March 18, 2013
A man believed to have murdered American Sarai Sierra, whose body was found behind the ancient city walls in İstanbul in early February, was caught by security forces in the southern province of Hatay on Sunday, the governor of the province said.
A statement made by the Hatay Governor’s Office said the prime suspect in the murder of Sierra was captured in the Reyhanlı district of Hatay.
The suspect, Z.T., publicly known as “Laz Ziya,” was captured by security forces at around 12:00 p.m., Hatay Governor Celalettin Lekesiz confirmed at a press conference.
After first being questioned by police, the suspect was referred to court.
New Yorker Sierra, 33, disappeared late in January while vacationing in İstanbul. She last contacted her family on the morning of Jan. 21, the day before she was supposed to begin her journey back to New York. She never showed up for her flight out of İstanbul.
Twelve days after her disappearance, police found her body behind the ancient city walls in the low-income neighborhood of Cankurtaran.
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