• Sarai Sierra, 33, was killed by a fatal blow to the head during solo trip
• Her body was found in a low-income area of Istanbul next to Galata Bridge on Saturday; her iPhone and iPad had been stolen
  
• Officers have detained nine men and two women for questioning
• Her two sons, aged nine and 11, still do not know she is dead
  

By Lydia Warren, Nina Golgowski and Snejana Farberov

PUBLISHED: 08:57 EST, 5 February 2013 | UPDATED: 09:24 EST, 5 February 2013

The devastated husband of a New York mother-of-two who was murdered during a solo trip to Turkey revealed today how he is consumed with sadness.

Steven Sierra, 40, left his home in Staten Island and flew to Istanbul last week to help search for his wife, 33-year-old Sarai, after she failed to get on a flight back to the U.S. on January 21.

But the trip ended in heartbreak: Sarai's body was found stashed next to ancient city walls on Saturday. Police believe she died from blunt force trauma to the head.

Heartbroken: Steven Sierra, right, has revealed how he is struggling with the loss of his wife, Sarai, who was found murdered in Istanbul on Saturday

'I'm heartbroken,' Mr Sierra, who was married to Sarai for 14 years, told the New York Daily News, weeping. 'This is something you never want to imagine, and it's something I'd never want anyone to experience.

'You have so many plans, so many dreams with the person you deeply love. You look forward to many years together and there are so many things you haven’t fulfilled with that person, and now those won’t be fulfilled.'

Speaking to Good Morning America today, he said he could not put into words how he was feeling and how much he was missing her. He described his wife as 'amazing' and 'just very loving with the kids'.

But his two sons, who are aged nine and 11, still do not know their mother is dead. Mr Sierra told the Daily News he is waiting until he returns home to tell the boys face-to-face.

'I know it's not right to do it over the phone when I can't be there with them,' he said.

Journey to church: The coffin of U.S. tourist Sarai Sierra is carried through the streets of Beyoglu in Istanbul, after her body was released following an autopsy

As the police investigation continues, and authorities check DNA samples from 21 people being questioned in the case, Mr Sierra is just left with questions.

'What happened? Who attacked my wife? She's a little lady, only 5-foot-2, and very petite. Who did this to her and why?' he asked. 'I don't have answers right now and maybe I never will.'

Sarai's body was released following her autopsy on Monday, as it was also revealed the FBI are playing a significant role in the investigation of her death.

A casket holding the Staten Island mother was carried through alleyways lined with spice and food stalls to a church in Istanbul, which remains closed while her body is inside.

Rep Michael Grimm, a former FBI agent, said today that U.S. investigators were invited by Turkish authorities to assist as they try to find out what happened to Sarai Sierra.

Struggle: Sarai's mother Betsy Jimenez sobs during a news conference at a friend's home on Monday

Sadness: Congressman Michael Grimm, left, Mrs Jimenez husband Dennis and family friend Magdalena Rodriguez also revealed their sadness at the news of the murder

Loss: Magdalena Rodriguez had planned to travel with Sierra, but dropped out due to financial reasons

Turkish police hope DNA samples from 21 people being questioned in the case will be key to finding the perpetrators, according to state run media.

Meanwhile, her family are working out how to return her body to the U.S.

'Our number one priority right now is bringing Sarai home,' said Rep Grimm, who accompanied Sierra's parents, Betzaida and Dennis Jimenez, as they spoke to the media at the home of a family friend on New York's Staten Island.

The family are still determining how to fund the transport. Their church and friends are working to raise money to help defray the costs.

Her mother told the Today show: 'It was such a shock when we heard. She was supposed to come back and she didn't.

Scene: Her body was found stashed in this cave in the low-income district of Sarayburnu on Saturday

Theory: Police say she may have been murdered somewhere else and her body was then dumped

Violent: Her autopsy found she died of a blunt force trauma to the head; some belongings were missing

'Her little boys do not know, their father will talk to them once he gets back. We will all be present for this.

'It was the first time she was going overseas after getting into photography college. She wanted to go there and take pictures of bridges and the history of the city.'

In Washington, the U.S. State Department confirmed Sierra's death in Istanbul, thanked Turkey's government for its extensive efforts to locate her body and said the investigation of what happened to her would continue.

'We are also appreciative of the many expressions of sympathy received from the Turkish people,' the State Department said in its statement.

Sierra had left for Istanbul on January 7 to explore her photography hobby.

Loved: Sarai is pictured with her two sons, who are now 9 and 11. They do not know their mother is dead

Caring: Steven Sierra said he is heartbroken that his sons will not grow up with their amazing mother

She was in regular contact with friends and relatives, and had told them she would visit Galata Bridge, which spans Istanbul's Golden Horn waterway, to take photos.

Steven Sierra told CNN that his wife was fascinated by graffiti, which may have been her undoing. 

Her body was discovered in a hardscrabble neighborhood of Istanbul next to ancient city walls covered with graffiti that she so loved.

Police later identified the body as Sierra through her drivers license. Officers have detained nine men and two women in connection to the murder.

Anadolu said Sierra was found with a head wound and a blanket near her body. She was wearing jeans, a jumper and a jacket, and still had her earrings and a bracelet on, but her I' and iPad were missing.

Police believe that the photographer may have been killed elsewhere and then dumped next to the ancient ruins.

But it still does not exclude the possibility that she had met her assailant earlier near the walls. 

CBS News reported that shortly after Sierra's body was discovered, a woman came forward and told police she had seen a white car parked near the city walls as she was driving there the night of January 29, Anadolu reported.

The eyewitness said a man was trying to remove 'something' from the car, at which point she caught a glimpse of a woman's hand. 

The news comes after police in Istanbul detained and released a man who was one of the last in contact with the missing mother, who vanished the same day she planned to meet up with him.

No trace: Sarai Sierra, 33, set off for Istanbul on January 7 and was last heard from on January 21

The man only identified as 'Taylan' on social media sites was taken into police custody after questioning on the disappearance of the woman.

Turkish news reports said Sierra had arranged to meet her contact, 'Taylan,' on Galata Bridge she wanted to photograph the day she went missing.

It was about a mile from Sierra's hostel, Dogan news agency reported but it's not known if the meeting had actually taken place.

'We did not meet that day, but we had met before,' Taylan told police while adding that it was four months ago that they met for the first time online, Turkish paper the daily Hürriyet reports.

Authorities scoured security camera images near to the bridge to see if the meeting did in fact take place, the news agency said.

Last images: Sarai Sierra, a New York mother missing in Turkey, is seen on CCTV before she disappeared

Police say four more Turkish citizens are sought for questioning by police after also communicating with her through various social media sites.

Last week, Turkish police released security camera footage showing the missing mother at a mall near her hostel hours before she disappeared.

Sierra can be seen eating lunch and walking through the mall on January 20 - a day before she was supposed to catch a flight back home.

Sierra left for Istanbul on Jan. 7 to explore her photography hobby and made a side trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Munich, Germany. Sierra had planned to go on the trip with a friend, but went alone when the friend couldn't make it.

Her family last heard from her on Jan. 21, when she was supposed to start her journey home, but she never checked into her flight.

Search: Members of the Istanbul-based Association For Families With Lost Relatives hand out flyers with photos of Sierra, and other missing family members, in Istanbul on Thursday

Mystery: A view of the street with the hostel, in yellow, where Sarai Sierra, a New York City woman, left all her possessions before she disappeared

Sierra's husband, Steven, and brother, David Jimenez, traveled to Istanbul to help in the search.

Crime in Turkey is generally low and Istanbul is a relatively safe city for travelers, though there are areas where women would be advised to avoid going alone at night.

The Galata and the nearby Galata Bridge areas have been gentrified and are home to fish restaurants, cafes and boutiques.

  VIDEO  Betzaida Jimenez appears on the Today show 

VIDEO: Police release CCTV of Sarai Sierra in Istanbul mall

Tags: World News