Sarai Sierra

12 Stories

Turkey Suspect: Murdered NY Tourist Wouldn't Kiss Me

Ziya Tasali describes encounter with Sarai Sierra

(Newser) - The Turkish man accused of murdering New York tourist Sarai Sierra in January says it all started with an attempted kiss, the New York Times reports. On Jan. 21, as Sierra was walking near the Old City walls, Ziya Tasali tried to kiss her, he told prosecutors yesterday. "She...

Turkish Suspect: I Sniffed Glue, Hit NYC Mom in Head

Confesses in murder of Sarai Sierra

(Newser) - The suspect detained yesterday in the murder of Sarai Sierra has confessed, police say. Ziya T., whom the New York Post describes as a transient, says he "had sniffed a lot of glue" and then hit Sierra, a tourist from New York, "with something heavy. I came back...

Turkey Detains Suspect in NY Mom's Murder

'Ziya T.' had been on run for a month after Sarai Sierra found dead

(Newser) - After more than a month of searching, Turkish police have detained a man considered the top suspect in the murder of 33-year-old Sarai Sierra, an American mom and photographer who was found dead in Istanbul last month. A police spokesman says that the suspect, identified as Ziya T., was caught...

Suspect in Tourist's Murder: Turkish Homeless Man

He allegedly tried to accost Sarai Sierra the day she disappeared

(Newser) - Police in Turkey are looking for a 46-year-old homeless man who they say has become the top suspect in the murder of Staten Island mom Sarai Sierra. The homeless man, referred to only as "Z," allegedly accosted Sierra on the day she disappeared, and is often seen in...

Man Claims He Had Liaison With Slain Tourist

Sarai Sierra said to have met up with man in Turkey

(Newser) - Stories about Sarai Sierra's time in Turkey keep getting darker. The latest claim: A man identified as Taylan says he had a tryst with the murdered New York mom in the days before her death. He apparently initially denied having a sexual relationship with Sierra, but later told police...

Murdered Tourist Wasn't Just Taking Pictures: FBI

Agents believe there was more to Sarai Sierra's Turkey trip

(Newser) - Sarai Sierra's family says the murdered New York mom was in Turkey on a photography vacation, but FBI agents say they think she was doing more than just taking a few innocent pictures. "The first people she met up with were a criminal element," a source close...

Slain Tourist's Kids Unaware of Her Death

Sarai Sierra's husband to tell them on return from Turkey

(Newser) - It's been all over the news, but Sarai Sierra's kids—boys ages nine and 11—still don't know their mother was found dead in Turkey , their grandmother tells the Today show. Their father is currently in Istanbul working alongside police to solve the killing. He's "...

Turkey Police: US Tourist Was Killed By Blow to Head

11 arrests made in murder of Sarai Sierra

(Newser) - Istanbul's police chief is contradicting initial reports that American tourist Sarai Sierra was stabbed to death , telling CNN that she instead died of a blow to the head. "We have confirmed that she was murdered by way of impacts on her head," he said today. "But...

Missing US Woman Found Dead in Turkey

Turkish news agency says Sarai Sierra was stabbed in Istanbul

(Newser) - Turkey's state-run news agency says a missing New York City woman has been found dead in Istanbul. Sarai Sierra, a 33-year-old mother of two, went missing while vacationing alone in Istanbul. She was last heard from on Jan. 21, the day she was due back home. The Anadolu Agency...

Man Detained in Missing American Tourist Case

He planned to meet Sarai Sierra on day she disappeared

(Newser) - Istanbul police today detained a man who exchanged online messages with Sarai Sierra, the American tourist who disappeared Jan. 21 , reports the AP . The man was brought in for questioning before police decided to arrest him, but they would not provide any additional information about him or the reason for...

Missing Tourist Spotted on Security Video

Sarai Sierra seen 2 days before she was due to leave Turkey

(Newser) - Officials are piecing together the last known movements of an American tourist who vanished in Turkey last week. Sarai Sierra was seen on security video eating alone in a mall food court in Istanbul, near where she was staying, two days before she was supposed to return home. On the...

American Tourist Missing in Turkey

Sarai Sierra had been staying in dangerous neighborhood

(Newser) - Sarai Sierra left for her "dream trip," photographing architecture in Istanbul, on Jan. 7. But when her return flight landed on Jan. 22, she wasn't on it. Now her husband and brother have joined in the search for the American woman in Turkey, USA Today reports. Sierra...

12 Stories