Sarai Sierra forensic report finds no evidence of rape or drugs

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Hürriyet Photo

A forensic report has determined that Sarai Sierra, the female U.S. citizen murdered in Turkey in while travelling alone, died because of a blow to the head and no indications of rape or the presence of drugs were found, a Turkish daily reported today.

The Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute is still in the process of finalizing the report, according to daily Akşam.

However, it has emerged that the report establishes the cause of the victim’s death as a blow to the head, with no other injuries found on her body aside from a few scratches likely to have resulted from being dragged or carried.

DNA samples taken from Sierra’s brother David Jimenez were also used for the examination.

The report said no sign of rape was discovered. The experts also did not find any traces of drugs in her blood, but further examinations will be held by the same institution’s Chemistry Specialization Department and will be sent to the prosecutor’s office in 20 days time.

U.S. citizen Sierra, who has two children, aged nine and 11, left the United States on Jan. 7, for the first time in her life, to take pictures of Istanbul, which is visited by millions of tourists every year. She went missing in the city on Jan. 21 and her dead body was found on Feb. 2. Dozens of people have been questioned in connection with the murder near the ancient city walls, which local authorities say have turned into a haven for drug users and criminal gangs. Police have been searching for suspects since then, but the number one suspect, Ziya T., remains yet to be found. Recent reports and sightings indicate he may have fled to the southern province of İskenderun.