GUILTY Turkey - Sarai Sierra, 33, NY woman murdered, Istanbul, 21 Jan 2013 - #5

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Sairi Sierra, American Tourist, Killed by Blow to the Head, Turkish Police Say
Feb 3, 2013
ABC News
A New York City woman vacationing alone in Istanbul was killed by at least one fatal blow to her head, Turkish officials said today.

After an intense search that lasted nearly two weeks, the body of Sarai Sierra was found near the ruins of some ancient city walls and a highway on Saturday.
sarai_sierra_0217_244x183.jpg


Saria Sierra Update: Istanbul police release surveillance photos of slain staten island mom
Feb 18, 2013
(CBS/WCBS) NEW YORK - Police in Istanbul have released photos of slain Staten Island woman Sarai Sierra from the day of her disappearance in Turkey.

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"If a bird looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."

Well, that’s the duck test. And this case is quacking from the very beginning.

Yet, having never accepted the existence of a bird, we just couldn’t hear the quacks.

And there sure are lots of quacks (brown bag, call to Dad on 20th, wandering into most unsafe areas, missing shoes, unobstructed view of the face without the hat, etc). But I’ll concentrate on the crime scene. I believe that’s where we need to alter our assumptions.

The face was unrecognizable. Hit repeatedly with a rock. Of course, it’d be a rock. That’s one of the few weapons that would even unintentionally make a face unrecognizable in the act of killing. Unrecognizable face on a gunshot victim would be a more deliberate attempt.

And her driver’s license and jewelry were there. Anything to suggest that the unrecognizable face belonged to SS was there. Yet anything that may provide more leads to the LE was missing: the iPad and the cell phone. Doesn’t identification of a murder victim allow LE to solve the case faster, find suspects with a motive? Or was that the real aim?

It was also interesting how the jewelry was found. The ring and the bracelet were on the body. But earrings were next to her with her earphones, kinda buried in the dirt. So the perp was thoughtful enough to place the earrings and mark them with the earphone cable? How did both earrings come off in the struggle? How did the perp find them? Is it possible that the earrings found next to the body are pierced but the ears on the body weren’t?

Pants dropped down to knees but no rape attempt. No sign of rape? Why drop pants? Attempted undressing? Or a very smart, impromptu solution to put on a pair of undersized jeans on a dead body?

Her bag and her jacket are also missing. Who took them? Perhaps somebody who needs the jacket, the bag and the contents of the bag as much as the victim.

Husband identifies her. Is that really what happened? He identified or confirmed? Because forensic experts/medical examiner should be the ones to identify and ask a relative only to confirm. A grieving husband may easily misidentify a dead wife.

Doubts are more cruel than the worst of truths. - Moliere
 
"If a bird looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."

Well, that’s the duck test. And this case is quacking from the very beginning.

Yet, having never accepted the existence of a bird, we just couldn’t hear the quacks.

And there sure are lots of quacks (brown bag, call to Dad on 20th, wandering into most unsafe areas, missing shoes, unobstructed view of the face without the hat, etc). But I’ll concentrate on the crime scene. I believe that’s where we need to alter our assumptions.

The face was unrecognizable. Hit repeatedly with a rock. Of course, it’d be a rock. That’s one of the few weapons that would even unintentionally make a face unrecognizable in the act of killing. Unrecognizable face on a gunshot victim would be a more deliberate attempt.

And her driver’s license and jewelry were there. Anything to suggest that the unrecognizable face belonged to SS was there. Yet anything that may provide more leads to the LE was missing: the iPad and the cell phone. Doesn’t identification of a murder victim allow LE to solve the case faster, find suspects with a motive? Or was that the real aim?

It was also interesting how the jewelry was found. The ring and the bracelet were on the body. But earrings were next to her with her earphones, kinda buried in the dirt. So the perp was thoughtful enough to place the earrings and mark them with the earphone cable? How did both earrings come off in the struggle? How did the perp find them? Is it possible that the earrings found next to the body are pierced but the ears on the body weren’t?

Pants dropped down to knees but no rape attempt. No sign of rape? Why drop pants? Attempted undressing? Or a very smart, impromptu solution to put on a pair of undersized jeans on a dead body?

Her bag and her jacket are also missing. Who took them? Perhaps somebody who needs the jacket, the bag and the contents of the bag as much as the victim.

Husband identifies her. Is that really what happened? He identified or confirmed? Because forensic experts/medical examiner should be the ones to identify and ask a relative only to confirm. A grieving husband may easily misidentify a dead wife.

Doubts are more cruel than the worst of truths. - Moliere

Merhaba Yashim!
We missed you!!
 
Hi Everyone,

Sorry I was away. I thought this case was over.

Until that last quack: Brown Bag

This whole case reminds me of this mystery novel:

Three Coffins by John Dickson Carr

Sometimes changing one assumption makes all the pieces come together.

I am also very sorry that I couldn't help with the translation.

But just one note. In some TV footage, they didn't show the exact cave. The crime scene is locked. No footage available. But a similar, bigger one. They said that finding a blanket in a cave is quite normal since many homeless live in them.
 
Hi Everyone,

Sorry I was away. I thought this case was over.

Until that last quack: Brown Bag

This whole case reminds me of this mystery novel:

Three Coffins by John Dickson Carr

Sometimes changing one assumption makes all the pieces come together.

I am also very sorry that I couldn't help with the translation.

But just one note. In some TV footage, they didn't show the exact cave. The crime scene is locked. No footage available. But a similar, bigger one. They said that finding a blanket in a cave is quite normal since many homeless live in them.


I have to admit i've wondered if the body was SS, but was afraid to say so.
 
Merhaba Yashim!
We missed you!!

Heyyyy,

I missed you guys too.

I tried to follow but I was quite busy sleeping 4 hours/day.

And, ThinkHard, how much you know about Turkey just amazes me.

You're like those highly trained classical musicians, and I am like the gypsy who plays by ear.

I should have never told that I was Turkish and just said spent some time there.

I'd go back and delete it.

Wouldn't it be great if we deleted a post, it would also disappear from memories!
 
I have to admit i've wondered if the body was SS, but was afraid to say so.

I just couldn't understand how someone who did so much research ends up in such an unsafe spot?

Then, ThinkHard says "why didn't she call her dad on 21st?"

That kinda struck me.

Of course, there is an explanation. Maybe he needed to make arrangements before hand.

But this is what we have been doing. Forcing ourselves to explain thing that don't make sense. Like pulling pants down to humiliate a victim yet not failing to place her jewelry next to her?

This is either a lining up of a series of unlikely events or there is another explanation.
 
Yashim's back.

I was worried you were out on assignment searching for the perp.
 
Do you believe that SS has faked her own disappearance? What arrangements did her Dad make?
 
:pullhair:

Yashim ... we are so glad that you are back!!




"If a bird looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."


Well, that’s the duck test. And this case is quacking from the very beginning.

Yet, having never accepted the existence of a bird, we just couldn’t hear the quacks.

And there sure are lots of quacks (brown bag, call to Dad on 20th, wandering into most unsafe areas, missing shoes, unobstructed view of the face without the hat, etc). But I’ll concentrate on the crime scene. I believe that’s where we need to alter our assumptions.

The face was unrecognizable. Hit repeatedly with a rock. Of course, it’d be a rock. That’s one of the few weapons that would even unintentionally make a face unrecognizable in the act of killing. Unrecognizable face on a gunshot victim would be a more deliberate attempt.

And her driver’s license and jewelry were there. Anything to suggest that the unrecognizable face belonged to SS was there. Yet anything that may provide more leads to the LE was missing: the iPad and the cell phone. Doesn’t identification of a murder victim allow LE to solve the case faster, find suspects with a motive? Or was that the real aim?

It was also interesting how the jewelry was found. The ring and the bracelet were on the body. But earrings were next to her with her earphones, kinda buried in the dirt. So the perp was thoughtful enough to place the earrings and mark them with the earphone cable? How did both earrings come off in the struggle? How did the perp find them? Is it possible that the earrings found next to the body are pierced but the ears on the body weren’t?

Pants dropped down to knees but no rape attempt. No sign of rape? Why drop pants? Attempted undressing? Or a very smart, impromptu solution to put on a pair of undersized jeans on a dead body?

Her bag and her jacket are also missing. Who took them? Perhaps somebody who needs the jacket, the bag and the contents of the bag as much as the victim.

Husband identifies her. Is that really what happened? He identified or confirmed? Because forensic experts/medical examiner should be the ones to identify and ask a relative only to confirm. A grieving husband may easily misidentify a dead wife.

Doubts are more cruel than the worst of truths. - Moliere

BBM
 
Re: Earrings

First thought: Perp was going to steal them, but had a change of heart. Maybe perp demanded her valuables when confronted and asked for the earrings. Taking earrings off of a dead body whose face is disfigured is an unpleasant but intimate thing to do. Not like pulling a ring off of a finger (which wasn't done). Maybe the earrings looked more valuable at first then perp figured they were cheap or very recognizeable.

Where did you get all this info, Yashim?
 
Please explain more about the brown bag.

In the very last footage, she is seen carrying a brown paper bag under her arm. Or something wrapped in light brown paper.

And doesn't look like heavy.

But I have never seen the shops in Eminönü use such brown paper bags. Why wouldn't she buy that on her way back?

She wouldn't be late anyway. And those shops are open until 7 PM.

That is weird. And no hat.

And in the previous footage in Eminönü, she seems to be on the land side not on the seaside. Because, as far as I remember the there are fences on both sides of the road. But on the lend side, somewhere in front of the Mosque (Yeni Cami) , they have placed bollards. And in the picture, I see bollards in the background. And that road on the back may even be the Arpacilar street and not the main avenue.

She must have switched to the seaside again.
 
"If a bird looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."



It was also interesting how the jewelry was found. The ring and the bracelet were on the body. But earrings were next to her with her earphones, kinda buried in the dirt. So the perp was thoughtful enough to place the earrings and mark them with the earphone cable? How did both earrings come off in the struggle? [/I] - Moliere

:welcomeback:

Excellent thoughts, as always!! This is the first I've heard this information about the jewelry. Is there a link? Regarding the earphone cable, if that is referring to headphones, then SS removing her earrings can make sense. I often remove an earring when speaking on the phone at home because it's not very comfortable to wear earrings and hold the phone to my ear. I imagine she removed her earrings as she may have sat down resting and listening to music. Maybe she was eating lunch there while listening to music? If she was wearing headphones, she likely was there by herself, unless someone who was with her suggested she listen to something. Maybe what she was carrying (brown bag) when caught on camera was a picnic lunch?
Perhaps the perp picked the earrings up and carried them to where he dragged her body, and lay them beside her.
 
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