Body of NYC Woman Killed in Turkey to Return to US

Turkish authorities concluded that 33-year-old Sarai Sierra was killed with a blow to the head. She had been in regular contact with her family on Staten Island during her three-week trip, which included a preplanned excursion to Amsterdam and a stop in Munich before she returned to Istanbul.

She disappeared Jan. 21, and her body was found 12 days later near the remnants of the city's ancient walls. She was still wearing her jewelry, but her iPhone and iPad were missing.

Turkish police and the FBI are investigating her death. Prosecutors on Monday got a court order to take blood and DNA samples from 21 people questioned in the death, according to Turkish state media.

Her family says she was on her first trip abroad pursuing a newfound hobby of photography. She posted some of her work on the photo-sharing website Instagram, and her page there has attracted thousands of new visitors since news broke of her disappearance.

Her family subsequently set up a separate site where her photos were put up for sale. A post from someone who identified himself as her brother, David Jimenez, said any received funds will go to her children.

During an emotional news conference Monday, Sierra's mother said the two boys, ages 9 and 11, were unaware of their mother's fate, and the family was waiting for Steven Sierra to return to inform the children about her death.