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

[ThinkHard]

Just my two cents. I do think some of Sarai's trip is suspicious. But I think like we have discussed before it points to somebody who was trying to find herself. I think some of the peculiarities in her trip had much more to do with a personal journey then a criminal one.

I think she enjoyed the attention she received from men because of how it made her feel about herself. I'm on the fence about where she was killed, but I think that her killer was known to her, and that it has something to do with her IG connections.

I think she was either some how the victim of a scam, or someone somehow felt betrayed by her. I also think when she didn't hear back from Taylan, she made plans to meet up with another IG friend (though I haven't completely discounted Taylan).

 

[necco]

I wonder how one goes about legal-wise getting a DNA sample from a Dutch citizen in Holland if you are the Turkish LE?

I suspect the first step is to ask REALLY nicely and hope the Dutch guy says yes. Otherwise, it would be a long and protracted legal battle, in all probability.

 

[CMac2]

Based purely on where she was found, and based on what I know of her from her October 2012 comments on IG to Ammer, it seems to me that it's possible she went to the walls to photograph the graffiti, and that while there she was accosted by one or more people who intended to rape her. I believe she fought back hard, and the assailant(s) may have unintentionally murdered her in the struggle. This makes sense to me based on the condition of her clothing.The assailant (s) may have left the jewelry because it was too bloodied, and because their original intention wasn't robbery. Perhaps the ipad and phone were in the purse, but the assailant didn't realize it and took her purse simply hoping there would be money in it. The person may have also grabbed her coat to conceal the handbag as he fled with it.
As to the woman who saw the white car and the hand, perhaps she had second hand knowledge of what had happened, and made up the story to lead police to her body.

Do you think the people (or person) that intended to rape her was a person (or persons) known to her? The most recent article (which I'm not giving 100% due credit to) does say that LE has narrowed the suspect pool down to those she interacted with online.

My theory is similar to yours (minus the rape part), but I definitely think this was done by a person or by persons known to her in some capacity.

 

[ThinkHard]

I wonder how one goes about legal-wise getting a DNA sample from a Dutch citizen in Holland if you are the Turkish LE?

I don't know if they would need it, they would know if he left the country or not, and I'm assuming that they know he did not. So if he is involved, I doubt it is with the murder, at least not directly, so his DNA wold have no way of getting to the scene.

 

[Munich]

I've seen several times people state that "perhaps she took a photo of something she shouldn't have". I remember seeing some military bases or areas with distinct "NO PHOTOS" signs in a variety of languages. They weren't near where she was found and I am certain the Turkish military wouldn't bludgeon someone for taking a photo.

Her photos are typically buildings, urban things, but no people. They are a bit sterile and devoid of humanity except for the fact that humans built them or left their mark... bridges, buildings, tracks, graffiti street art tags, once in a while a landscape.

I guess I'd think if someone thought she took a photo of them she could clearly show them she didn't, but that's also giving this attacker or attackers more of a human quality, which they seem to be devoid of considering their incredible rage.

Something is missing, but I can't figure out what. Her electronics were taken, but not her jewelry. They could contain evidence or perhaps they were just easier to grab and go.

Istanbul is a cosmopolitan city and as others have suggested having an ipad or cell phone isn't hard to come by. A hobo would have trouble offloading it and nowhere to charge them. There's clearly more evidence of how she spent her time and who she was in contact with on those devices with a "camera".

 

[lillygator]

They don't waste their time when the person you are talking about did not even leave the country, and was in Amsterdam the whole time. Maybe they should take your DNA? You seem rather interested in this case. In fact, don't you live in Turkey? Just trying to make a point.

I think it was a reasonable question.

I still cannot wrap my head around leaving the country for weeks at a time with two young children at home....even if to have some sort of love tryst. Especially some place that really isn't all that safe to travel.

 

[Herat]

Can we really consider that SS was so desperate that she would risk herself for a lowly cut?

Exactly. I've never seen anything other than pure speculation about her being "desperate". Although not wealthy, she does have great family support, a job, a supportive husband, and no indications that she had a raging substance abuse problem or impending foreclosure, etc that would compel her to risk life for money.

Even if there was a divorce in the future, she has support and would not be destitute.

This does not stop me from trying to twist and look at every.single.angle.out. there. With the peculiarities of this crime, the tidbits of fact reported, the wide availability of searchable information available through the internet, and the popularization of television crime programs, it would seem that there is information out there to glean the structure and truth of this crime.

 

[NewYork625]

Do you think the people (or person) that intended to rape her was a person (or persons) known to her? The most recent article (which I'm not giving 100% due credit to) does say that LE has narrowed the suspect pool down to those she interacted with online.

My theory is similar to yours (minus the rape part), but I definitely think this was done by a person or by persons known to her in some capacity.

I do think it is entirely possible it was someone known to her. Possibly an IG acquaintance.

 

[alpmighty]

I was thinking more along the lines as a willing donor..

If you want to transplant on organ, here's how you must operate:

1) First determine all the variables that matter in the beneficiery. A battery of medical tests is necessary for this.
2) Once you have the variables (medical data), then you can start looking for a donor.
3) With the variables you have, you need to establish a high or good enough match with a donor. This again, requires the same tests applied on donor as well, and that takes time.

So, SS must have gone through those tests either abroad before coming here and having being established as a good match. Or, she would need to be abducted if she was unwilling, or submit herself willingly for those tests in Turkey. You wouldn't abduct a tourist, hoping to find a good match, because you'd need to abduct a quite a lot of them to find a match, and that would raise flags, making the unwilling donor angle more implausible, even if it wasn't an urban legend. But then again, it's not profitable to run those tests while the possible donor is already here. You'd save yourself a lot of money if you can first identify the match where the donor is and then proceed to facilitate air fare afterwards.

Nope, organ transplantion business, whether it involves trafficking or not, does not work like that.

 

[ThinkHard]

I think it was a reasonable question.

I still cannot wrap my head around leaving the country for weeks at a time with two young children at home....even if to have some sort of love tryst. Especially some place that really isn't all that safe to travel.

It is a safe place to travel. And I think for everyone who can't understand her decision to travel alone there is someone who can. I don't think her choice makes her suspicious just because it something that wouldn't fit in to someone else's life.

 

[Herat]

The sum total of what I get out of the Daily Mail article, if it can be believed, is that LE do NOT think it was a random crime.

They are narrowing it down to 80% contacts known to her, and 20% a homeless person.

 

[Munich]

I think it was a reasonable question.

I still cannot wrap my head around leaving the country for weeks at a time with two young children at home....even if to have some sort of love tryst. Especially some place that really isn't all that safe to travel.

Each person has a different notion of what is "safe". It's determined by a lot of different factors, but the "otherness" of foreign cultures is part of the draw. They are exciting, awaken senses, force you out of your comfort zone, and to interact with people you'd likely never meet.

We've been over this, but Istanbul is just as safe as any other big city.

None of us know SS's state of mind, relationships, or desires. People lead distinctly different lives in attempts to fulfill themselves. She was a curious passionate human like the rest of us.

It doesn't really help to judge her or her choices. She didn't deserve to be beaten regardless of what they were or weren't.

 

[alpmighty]

I've seen several times people state that "perhaps she took a photo of something she shouldn't have". I remember seeing some military bases or areas with distinct "NO PHOTOS" signs in a variety of languages. They weren't near where she was found and I am certain the Turkish military wouldn't bludgeon someone for taking a photo.

Her photos are typically buildings, urban things, but no people. They are a bit sterile and devoid of humanity except for the fact that humans built them or left their mark... bridges, buildings, tracks, graffiti street art tags, once in a while a landscape.

I guess I'd think if someone thought she took a photo of them she could clearly show them she didn't, but that's also giving this attacker or attackers more of a human quality, which they seem to be devoid of considering their incredible rage.

Something is missing, but I can't figure out what. Her electronics were taken, but not her jewelry. They could contain evidence or perhaps they were just easier to grab and go.

Istanbul is a cosmopolitan city and as others have suggested having an ipad or cell phone isn't hard to come by. A hobo would have trouble offloading it and nowhere to charge them. There's clearly more evidence of how she spent her time and who she was in contact with on those devices with a "camera".

Agreed. I come from a military/government family. It's ridiculous to think that she would be bludgeoned for seeing something she shouldn't have. She'd be arrested, and most likely received a fine, relevant material confiscated off her and get deported if something like that occured.

And seriously, even treaspassing Area 51 wouldn't get you killed. You'd be detained and face LE, sure. Killed, no.

 

[Herat]

1) First determine all the variables that matter in the beneficiery. A battery of medical tests is necessary for this.
2) Once you have the variables (medical data), then you can start looking for a donor.
3) With the variables you have, you need to establish a high or good enough match with a donor. This again, requires the same tests applied on donor as well, and that takes time.

I disagree slightly with the above. In cases reported in India, a donor is found and then the organ is sold to someone willing to be a less than 100% receipient match. Quick and dirty and really bad medicine.

The urban legend stuff about tourists waking up in bathtubs of ice missing their kidney is just urban legend and not to be believed.

 

[KuriousKev]

I go back to Brandon Lincoln Woodard, that was a planned hit in broad daylight here in NYC Manhattan, some say that was the most unprofessional hit, I say it was a very unprofessional successful hit because the killer still has not been captured. The point and risk...someone wanting to send a message.

Excellent example. Known drug mule, asked to meet at a specific locale and cleanly executed. SS bares no resemblance.

Yeah my point was the killer possibly wanted her found.

 

[ThinkHard]

The sum total of what I get out of the Daily Mail article, if it can be believed, is that LE do NOT think it was a random crime.

They are narrowing it down to 80% contacts known to her, and 20% a homeless person.

Perhaps its that homeless person who the blanket belonged too, so they can't rule him out just yet.

 

[Chewy]

I agree. Unfortunate for the man though. I wonder if some of the homeless people there have witness information, but aren't fans of the police so have moved to another area/avoided being tracked down. I mean in my experience of that area I've never noticed lots of homeless people but if there are some, perhaps some of them saw something.

This is a very interesting theory. I do think that the homeless person they have is not a suspect but a witness. It's pretty obvious that the reason her body was put there was to make the cops think that the homeless people mugged her and killed her. Also if homeless people sleep around there it could make sense about the blanket (if there was one) being put over her to make her look like a sleeping homeless person.

Based purely on where she was found, and based on what I know of her from her October 2012 comments on IG to Ammer, it seems to me that it's possible she went to the walls to photograph the graffiti, and that while there she was accosted by one or more people who intended to rape her. I believe she fought back hard, and the assailant(s) may have unintentionally murdered her in the struggle. This makes sense to me based on the condition of her clothing.The assailant (s) may have left the jewelry because it was too bloodied, and because their original intention wasn't robbery. Perhaps the ipad and phone were in the purse, but the assailant didn't realize it and took her purse simply hoping there would be money in it. The person may have also grabbed her coat to conceal the handbag as he fled with it.
As to the woman who saw the white car and the hand, perhaps she had second hand knowledge of what had happened, and made up the story to lead police to her body.

This is awesome thinking. I like especially the last part about the witness. I've seen first hand "witnesses" embellish stories and flat out lie to try to draw themselves into a story that they enjoy the attention from.

I've seen several times people state that "perhaps she took a photo of something she shouldn't have". I remember seeing some military bases or areas with distinct "NO PHOTOS" signs in a variety of languages. They weren't near where she was found and I am certain the Turkish military wouldn't bludgeon someone for taking a photo.

Her photos are typically buildings, urban things, but no people. They are a bit sterile and devoid of humanity except for the fact that humans built them or left their mark... bridges, buildings, tracks, graffiti street art tags, once in a while a landscape.

I guess I'd think if someone thought she took a photo of them she could clearly show them she didn't, but that's also giving this attacker or attackers more of a human quality, which they seem to be devoid of considering their incredible rage.

Something is missing, but I can't figure out what. Her electronics were taken, but not her jewelry. They could contain evidence or perhaps they were just easier to grab and go.

Istanbul is a cosmopolitan city and as others have suggested having an ipad or cell phone isn't hard to come by. A hobo would have trouble offloading it and nowhere to charge them. There's clearly more evidence of how she spent her time and who she was in contact with on those devices with a "camera".

Great post as well. It could be that she enraged a homeless person who was schizophrenic. That would be another theory that makes a lot of sense.

I think it was a reasonable question.

I still cannot wrap my head around leaving the country for weeks at a time with two young children at home....even if to have some sort of love tryst. Especially some place that really isn't all that safe to travel.

Me either, perhaps this is old fashioned of me as a mother. I've actually been offered a free trip to India by a friend of ours that moved there who is very lonely. Even though he's a friend, there's something really weird to me about packing up and leaving my kids to go around the world to visit a man as a married woman.

 

[alpmighty]

I wonder how one goes about legal-wise getting a DNA sample from a Dutch citizen in Holland if you are the Turkish LE?

Depends on the legal agreements between two countries. However, in this case I'd think about U.S. - Holland relations as well, she was a US citizen and FBI has a mandate on the case as well.

But Turkish attempt would most likely involve the relevant ministeries (as administrative oversight of Turkish National Police falls under Ministery of Justice and the organizational oversight falls under Ministery of Interior) sending the proper judicial paperwork through their own channels, or perhaps Interpol.

 

[necco]

She left her intermediate school aged children in the care of their father and grandparents. It's not babysitting if they're your kids.

I travel extensively alone. I am about SS's age. Only once in all my travels was my safety ever in clear and present danger. And you know what, that was from someone I had known for 20 years.

 

[Yashim]

Perhaps the ipad and phone were in the purse, but the assailant didn't realize it and took her purse simply hoping there would be money in it. The person may have also grabbed her coat to conceal the handbag as he fled with it.

Kudos. This is a very smart assertion, or whatever they call it.

As to the woman who saw the white car and the hand, perhaps she had second hand knowledge of what had happened, and made up the story to lead police to her body.

I am not so sure of this.Because her daughter is also in this. If the car story was true, there is a small percentage that there may be some sort of gang behind this. But maybe the man was trying to take the body away, thinking this would be too risky, he might have placed it back.