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Sarai Sierra, American Woman, Goes Missing On Trip To Turkey

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  • Sarai Sierra, American Woman, Goes Missing On Trip To Turkey

    SARAI SIERRA, AMERICAN WOMAN, GOES MISSING ON TRIP TO TURKEY

    http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/national_world&id=8969989
    Sunday, January 27, 2013

    In this image provided by the family, Sarai Sierra is shown in an
    undated family photo, in New York. (AP Photo / Family Photo)

    January 27, 2013 (NEW YORK) -- Relatives of a missing New York City
    woman who disappeared during a vacation to Turkey, her first trip
    outside the U.S., are heading to Istanbul to look for her, her brother
    said Sunday.

    Sarai Sierra's family was last in touch with her on Monday, the day
    she was supposed to start her journey home. The 33-year-old mother
    of two had been in Turkey on her own since Jan. 7.

    Her brother David Jimenez told The Associated Press that he and
    Sierra's husband, Steven, were planning to leave for Turkey on Sunday
    night. He said he had no return date planned.

    "I don't want to come home without my sister," he said.

    Sierra planned to head to the Galata Bridge, a well-known tourist
    destination that spans the Golden Horn waterway, to take some
    photographs, said her mother, Betzaida Jimenez. Her daughter then
    supposed to begin traveling home and was scheduled to arrive in New
    York City on Tuesday afternoon.

    Sierra's father went to pick her up at the airport and "waited there
    for hours" with no sign of his daughter, Jimenez said.

    Sierra had planned to go on the trip with a friend but ended up going
    by herself when the friend couldn't make it. She was looking forward
    to exploring her hobby of photography, her family said.

    "I was nervous. I didn't want my daughter to go," Jimenez said, but
    the trip had passed smoothly with Sierra in regular contact with her
    family and friends through text messaging and phone calls.

    "She would always call and let us know, 'This is what I did today,'"
    Jimenez said.

    When she didn't show up in New York City, her husband called the
    place where she had been staying, David Jimenez said. The owner of
    the hostel checked her room and saw that her passport, equipment
    chargers and other items were still there.

    "It looked like she was just stepping out," he said.

    The family has been in touch with authorities in their efforts to find
    her. No one was available to comment after hours Sunday at Istanbul
    police headquarters. Crime in Turkey is generally low and Istanbul
    is a relatively safe city for travelers, though there are areas where
    women would be advised to avoid going alone at night. The Galata and
    the nearby Galata Bridge areas have been gentrified and are home to
    fish restaurants, cafes and boutiques.

    Sierra's children, ages 11 and 9, do not know their mother is
    missing, her brother said. Betzaida Jimenez said the situation has
    "been a nightmare."

    "I'm forcing myself to get up because I have to get up," she said.

    But she said the tight-knit family was holding onto their faith.

    "We're praying and trusting God that she's safe somewhere and we're
    going to find her," she said.

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