Missing American was to meet Turkish man: police

ISTANBUL

Facebook page for Sarai Sierra. DHA photo

Police are now looking for four Turkish citizens who contacted the missing 33-year-old Sarai Sierra while she was in Istanbul, including a man named “Taylan” who arranged to meet Sierra by the Galata Tower.

Sierra’s husband, Steven Sierra, gave police forces her Facebook and Twitter correspondence with the four Turks in attempts to track her activities during her time in the city. Police found online chat transcriptions that took place between Sierra and a man called Taylan, showing the two arranging a meeting by Galata Tower on Jan. 20.

Whether or not Taylan was the man’s real name remains unknown.

Turkish police forces have formed a unit focused solely on finding the missing American.

Footage of Sierra walking around in Sultanahmet and Taksim surfaced yesterday and police forces have been tracking the stores Sierra visited. Sierra’s room in a Tarlabaşı house reportedly cost her 222 euros, and her expenses through her holidays in Turkey, the Netherlands and Germany totaled over $10,000.

The owner of the house in which Sierra was staying said he had not seen the woman since Jan. 20, Doğan news agency reported.

The woman’s family last made contact with her on Jan. 21, the day before she was supposed to begin her journey back to the United States.

Three days after renting a room in Istanbul on Jan. 12, Sierra traveled to Amsterdam and Munich, Anatolia news agency quoted sources as saying. She returned to Turkey on Jan. 19.

A friend of the woman, Magalena Rodriguez, is also trying to gather information about Sierra’s whereabouts via social media.