Sarai Sierra, 33, has gone missing while on vacation in Istanbul, Turkey. The New York woman is a mother of two and CBS reports that her family said they last heard from her on Jan. 21, the day she was supposed to fly back to New York City, but she failed to check into her flight.
Turkish police in Istanbul said to the Associated Press that the police have questioned a man who was in contact with Sierra during her stay but the official did not give future details or identify him.
Fox News reported that the Turkish news have identified him as "Taylan" who police say was set to meet Sierra at Galata Tower. The man told authorities that they did not meet, despite planning to do so. "We did not meet that day, but we had met before," he said during his interrogation Fox News reports.
He told authorities that they had met online four months prior.
"Turkish news reports said Sierra arranged to meet her contact on a bridge she planned to photograph on the day she went missing. It is unknown if the meeting had taken place," reports CBS.
Sierra went to Istanbul on Jan. 7 to further her photography and made trips to Amsterdam, Netherlands and Munich, Germany. CBS reported that she planned the trip with a friend but went alone when the friend couldn't make it. Her husband Steven and her brother David Jimenez went to Istanbul to aid in the search.
A source said to Fox News that Sierra may have contacted an amateur tour guide to show her around Istanbul sites.
Police tracked Sierra's phone and found out her phone had made a call using Skype on Jan. 30 and the phone was also turned on again yesterday.
"One good thing here is that Istanbul has a very good local police department," said Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y to 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."
"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," reported Fox News.
Sierra's sister Christina Jimenez said to Fox News"I spoke to my sister every day. I miss her so much and love her. That's all I can say."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
