Mother of murdered SI woman in Turkey

Mother of murdered SI woman in Turkey

A man was charged in Istanbul with the murder of Staten Island mother of three, Sarai Sierra, 33, last month.

Sierra, a photography aficionado, was visit the country to further purse her hobby.

Her mother, Betsy Jimenez, spoke with Good Day NY about the arrest, her daughter and a scholarship fund set up in her memory.

"She was in contact with us through Skype every day. She texted with her sister. She missed her kids. She planned to come home early. She was going to enroll in the College of Staten Island. When we didn't hear from her, that same night I called her every five minutes on Skype," said Jimenez.

Ziya Tasali, was caught Sunday near the Turkey-Syria border after being on the run for more than a month, mostly while hiding in Syria, officials said.

"We were very relieved that he was caught," said Jimenez.

In Sierra's memory, the family has established a scholarship for photography students at the College of Staten Island.

Donations can be made to the following:

College of Staten Island Foundation

Attention: Mr. Ken Boyden

Sarai Sierra Scholarship

2800 Victory Boulevard

Building 1A, Room 401

Staten Island, NY 10314

The Associated Press contributed to this report.