An American woman’s dream holiday in Istanbul became a nightmare, ending in inexplicable violence. Such tragedies can happen in any major city, a fact that, for expats living in Istanbul, offers perspective but little comfort.

These past couple weeks, we’ve been following the story of Sarai Sierra, a 33-year-old American mother who went missing Jan. 21 while on holiday here in Istanbul.

The missing woman’s body was found in an area called Sarayburnu, or Palace Point, near the ancient city walls on Feb. 2, nearly two weeks after she went missing. She had evidently been beaten, for there were severe head injuries. Her jewelry was still on her, but her tablet computer and smart phone were gone.

Sarai Sierra’s disappearance and murder have shaken many in the expat community. This kind of tragedy happens in every big city – New York, L.A., London, Tokyo – a fact that offers perspective but little comfort.

The circumstances of Sarai Sierra’s death remain a mystery. The Staten Island native had never been abroad before. A friend was supposed to go along with her on the trip, but at the last minute the friend backed out, owing to a lack of finances. So Sarai made the trip alone.

Here in the city, many Istanbullus scratched their heads. It’s a cultural thing: In Muslim countries, women generally are more closely watched by their husbands and parents than in Europe or America.

“How is it that her husband would let her travel to a foreign country by herself?” That’s a comment question in the commentary below the news reports.

Investigators here (who this week were joined by the FBI) have been trying to put together the details of Sarai’s last days. It is known that she met a man, identified simply as “Taylan,” on social networking sites.

Upon arrival in Istanbul, she took lots of pictures of the city’s many mosques, of historic Beyoglu, of the Bosphorous, the usual touristy stuff. Then she made short trips to Amsterdam and Munich, before returning here.

She was supposed to return to New York on Jan. 21, but never made her return flight back. She was last seen the day before, Jan. 20, at a food court in a shopping mall, the footage captured by security cameras. Actually, when her body was found, she was still wearing the same clothing as in the security camera footage.

From what investigators have managed to piece together so far, on Sarai’s last night in Istanbul (Jan. 20), she was supposed to meet the Turkish man identified as Taylan at the Galata Bridge in the evening, but according to investigators this Taylan says she never showed up for the rendezvous.

One can speculate that since it was her last night in the city, Sarai may have wanted to take a few more pictures. In this scenario: She wanders over to Sarayburnu, which is the famous promenade separating the Golden Horn from the Sea of Marmara. It is home to Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. There is also a long, coastal stretch of highway that passes the city’s ancient city walls on the way out to Ataturk International Airport.

Sarayburnu, and the nearby Fatih district, are very conservative – you see more women in headscarves there, and are located near run-down neighborhoods. At night they are not the safest places to be.

“I’m a Turkish man,” says my student Ahmet, “and even I wouldn’t feel comfortable wandering around in that part of the city alone after dark.”

Following this scenario further: Sarai wanders a little too far in her search for the perfect photo of night time Istanbul, and runs into trouble. She would certainly be a prime target for hoodlums, young punks who stumble across a “rich” yabanci woman all by herself in the dark. They start to talk to her (“Where are you from?”etc.), they try to pick her up. She tries, politely at first, and then desperately, to escape …

However, many dismiss this random “mugging” scenario. Again, her jewelry was not taken, for starters. Why just the laptop and smart phone, then? Some suggest that she knew killer or killers, a bad situation arose, and after the killing the phone and laptop were taken so that any evidence of contact or association could be erased. All one would have to do is throw away the SIM card on the phone, remove the hard drive on the laptop, and then pawn the stolen items in one of the city’s thousands of shops and bazaars.

A blanket was found near her body. Police are still trying to ascertain whether she was killed at the location where her found was found, or whether the blanket was used to move the body there. The police have been searching for the tablet and the mobile phone with detectors in the surrounding area.

Meanwhile, Sarai’s body was flown back to the States this week, where more post-mortem tests are expected to be done. At this point, investigators claim there is no evidence of sexual assault – there is the evidence of head trauma. The results of the autopsy will be available in three months.

(Ed’s note: Late this past week, the New York Post reported that FBI investigators now say that Serai’s trip may not have been so “innocent.” She reportedly met with “criminal element” while in Istanbul, and investigators are now looking into the possibility of drug trafficking )

###

One night, after leaving a bar in Kadikoy, I foolishly decided to take a backstreet home. Three guys followed me; by the time I realized what was happening, two of them had pinned my arms back, while the third rifled my pockets. When he finished, they all took off and disappeared.

Where were the police? They’re never around when things like that happen.

I counted myself lucky. There was only about 50 lira in my wallet, and I was still in one piece.
From this anecdote, and the death of Sarai Sierra, one may get the impression that Istanbul is a very dangerous city. Not really, or at least no more or less dangerous than New York, Los Angeles, London, or any other big metropolis. On the whole, my three years here have been enjoyable, and most Turks are extremely warm and hospitable to foreigners. They like to treat guests well.

“I’m very upset about it, it is really terrible,” said my student Ahmet, when hearing the news confirming Sarai was dead. “It must be awful for her family.”

Again, it is premature to come to any solid conclusions. The investigation remains ongoing. Police have rounded up nearly a dozen suspects, and will be taking DNA samples. Samples taken from under Sarai’s fingernails indicate she may have fought off her attacker or attackers.

For Sarai’s family, there remains the long, painful road of grieving and getting to the bottom of the mystery of her death.

###

For the rest of us yabanci living in the city, there are hard lessons to be taken. It’s easy to identify with Sarai, for we also are adventurous, and enchanted by the ancient grandeur of Istanbul. It’s easy to be swept away by the glamour of living abroad. We tend to be naïve. It’s easy to forget that as yabanci we stand out, that we can become easy prey. You always have to stay on your toes. Use common sense, and don’t rely on the kindness of strangers.

James Tressler was a reporter for the Times-Standard. His novels, including “Conversations in Prague” and “The Trumpet Fisherman and Other Istanbul Sketches,” are available at amazon.com and lulu.com. He lives in Istanbul.