Family photo via AP
Sarai Sierra, 33, in an undated family photo.
By Isolde Raftery, Staff Writer, NBC News
A New York City mom who went missing while visiting Turkey was found dead Saturday, according to the Turkish state-run news agency.?
The Anadolu Agency reported that residents discovered a woman?s body near ancient city walls of the Fatih district, a historic and working-class area in Istanbul. Police identified the body as that of Sarai Sierra, a mother of two from Staten Island.
The private news broadcaster NTV reported that she had been stabbed to death, and that police had identified her by her driver?s license, according to The Associated Press, although another news agency said it appeared she had died of a blow to the head.
Sierra had not been in contact with her family since Jan. 21, the day before she was supposed to fly home after a two-week vacation. She left for Turkey on Jan. 7 ? alone, because a friend had dropped out of the trip. She wanted to pursue her photography hobby. An Instagram account she set up over the summer, with images of scenes around New York City, had developed a strong following. ?
During her two-week trip abroad, Sierra also visited the Netherlands and Munich, Germany, according to the AP.
At least nine people were detained at the crime scene, police sources told Hurriyet Daily News in Turkey. Two of those detained were women, the AP reported.
Sierra?s family remained hopeful that she was alive because her telephone was twice activated after she disappeared, according to Hurriyet.
Police briefly detained a man last week who exchanged messages with Sierra online. The man had contacted her and made plans to meet with her on a bridge she wanted to photograph, according to Hurriyet. The bridge was a short distance from where Sierra's body was found.
The man was released after being questioned. It was unclear whether he was among the 10 arrested after the body was found.
Sierra?s husband, Steven Sierra, said she stayed in close touch with him and their children, ages 9 and 11, by phone and by Skype. After she didn?t arrive at the airport as planned, Steven Sierra and his brother-in-law David Jimenez booked one-way tickets to Turkey to look for her.?
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