Missing U.S. woman phtographer found stabbed to death in Turkey

[mord]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/02/02/turkey-sarai-sierra-missing-american/1886059/   



Missing American woman found dead in Turkey
Victor Kotsev, Special for USA TODAY3:38p.m. EST February 2, 2013
Sarai Sierra, 33, on her "dream" trip abroad, was supposed to return to New York on Jan. 22 after two weeks in Turkey.
Sarai Sierra

(Photo: Family photo via AP)
Story Highlights

    Police found driver's license on body
    Sierra didn't return on Jan. 22 flight to New York
    Police are interrogating individuals in the case

ISTANBUL — A New York mother of two was found dead Saturday evening almost two weeks after she was reported missing, Turkish police told USA TODAY.

"It's her," a police official said when asked whether the body belonged to Sarai Sierra, before quickly hanging up without identifying himself. Turkish police have not returned repeated follow-up calls.

The Turkish daily Hurriyet reported that the body of a woman with stab wounds to the abdomen was found at the foot of the ramparts of the city walls in the Sarayburnu district of Istanbul. Police found Sierra's driver's license on the body.

Sierra, 33, on her "dream" trip abroad, was supposed to return to New York on Jan. 22 after two weeks in Turkey. She disappeared after last talking to her family on Jan. 21, when she was supposed to meet a man she had been chatting with for months online at Galata Bridge on the Bosporus.

Turkish media reported police were interrogating 11 individuals detained in connection with the case.

On Friday, police said they had taken a man known only by his online handle "Taylan" into custody for questioning. They did not elaborate on whether he had been charged. It is unclear whether "Taylan" is included in the 11 detained Saturday.

Sierra's husband, Steven Sierra, and brother, David Jimenez, arrived in Istanbul last Monday to look for her, meeting with police and U.S. Embassy officials and giving police access to her online accounts. Steven Sierra told USA TODAY by phone Wednesday that he was having difficulty holding on to hope.

"To be honest, as a human, I am scared, especially when I think about what could be going on now with my loved one," he said.

Sarai Sierra, an avid photographer, had wanted to go abroad to develop her photography skills. She took side trips to Amsterdam and Munich, posting her photos online on Instagram, before disappearing.

"She always knew she wanted to go overseas," said Maggie Rodriguez, Sierra's close friend who had planned to join her friend on the trip but backed out for financial reasons. "She knew she wanted to do a European trip. Whereabouts wasn't always set in stone, but she knew she wanted to go over to Europe, at least once in her life, to check out the sites and embrace the culture for herself."

Contributing: Jabeen Bhatti and Ruby Russell in Berlin
 
M

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

Whole lot that we haven't been told. She is not innocent.

[Abben]

her mind set was probably I live in a global village. Where everyone is friendly and will help me whenever I have an issue.

[Super Mentalita]

I hope her family will find peace. This is what you get when you visit Islamic countrys... A warning to every women in the west... STAY AWAY FROM THIS ISLAMIC BARBARIC COUNTRYS!

[muman613]

Whole lot that we haven't been told. She is not innocent.

I don't know why you don't give the benefit of the doubt before making statements casting such suspicion on a victim. Shouldn't you wait till you hear something which is suspicious before making such statements? I myself wait before making judgments.

[syyuge]

Turkey is all rubbish.

[Sveta]

I still don't understand why anyone would want to go vacation in Turkey. It's one thing if one has family in Turkey that they want to go visit. But to be a person on NON-Turkish origin, to just want to go there for vacation is ridiculous. It's not safe. Turkey panders to the west because they want to join the EU but in reality, it's a moslim country. Not safe for a woman to go visit there by herself.

It's like if I decide I want to go to Chechnya to vacation, chances are I won't be coming back. I feel bad for the woman but this was a VERY poor choice on her part. And sadly, she paid for it with her life.

[Tag-MehirTzedek]

I still don't understand why anyone would want to go vacation in Turkey. It's one thing if one has family in Turkey that they want to go visit. But to be a person on NON-Turkish origin, to just want to go there for vacation is ridiculous. It's not safe. Turkey panders to the west because they want to join the EU but in reality, it's a moslim country. Not safe for a woman to go visit there by herself.

It's like if I decide I want to go to Chechnya to vacation, chances are I won't be coming back. I feel bad for the woman but this was a VERY poor choice on her part. And sadly, she paid for it with her life.

 Its cheaper then other places. People (for example going to and from Israel) at times make a stop in Turkey (or other places) because the tickets are cheaper.
 
  Also some people want to make some sight seeing and/or shopping. Others just want to travel different places throughout the world. Nothing wrong with that.

 - I too find it disgusting to blame her without knowing anything that happened. Common she is a mother as well and was just slaughtered.

[Super Mentalita]

Its cheaper then other places. People (for example going to and from Israel) at times make a stop in Turkey (or other places) because the tickets are cheaper.
 
  Also some people want to make some sight seeing and/or shopping. Others just want to travel different places throughout the world. Nothing wrong with that.

 - I too find it disgusting to blame her without knowing anything that happened. Common she is a mother as well and was just slaughtered.

True. Not everyone thats travel to Turkey is bad. Loads of people go there for holiday from West-Europe. Its there choice but i won't do it!

[Mein Koran]

I was in Turkey last year, not a bad place at all. Istanbul felt like any European city, not sure where this lady went

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

Either this was the most naive human being on planet earth or there is a whole lot that she was up to and did not tell us about. The fact that she was supposedly trying to meet a man online from Turkey leads me to think the latter.

[JTFenthusiast2]

Either this was the most naive human being on planet earth or there is a whole lot that she was up to and did not tell us about. The fact that she was supposedly trying to meet a man online from Turkey leads me to think the latter.

Could be....

[cjd]

I don't think I would go there even if the trip was totally free... Then again there are not many places outside of the United States now days that I would feel safe visiting.

[angryChineseKahanist]

So that's why she went there and alone.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/turkish_bath_voom_AO6xaUk9Im5NNUn1jQvbaJ

[Super Mentalita]

It's not safe going to Turkey, I don't care what people say, those who went on a vacation there.
Holiday can turn into a real hell in no time (in a muslim country).
And this woman shouldn't even started chatting with some Turk at first place, and especially being a married woman.

True. I hope western women will learn from this.