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FBI JOINS SEARCH FOR MURDERER OF US MOM SIERRA, ISTANBUL POLICE TO TAKE DNA SAMPLES
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/sierras-body-taken-to-armenian-catolic-church-for-funeral.aspx?pageID=238&nID=40453&NewsCatID=341
ISTANBUL - Hurriyet Daily News
AA Photo The FBI is playing a significant role in the investigation
into the death of a New York City woman found dead in Istanbul while
on a vacation, a U.S. congressman has said.
Rep. Michael Grimm, a former FBI agent, said U.S. investigators were
invited by Turkish authorities to assist as they try to find out what
happened to Sarai Sierra, The Associated Press reported Feb. 4.
Grimm and Sierra's parents, Betzaida and Dennis Jimenez, said the
family's immediate concern was repatriating Sierra's body to the U.S.
The Istanbul police will collect blood, DNA and saliva samples from
21 people who testified earlier about the death of Sierra, who had
been missing since Jan. 21.
Sierra's body was found in Sarayburnu, 13 days after she went missing,
with evidence of head injuries. Her jewelry was still on her, but her
tablet computer and smart phone were gone. A blanket was found nearby,
suggesting Sierra may have been taken from another crime scene to
Sarayburnu. The police have been searching for the tablet and the
mobile phone with detectors in the surrounding area.
The samples are expected to be collected Feb. 5 upon a demand by
Istanbul prosecutor Huseyin Kaplan, Dogan news agency reported. The
prosecutor had listened earlier in the day to Sierra's husband Steven
Sierra and her brother David Jimenez, who came to Turkey to search for
their lost relative. The family collected Sierra's body later on Feb.
4 from the Forensic Medicine Institute following a post-mortem.
Her body was taken to a morgue at an Armenian church, Surp
Yerrortutyun, before being sent to the U.S.
Preliminary autopsy results from Sierra's body suggest the cause of
death was a single blow to the head. There was no evidence of sexual
assault, according to initial reports. However, the results of the
full autopsy report will reportedly be announced in three months.
Crime scene investigators arrived on the scene early on Feb. 4,
accompanied by security officials and canine units.
The Fatih Municipality cleared the bushes from the area to make the
search easier for officials, according to Anatolia news agency. Some
260 policemen searched for Sierra using Istanbul's security cameras
after she was reported missing on Jan. 25.
Sierra's mother said her two grandsons did not yet know what had
happened to their mother. "Their father is going to talk to them when
he comes back, and we'll all be there to support him," she told NBC's
Today show on Feb. 5.
"I wanted to see my daughter alive. At least we have closure. At least
they found her," mom said in tears. "There are some people who are
still waiting for their loved ones," the New York Times Daily News
quoted her as saying.
Sierra's sister could not join them "because she's too broken. All she
does is cry." "I wanted to see my daughter, her beautiful smile. She
was full of life. She loved her children, her husband. She was my
friend. We did many things together."
"We traveled together. This was the first trip she took by herself,
taking photos and photos she took," Sierra's mother said. She thanked
the Turkish police and an association in Istanbul for missing loved
ones for sharing Sierra's photo while she was missing. Her brother's
church also helped fund the trip to bring her back, mom said.
Sierra's father, Dennis, recalled when going to pick her up from the
airport. "I didn't want her to go, but she wanted to go because this
was an opportunity for her to sight see and to pursue her photography
hobby," he said.
"Turkey was a land of rich culture and ancient history. She was very
fascinated with that." He said she kept them abreast of every side
trip and move she made and talked daily on Skype.
Sierra's body taken to Armenian Church
Body of missing US woman found in Istanbul
February/04/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/sierras-body-taken-to-armenian-catolic-church-for-funeral.aspx?pageID=238&nID=40453&NewsCatID=341
ISTANBUL - Hurriyet Daily News
AA Photo The FBI is playing a significant role in the investigation
into the death of a New York City woman found dead in Istanbul while
on a vacation, a U.S. congressman has said.
Rep. Michael Grimm, a former FBI agent, said U.S. investigators were
invited by Turkish authorities to assist as they try to find out what
happened to Sarai Sierra, The Associated Press reported Feb. 4.
Grimm and Sierra's parents, Betzaida and Dennis Jimenez, said the
family's immediate concern was repatriating Sierra's body to the U.S.
The Istanbul police will collect blood, DNA and saliva samples from
21 people who testified earlier about the death of Sierra, who had
been missing since Jan. 21.
Sierra's body was found in Sarayburnu, 13 days after she went missing,
with evidence of head injuries. Her jewelry was still on her, but her
tablet computer and smart phone were gone. A blanket was found nearby,
suggesting Sierra may have been taken from another crime scene to
Sarayburnu. The police have been searching for the tablet and the
mobile phone with detectors in the surrounding area.
The samples are expected to be collected Feb. 5 upon a demand by
Istanbul prosecutor Huseyin Kaplan, Dogan news agency reported. The
prosecutor had listened earlier in the day to Sierra's husband Steven
Sierra and her brother David Jimenez, who came to Turkey to search for
their lost relative. The family collected Sierra's body later on Feb.
4 from the Forensic Medicine Institute following a post-mortem.
Her body was taken to a morgue at an Armenian church, Surp
Yerrortutyun, before being sent to the U.S.
Preliminary autopsy results from Sierra's body suggest the cause of
death was a single blow to the head. There was no evidence of sexual
assault, according to initial reports. However, the results of the
full autopsy report will reportedly be announced in three months.
Crime scene investigators arrived on the scene early on Feb. 4,
accompanied by security officials and canine units.
The Fatih Municipality cleared the bushes from the area to make the
search easier for officials, according to Anatolia news agency. Some
260 policemen searched for Sierra using Istanbul's security cameras
after she was reported missing on Jan. 25.
Sierra's mother said her two grandsons did not yet know what had
happened to their mother. "Their father is going to talk to them when
he comes back, and we'll all be there to support him," she told NBC's
Today show on Feb. 5.
"I wanted to see my daughter alive. At least we have closure. At least
they found her," mom said in tears. "There are some people who are
still waiting for their loved ones," the New York Times Daily News
quoted her as saying.
Sierra's sister could not join them "because she's too broken. All she
does is cry." "I wanted to see my daughter, her beautiful smile. She
was full of life. She loved her children, her husband. She was my
friend. We did many things together."
"We traveled together. This was the first trip she took by herself,
taking photos and photos she took," Sierra's mother said. She thanked
the Turkish police and an association in Istanbul for missing loved
ones for sharing Sierra's photo while she was missing. Her brother's
church also helped fund the trip to bring her back, mom said.
Sierra's father, Dennis, recalled when going to pick her up from the
airport. "I didn't want her to go, but she wanted to go because this
was an opportunity for her to sight see and to pursue her photography
hobby," he said.
"Turkey was a land of rich culture and ancient history. She was very
fascinated with that." He said she kept them abreast of every side
trip and move she made and talked daily on Skype.
Sierra's body taken to Armenian Church
Body of missing US woman found in Istanbul
February/04/2013