive and large handbag was found still in her room. She didn't have it with her that last day on the peninsula.

Hmmmmm.... I'm really not leaning towards a drug mule theory - but wanted to post that observation.

 

[NewYork625]

Maybe it's just the ME /MYSELF - that's who I am - sort of theme? Symbolic of being one person and alone that person without anyone else.

I mentioned this in post 1071, but I also noticed that Ammer was tagging his pictures of himself "me myself and I", and wondered if she changed her name because of him tagging his photos that way, or if he was tagging his photos that way because she changed her name. I didn't take the time to check the dates...

ETA To EncyclopediaBrown...I didn't add this post to say I thought of it first, I added this post before I saw your recent post.