Sarai Sierra, a 33-year-old mother of two, who went missing while vacationing alone in Istanbul in January has been stabbed to death in Istanbul, the New York Post and Associated Press reported on Saturday.
Sierra was last heard from on Jan. 21, the day she was due to fly back to New York,
Sierra, a Staten Island native, left for Istanbul on Jan. 7, also made side trips to Amsterdam and Munich, and her disappearance generated nation-wide concern. She leaves behind her husband, a brother, and her two children, aged 9 and 11.
Turkey's Anadolu news agency said police discovered a body of a stabbed woman near the ancient city walls in a low-income district. Police identified her through her driver license found.
She went to Europe in early January to reportedly hone her skills as a photographer. Her connections with suspicious people led police to an investigation. Earlier in the week, Turkish police detained a man who was one of the last in contact with Sierra.
The man, only identified as "Taylan" on social media sites, reportedly was with her the day of her disappearance and news reports say Sierra arranged to meet him on Galata Bridge.
"We did not meet that day, but we had met before," Taylan told police while adding that it was four months prior that they met for the first time online, The Daily Hurriyet, a Turkish paper reported. .
Police said that Sierra's cell phone was activated twice since she was reported missing. Authorities continue to scour security camera images near to the bridge to see if the meeting did in fact take place, the news agency said.
Her disappearance prompted a worldwide outcry, in hopes of finding her. A Facebook page that notifies the public of her disappearance features a poster of her with an inscription that reads: "Missing. Sarai Sierra @memyself_sarai 5'2", 1000 brown hair/eyes Missing in Turkey since last week."
Her husband said Sierra was in constant contact with him throughout the trip and knew she had traveled outside Turkey.
The private NTV news channel said Sierra was stabbed to death, but police would not immediately confirm the report.
