Sarai Sierra: missing US tourist found dead in Istanbul

Sarai Sierra, a US woman who disappeared last month while on holiday in Turkey, has been found dead in Istanbul, reports say.

The body of Sarai Sierra was discovered near Istanbul’s ancient walls, Turkish media report.

Police have arrested nine people in connection with the case, the state-run Anadolu agency says.

Sarai Sierra, a 33-year-old mother of two from New York, had been missing since January 21, the day before she was due to arrive back in New York City.

She had left for Turkey two weeks earlier and made short trips to the Netherlands and Germany, the Associated Press (AP) reports.

Police had released security camera footage showing Sarai Sierra at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport before she flew to Amsterdam.

Her body is reported to have been found close to the Galata Bridge, a popular tourist site spanning Istanbul’s Golden Horn waterway.

Shortly before her disappearance, Sarai Sierra had allegedly told her family that she planned to visit the bridge.

Although police have not yet commented on the case, reports say the American may have been stabbed to death.

Andalou says she may have been killed at a different location before her body was hidden near the city walls.

The US embassy in Ankara had been working with Turkish authorities to help track down the missing woman.

Police in Istanbul set up a special unit to find Sarai Sierra, AP says.

Her husband and her brother had also travelled to Istanbul to join the search.

The case attracted extensive media coverage in Turkey where the disappearance of tourists is rare.