NEW YORK, July 14 (UPI) — Animal control authorities said a American bulldog mix that boarded a Staten Island, N.Y., bus is the long-lost pet of Florida man. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at UPI Odd News
Tag Archives: Staten Island
Investigators to begin new sifting of Sept. 11 debris in hopes of identifying remains
Jim Riches pulled his son’s mangled body out of the rubble at the World Trade Center, but the phone calls still filtered in years afterward. The city kept finding more pieces of his son.
“They’ll call you and they’ll tell you, `We found a shin bone,”‘ Riches said. “Or: `We found an arm bone.’ We held them all together and then we put them in the cemetery.”
Those are the phone calls both dreaded and hoped for among the families of Sept. 11 victims. And as investigators began sifting through newly uncovered debris from the World Trade Center on Monday for the first time in three years, those anxieties were renewed more than a decade after the attacks. But there was also hope that more victims might yet be identified after tens of millions have been spent on the painstaking identification process.
“We would like to see the other 40 percent of the families who have never recovered anything to at least someday have a piece of their loved one,” Riches said. “That they can go to a cemetery and pray.”
About 60 truckloads of debris that could contain tiny fragments of bone or tissue were unearthed by construction crews that have been working on the new World Trade Center in recent years. That material is now being transported to a park built on top of the former Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island, where investigators will attempt to identify any possible remains during the next 10 weeks, the city said.
The city’s last sifting effort ended in 2010. This time, crews were able to dig up parts of the trade center site that were previously inaccessible to workers, the city said.
Some 2,750 people died at the World Trade Center in the 2001 terrorist attacks, but only 1,634 people have been identified.
“We have been monitoring the World Trade Center site over time and monitoring the construction,” said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner’s office. “And if they see any material that could possibly contain human remains, we collect that material.”
About 9,000 human remains recovered from the ruins of the World Trade Center remain unidentified because they are too degraded to match victims by DNA identification. The remains are stored at an undisclosed location monitored by the medical examiner’s office and will eventually be transferred to a subterranean chamber at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
Some victims’ families expressed impatience that the city has only just uncovered more debris.
“Quite frankly, they should’ve excavated this and searched it 12 years ago,” said Diane Horning, whose son, Matthew, died in the attacks. “Instead, they built service roads and construction roads and were more worried about the building and the tourism than they were about the human remains.”
The city’s efforts to identify Sept. 11 victims have long been fraught with controversy.
In April 2005, the city’s chief medical examiner, Charles Hirsch, told families his office would be suspending identification efforts because it had exhausted the limits of DNA technology.
But just a year later, the discovery of human …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Sifting of Sept. 11 debris for remains begins anew
Investigators are sifting through newly uncovered debris from the World Trade Center for the first time in three years, hoping more victims might be identified after tens of millions have been spent on the painstaking identification process.
About 60 truckloads of debris that could contain tiny human bone fragments have been unearthed by construction crews working on the new World Trade Center tower in recent years. That material is now being transported to a park built on top of the former Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island.
City officials say investigators will spend 10 weeks attempting to identify the remains. The city’s last sifting effort ended in 2010.
Some 2,750 people died at the World Trade Center in the 2001 terrorist attacks, but only 1,634 people have been identified.
Sifting of WTC debris for Sept. 11 remains begins
The New York City medical examiner says it has started sifting construction debris from the World Trade Center site in an effort to find any human remains from the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The work began Monday. It’s expected to continue for about 10 weeks on Staten Island.
Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway said in a memo Friday that DNA testing will continue until every possible identification can be made.
City officials say about 60 truckloads of construction debris have been collected around the site over the past 2½ years. A skyscraper will replace the twin towers.
Some 2,750 people died at the World Trade Center in the 2001 attacks. So far, 1,634 people have been identified.
World Trade Center debris will be sifted for Sept. 11 remains
New York City officials said Friday that construction debris from the World Trade Center site will be sifted to identify human remains from the 9/11 terrorist attacks starting Monday.
In a memo sent to family members of 9/11 victims, Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway said DNA testing will continue until every possible identification can be made. The sifting is expected to continue for about 10 weeks on Staten Island.
“We will continue with DNA testing until all recovered remains that can be matched with a victim are identified,” Holloway said in the memo, which was obtained by the New York Daily News.
City officials say about 60 truckloads of construction debris have been collected around the site over the past 2½ years. A skyscraper will replace the twin towers.
Some 2,750 people died at the World Trade Center in the 2001 attacks. So far, 1,634 people have been identified.
The chief medical examiner’s office is leading the operation. It has identified 34 victims and 2,345 possible human remains of previously identified victims since 2006.
Click here for more from New York Daily News.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
WTC debris will be sifted for Sept. 11 remains
Construction debris from the World Trade Center site will be sifted for any human remains from the 9/11 terrorist attacks starting Monday.
Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway said in a memo Friday that DNA testing will continue until every possible identification can be made. The sifting is expected to continue for about 10 weeks on Staten Island.
City officials say about 60 truckloads of construction debris have been collected around the site over the past 2½ years. A skyscraper will replace the twin towers.
Some 2,750 people died at the World Trade Center in the 2001 attacks. So far, 1,634 people have been identified.
The chief medical examiner’s office is leading the operation. It has identified 34 victims and 2,345 possible human remains of previously identified victims since 2006.
Time Warner Cable Marks Third Season of The Hub's "Transformers Prime Beast Hunters" with New TV Spo
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Time Warner Cable Marks Third Season of The Hub’s “Transformers Prime Beast Hunters” with New TV Spot and KRE-O Toy Giveaway for New York City Customers
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Time Warner Cable joins the excitement surrounding the third season of the Daytime Emmy® Award-winning show, “Transformers Prime Beast Hunters,” by debuting a national TV spot and announcing a KRE-O TRANSFORMERS toy giveaway from Hasbro in New York City.
The 30-second spot featuring Megatron, villainous leader of the Decepticons, is designed to show how Time Warner Cable can transform its customer’s television viewing experience at home with the TWC TV app on any device. Customers across the TWC footprint can see how Megatron is no match against this app that transforms any screen in your home into a TV screen beginning March 27. The spot will also be available for viewing on Time Warner Cable‘s YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/timewarnercable.
In addition, Time Warner Cable has partnered with The Hub Network to give away KRE-O TRANSFORMERS building sets from Hasbro to the first 500 customers that visit the New York City store in the Upper West Side located at: 2554 Broadway at 96th Street. New York City Residential customers with accounts in good standing can pick up one of their own on Thursday, March 28 at 10:00 a.m. ET (The toys will be given out on a first come – first served basis while supplies last; one TRANSFORMERS toy per account holder; valid photo ID must be presented.)
“We are thrilled to partner with The Hub Network to bring our customers closer to the programming they love such as ‘Transformers Prime Beast Hunters,'” said Jeffrey A. Hirsch, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Sales Officer, Residential Services. “We hope the TV spot and giveaway will allow our customers to embrace not only their favorite TRANSFORMERScharacter but also the various devices they can use in the home to catch them in action.”
“Time Warner Cable is a great friend and partner to The Hub Network,” said Margaret Loesch, President and CEO of The Hub. “We are delighted to be part of their campaign and love the ‘Transformers Prime Beast Hunters‘ spot that we worked together to create.”
Time Warner Cable‘s New York City service area includes Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island and western Brooklyn, Mt. Vernon, NY, as well as Bergen and Hudson Counties in New Jersey.
“Transformers Prime Beast Hunters” follows Optimus Prime and his team of Autobots in a mission to defend earth and one day restore …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Jury: NYC man lied to FBI about terrorism training
A New York man has been convicted of lying to the FBI about plans to team up with the Taliban or al-Qaida.
A jury on Monday found Abdel Hameed Shehadeh (shuh-HAH‘-deh) guilty in federal court in Brooklyn.
Friends of Shehadeh testified that he spoke of wanting to die while waging violent jihad, or holy war, abroad against the U.S. military. They said the former Staten Island resident had hoped to attend a terrorist training camp in Pakistan.
The defendant first drew the attention of the FBI in 2008 when he bought a one-way plane ticket to Islamabad. Prosecutors say he later lied by saying he was going to get religious training.
He faces up to 21 years in prison at sentencing. No date has been set.
Candice Salvatore Called 911 To Report ‘Abandoned Baby’ – A Puppy Baby: Police
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Police in Staten Island, N.Y. received a call from a woman Tuesday afternoon reporting an “abandoned baby” outside her home, and were less than amused when they discovered it was an abandoned baby pit bull.
Candice A. Salvatore, who made the 911 call, told the Staten Island Advance that she frequently refers to animals as “babies.”
“I wasn’t thinking that they would think it was an actual infant,” the 27-year-old told the Advance. “I didn’t tell her it was a human baby. I just said it was a baby.”
Read More…
More on New York Crime
Adopt A Pet In New York City: Featured Animals For 3/3/2013, Courtesy Of NYC’s Animal Care & Control (PHOTOS)
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Every week The Huffington Post New York features city animals up for adoption, in partnership with Animal Care & Control of New York City.
A nonprofit organization, AC&C gives shelter to more than 30,000 dogs, cats, rabbits and other animals each year.
Interested in a new pet? AC&C has adoption centers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, all open daily from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Turkish police link DNA found on murdered American mother with homeless suspect
Turkish authorities have reportedly matched DNA found on a murdered American woman with a homeless man suspected of killing her while she was visiting Istanbul on a solo vacation.
Blood and skin found on 33-year-old Sarai Sierra, of Staten Island, N.Y., has been linked to a homeless man who is believed to be making his way toward the Syrian border, according to the Dogan News Agency in Turkey.
Authorities in Turkey are now hunting for the man, identified only as “Ziya T.” Blood found on Sierra’s T-shirt as well as skin taken from under her fingernails matches DNA from a pillow found at the home of the man’s family, according to the news agency.
Sierra, a freelance photographer, traveled to Istanbul alone on Jan. 7 and failed to return on a flight Jan. 21. Her body was found Feb. 2 near remnants of Istanbul’s ancient walls. Authorities said she died from a single blow to the head, though she had multiple injuries to her face and head. While there was no visible sign of a sexual assault, Sierra was found in only a shirt and underwear, according to reports. Her tablet computer and cellphone were missing.
The 46-year-old homeless suspect was known to frequent the area near where Sierra was found. According to the Turkish newspaper Vatan, the man was seen covered with soil and mud on Jan. 21, the day Sierra disappeared. When asked by a witness about what had happened, he replied, “I fell off the wall,” the newspaper reported.
Authorities have said it’s possible the man tried to first rob Sierra and then rape her, killing her when she resisted.
FoxNews.com’s Cristina Corbin contributed to this report.
New York City school bus strike ends after a month
The monthlong school bus strike that affected tens of thousands of children in the nation’s largest school district ended Friday, after union leaders were assured by prospective New York City mayoral candidates that their concerns would be heard after this year’s election.
Leaders of the Amalgamated Transit Union said service for New York City schools would resume Wednesday, after classes resume after the President Day holiday.
Some 8,000 bus drivers and aides walked off the job Jan. 16 over job protection issues. Local 1181 of the ATU wanted the city to include protections for current employees in future contracts with bus companies, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg said a court ruling prohibited the city from doing so.
“Though our strike has been suspended, the principles that we fight for remain pressing issues that the city will have to address,” said local union president Michael Cordiello.
The school bus strike was the first in the city since 1979. About 5,000 of the city’s 7,700 routes were affected.
Just 152,000 of New York City‘s 1.1 million public schoolchildren ride yellow school buses but the cost of busing students has risen from $100 million in 1979 to $1.1 billion today.
On Thursday, five Democrats vying for the nomination to succeed Bloomberg as mayor next year sent the union a letter asking drivers to return to work. The candidates called on the bus drivers “to return to their jobs and continue the battle in other ways.”
The candidates — City Council speaker Christine Quinn, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, City Comptroller John Liu, former City Comptroller Bill Thompson and former Councilman Sal Albanese — said that if elected they will revisit the job security issue.
Larry Hanley, the union’s international president, said in a statement Friday that he was encouraged by the letter. “We view this request to suspend the current strike as an earnest effort on behalf of the city, its children and its workers,” Hanley said. “I will be discussing options this afternoon and evening with the leaders and members of Local 1181.”
The strike’s end was a victory for Bloomberg, who insisted that the city must seek new bus contracts to cut costs. Bloomberg and schools Chancellor Dennis Wolcott praised the decision Friday.
“We appreciate the hard work our bus drivers and matrons do and we welcome them back to the job,” Bloomberg said in a statement. “In the city’s entire history, the special interests have never had less power than they do today, and the end of this strike reflects the fact that when we say we put children first, we mean it.”
Union leaders said they were “dismayed” by the Bloomberg administration, which didn’t help bring the strike to a close.
The strike has affected more than 100,000 schoolchildren, many of them disabled. Parents and students said Friday they would welcome the walkout’s end.
Gwendolyn Hamilton was recruited to ferry two of her grandchildren to different schools on Staten Island. “I’ll be so glad it’s over, you don’t know,” Hamilton said, flashing a broad smile.
Her grandson Tyshon Ellzy transferred to Public School 20 …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Funeral held for New York mother killed in Turkey
A New Yorker killed while vacationing alone in Turkey is being remembered as a good-hearted and joyful person.
The funeral is Friday for Sarai Sierra, a mother of two. Friends and strangers alike paid their respects at her wake Thursday on Staten Island.
Her body was found Feb. 2 in Istanbul, 12 days after she disappeared. Police say she suffered a fatal blow to the head.
The 33-year-old went to Turkey to explore her hobby, photography. A friend who was supposed to join her canceled for financial reasons.
Turkish authorities and the FBI are investigating her death. No arrests have been made.
Suspect in Tourist's Murder: Turkish Homeless Man
By Kevin Spak 
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
Turkish police reportedly fail to find DNA match in murder of New York mom
The investigation into what happened to a Staten Island woman murdered in Turkey took another twist, as Turkish media reported that none of the DNA taken from 22 suspects matches the DNA found near her body.
A Turkish newspaper also reported that the family of 33-year-old Sarai Sierra knew she was cheating on her husband, the New York Post reported.
Turkish newspaper Per Vatan revealed that Sierra’s brother allegedly sent the mother of two a Facebook message saying, “If you are going to cheat on him, why don’t you just get out of his life,” the Post reported.
The message was allegedly sent before she went missing. She was found beaten to death in a seedy area of Istanbul.
The newspaper report comes after a man being questioned by Turkish authorities in the murder of Sierra that he had a sexual relationship with her.
The Turkish man, identified only as “Taylan,” gave DNA and sperm samples to police, according to Vatan. The man allegedly told investigators he had a consensual sexual relationship with Sierra before she was last seen on Jan. 21, according to the paper.
Sierra’s friend Magdalena Rodriguez told FoxNews.com she doesn’t believe the man’s claim.
“We know Sarai. We know she didn’t run off with anybody,” said Rodriguez, who originally planned to accompany Sierra on her solo vacation to Istanbul.
“She would have told me. She would have said something,” said Rodriguez, who claims she was in constant contact with Sierra during the trip.
“I don’t believe what he [Taylan] says for one second,” she said, adding, “Sarai wouldn’t willingly and knowingly involve herself with people who did not have her best interest at heart.”
A source familiar with the investigation told FoxNews.com that Sierra had contacted “amateur tour guides” online in advance of her trip. Taylan was among the individuals whom she had communicated with, and the two were known to have met on Jan. 13, according to multiple Turkish media accounts. The pair had planned to meet by the Galata Tower on Jan. 21 — the day she was last seen — but Taylan reportedly told investigators that Sierra never showed up.
Rodriguez claims she and the family were aware of Sierra’s online communications. “We knew about the tour guides … We knew she planned to meet them,” she said, adding, “She’s not one to just meet a random person and then wander away with them.”
Body of New York mom murdered in Turkey being returned home
The body of a New York City woman killed while on vacation in Turkey is reportedly being returned home.
The Anadolu Agency, Turkey‘s state-run news outlet, said a casket carrying the remains of Sarai Sierra, 33, was being loaded onto a New York-bound plane on Thursday. Turkish Airlines is transporting the body for free, the agency said.
Sierra, a mother of two from Staten Island, was found dead 12 days after she disappeared in Istanbul. Police said she was killed by a blow to the head and are still trying to find her attacker or attackers. Sierra was on her first trip abroad pursuing a newfound hobby of photography, relatives said.
On Wednesday, a man being questioned by Turkish authorities reportedly told investigators he had a sexual relationship with Sierra. The Turkish man, identified only as “Taylan,” gave DNA and sperm samples to police, the Turkish daily Vatan reported. The man told investigators he had a consensual sexual relationship with Sierra before she was last seen on Jan. 21.
But Sierra’s best friend, Magdalena Rodriguez, told FoxNews.com she doubted the man’s claim.
“We know Sarai,” said Rodriguez, who originally planned to accompany Sierra on her vacation to Istanbul. “We know she didn’t run off with anybody. She would have told me. She would have said something.”
Rodriguez said she was in constant contact with Sierra throughout her trip.
“I don’t believe what he [Taylan] says for one second,” she said. “Sarai wouldn’t willingly and knowingly involve herself with people who did not have her best interest at heart.”
Turkish authorities have said Sierra died from a single blow to the head. A local funeral company on Tuesday told the Hürriyet Daily News, an English-language newspaper in Turkey, that she had multiple injuries to her head and face. Her body was found Saturday near remnants of the city’s ancient walls. Turkish police said there appeared to be no sign of a sexual assault, though the New York Daily News reported the woman was found in only a shirt and underwear. Sierra’s gold jewelry was still on her, but her tablet computer and U.S. cellphone are missing.
A source familiar with the investigation told FoxNews.com that Sierra had contacted “amateur tour guides” online in advance of her trip. Taylan was among the individuals whom she had communicated with, and the two were known to have met on Jan. 13, according to multiple Turkish media accounts. The pair had planned to meet by the Galata Tower on Jan. 21 — the day she was last seen — but Taylan reportedly told investigators that Sierra never showed up.
Rodriguez claims she and the family were aware of Sierra’s online communications. “We knew about the tour guides … We knew she planned to meet them,” she said, adding, “She’s not one to just meet a random person and then wander away with them.”
New York Rep. Michael Grimm, a former FBI agent, said Turkish police still have hours of video footage to review as they piece together Sierra’s last movements. A special unit of Turkish police …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Man held in Turkey claims he had affair with murdered New York woman
A man being questioned by Turkish authorities in the murder of a New York tourist found beaten to death in Istanbul has reportedly told authorities there he had a sexual relationship with the woman.
The Turkish man, identified only as “Taylan,” gave DNA and sperm samples to police investigating the death of 33-year-old Sarai Sierra, a mother of two found beaten beyond recognition near ancient walls in Istanbul, the Turkish daily Vatan reported Wednesday. The man told investigators he had a consensual sexual relationship with Sierra before she was last seen on Jan. 21, according to the newspaper.
But Sierra’s best friend, Magdalena Rodriguez, told FoxNews.com she doesn’t believe the man’s claim.
“We know Sarai. We know she didn’t run off with anybody,” said Rodriguez, who originally planned to accompany Sierra on her solo vacation to Istanbul.
“She would have told me. She would have said something,” said Rodriguez, who claims she was in constant contact with Sierra during the trip.
“I don’t believe what he [Taylan] says for one second,” she said, adding, “Sarai wouldn’t willingly and knowingly involve herself with people who did not have her best interest at heart.”
Sierra, a freelance photographer from Staten Island, N.Y., traveled to Istanbul Jan. 7 and failed to return on a flight Jan. 21. Her body was found Saturday near remnants of the city’s ancient walls. Turkish police said there appeared to be no sign of a sexual assault, though the New York Daily News reported the woman was found in only a shirt and underwear. Sierra’s jewelry was still on her, but her tablet computer and U.S. cellphone are missing.
A source familiar with the investigation told FoxNews.com that Sierra had contacted “amateur tour guides” online in advance of her trip. Taylan was among the individuals whom she had communicated with, and the two were known to have met on Jan. 13, according to multiple Turkish media accounts. The pair had planned to meet by the Galata Tower on Jan. 21 — the day she was last seen — but Taylan reportedly told investigators that Sierra never showed up.
Rodriguez claims she and the family were aware of Sierra’s online communications. “We knew about the tour guides … We knew she planned to meet them,” she said, adding, “She’s not one to just meet a random person and then wander away with them.”
New York Rep. Michael Grimm, a former FBI agent, said Turkish police still have hours of video footage to review as they piece together Sierra’s last movements. A special unit of Turkish police set up to find Sierra has an image of her at Galata Bridge, which spans Istanbul’s Golden Horn waterway and where she went on her last day to take photos. An FBI official confirmed to FoxNews.com that the agency is also involved and has been since the early stages of the investigation.
During her trip, Sierra made two pre-planned excursions to Munich and Amsterdam, and then returned to Istanbul. Authorities are probing Sierra’s trips to Munich and Amsterdam as part of …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
New York mother reportedly met with 'criminal element' in Turkey
FBI agents probing the murder of a Staten Island mom in Turkey said they don’t believe she was there just to take pictures — and said she hung out with a “criminal element” during the solo trip abroad.
“There are a lot of open questions that need to be answered,” a source familiar with the ongoing case told The Post.
Mother of two Sarai Sierra, 33, was found dead from a ferocious blow to the skull in a seedy area of Istanbul last Saturday after failing to show up for a Jan. 21 flight home to New York.
“The first people she met up with were a criminal element,” the source said of Sierra, who flew to Turkey Jan. 7, then to Amsterdam on Jan. 15 and Munich on Jan. 16 before heading back to Istanbul Jan. 19.
The FBI is in Turkey investigating the case, and is looking into a possible connection to drug trafficking — among other lines of inquiry, a source said.
“There are some witness reports that she was seen with sketchy characters,” said the source, adding that agents are following up those leads to determine if they’re accurate.
Click for more from the New York Post.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Mystery lingers after discovery of New York woman's body in Turkey
The discovery of a New York woman’s body in Turkey has done little to solve the mystery surrounding her disappearance and death, say sources involved in the international investigation.
Sarai Sierra, a 33-year-old mother of two from Staten Island, N.Y., traveled to Istanbul on a solo vacation Jan. 7 and failed to return on a flight Jan. 21. Her body was found Saturday near remnants of the city’s ancient walls. But many of the questions that surfaced during the search for Sierra — such as whom she contacted, why she took two side trips and where she stayed — remain unanswered.
Turkish authorities say Sierra died from a single blow to the head. A local funeral company on Tuesday told the Hürriyet Daily News, an English-language newspaper in Turkey, that she had multiple injuries to her head and face.
“There are serious blows, particularly to her head and face,” Manuel Manukyan, owner of the Nevzat funeral company, told the newspaper. Manukyan is working with the U.S. Consulate and Sierra’s family to bring her remains back to the U.S.
Prosecutors in Istanbul got a court order Monday for authorities to take blood and DNA samples from 21 people already questioned in the death, according to Turkish state media.
Sierra, a freelance photographer, was found in the clothes she was last seen wearing the day she disappeared, authorities said, noting that there was no sign of a sexual assault. Sierra’s jewelry was still on her, but her tablet computer and U.S. cellphone were missing.
Samples reportedly taken from under her fingernails suggest she may have tried to fight off her attacker. A blanket was also found near the body, leading investigators to question whether she was killed in another location and then placed near the ancient walls, which are close to a highway.
Turkish authorities finished an autopsy Monday on Sierra and gave DNA samples from it to a crime lab, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. After that, Istanbul prosecutors got the court order but did not identify the possible suspects, the agency reported.
A source familiar with the investigation told FoxNews.com that it is believed Sierra contacted “amateur tour guides” online to show her around popular sites in the city. Sierra’s trip also included pre-planned excursions to Amsterdam and Munich. Authorities, however, have said little about those trips, which, combined with her expenses in Turkey, are said to have cost more than $10,000, according to the Hürriyet Daily News.
New York Rep. Michael Grimm, a former FBI agent, said Turkish police still have hours of video footage to review as they piece together Sierra’s last movements. A special unit of Turkish police set up to find Sierra has an image of her at Galata Bridge, which spans Istanbul’s Golden Horn waterway and where she went on her last day to take photos. The FBI is also significantly involved in the investigation, Grimm said.
Meanwhile, her family was working out how to return her body to the U.S.
“Our No. 1 priority right now is bringing Sarai home,” Grimm said during a press conference Monday with Sierra’s family in Staten Island.
Sierra’s husband, Steven, is in Istanbul, where he traveled last week to help in the search. He intends to accompany her body back to New York, but the family is still determining how to fund the transport. Their church and friends are working to raise money to help defray the costs.
Sierra made her first trip overseas alone after her childhood friend, Magdalena Rodriguez, backed out. At Monday’s news conference in New York, Rodriguez fought back tears as she said she wished she had not changed her plans.
“I wasn’t working at the time and I didn’t have the money to go,” she explained.
Sierra’s two sons, ages 9 and 11, have not yet been told of their mother’s death, according to family members.
“We’re going to talk about that when he gets back,” the woman’s mother, Betzaida Jimenez told reporters Monday.
She recalled hugging her daughter before she departed and praying together for a safe journey.
“Just the thought that I’ll never be able to hug her again,” she said, pausing to compose herself. “We just didn’t think a tragedy like this was going to happen.”
FoxNews.com’s Cristina Corbin and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Turkish police hold man in NYC woman's disappearance, say her phone's been active
Turkish police have detained a man who exchanged online messages with a New York City woman missing in Istanbul, while local authorities say there’s a chance she’s still alive because her cell phone has been active.
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.
A police official in Istanbul, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules, said Friday that the man had been detained but refused to identify him or provide further details on the arrest.
Turkish news reports have identified him as “Taylan,” who police say arranged to meet Sierra by the Galata Tower on Jan. 20. But the person in custody told authorities that the two did not meet Jan. 21, despite planning to do so, the Hürriyet Daily News reported.
“We did not meet that day, but we had met before,” the newspaper quoted the man as saying during his interrogation. He reportedly told police he first met Sierra online four months ago.
A source familiar with the investigation told FoxNews.com that Sierra may have contacted an “amateur tour guide” online to show her around popular sites while in Instanbul.
Authorities say they believe Sierra may still be alive because her U.S. phone was activated twice since she disappeared, according to local news outlets. Sierra reportedly made a call using a Skype application on her phone Jan. 30, and the phone was turned on once again yesterday.
Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., is urging U.S. and Turkish officials to use “all resources necessary” to find Sierra, a freelance photographer who traveled to Istanbul alone on Jan. 7 and failed to return on a flight Jan. 22. Grimm, who represents New York‘s 11th District, which includes Staten Island where Sierra is from, is a former FBI agent.
“One good thing here is that Istanbul has a very good local police department,” Grimm told FoxNews.com. “They’ve interacted with our U.S. law enforcement at all levels. I have a great deal of confidence. They are taking it very seriously.”
Sierra’s husband, who is in Turkey assisting with the search, reportedly gave authorities access to his wife’s Facebook and Twitter correspondence. The woman’s family last had contact with her on Jan. 21.
After arriving in Turkey on Jan. 7, Sierra later boarded flights to at least two other countries — Germany and the Netherlands — before returning to Istanbul, according to family members.
On Tuesday, Turkish investigators released surveillance video showing Sierra two days before she was scheduled to return to the U.S. The video shows the young woman eating alone in a food court and walking around a shopping mall not far from the hostel where she was staying. The website also reports that Sierra’s travel expenses in the three countries totaled more than $10,000.
The woman’s sister, Christina Jimenez, said the family is requesting privacy while authorities conduct their search.
“I spoke to my sister every day,” Jimenez told FoxNews.com Wednesday. “I miss her so much and love her. That’s all I can say.”
FoxNews.com’s Cristina Corbin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News