Turkish police on Sunday detained a man, authorities identified only as Ziya T, who is wanted for the killing of a 33-year old Staten Island mother, Sarai Sierra, in Istanbul, an official said.
The suspect had been on the run since Sierra's body was discovered last month by authorities.
The mother of two boys died of a fatal blow to the head from a brick.
Sierra traveled alone to Turkey, after a friend who was supposed to join her canceled her trip.
Her body was found hidden near the city walls on February 12, days after her family reported her missing.
The suspect was detained in Hatay province, near Turkey's border with Syria, Governor Celalettin Lekesiz said. He gave no further detail about the arrest or the man's identity.
Turkish news reports have described the man as a homeless scrap paper collector who used to hang around Istanbul's ancient city walls.
The man was expected to be taken to Istanbul for questioning and to face possible formal arrest and charges, AP reported.
Reports said police identified Ziya T. as the main suspect in the case after DNA samples taken from his two brothers and a sister matched those found beneath Sierra's nails. He was caught on surveillance video trying to sell her leather jacket, according to previous reports from Turkish media. He was spotted carrying the coat Sierra was seen wearing the same day that she was found with her head bashed in, according to Turkey's Hürriyet Daily News and reported by the AP.
Last month, authorities indicated they had scrutinized surveillance footage from more than 500 cameras in the vicinity of Istanbul's ancient walls, and that Ziya T. was spotted in 16 locations, AP reported.
The footage also caught Sierra's last moments before her gruesome death - and captured her wearing sunglasses, jeans and the same leather jacket the suspect was trying to peddle at a bazaar.
The suspect disappeared in January after spending a few days after the murder with his sister and brother-in-law.
Authorities believed at the time he had fled to Hatay, near the Syrian border, where cops were trying to track him down in crowded refugee camps, according to news reports.
Sierra was found dead on February 2.
