"It's still surreal. It's still a nightmare, like it can't be happening," Sierra said, lifting a tissue to his eyes as his voice cracked with emotion. "You look to grow old together, but it's just not going to happen now."
For the one-day wake at the Concord church, the 33-year-old Ms. Sierra rested in a closed white casket ringed by pink, white and yellow bouquets. Family photos and home movies were projected onto screens that flanked the casket.
Plainly, she enjoyed motherhood. One family video showed her and her sons, now 9 and 11, bouncing balls in an aisle of a toy store and dashing around.
"She was the greatest mom. No one else could be like her. She was my mom," said Silas from the pulpit. "I wish I was there to protect her and keep her safe from the danger that was around her."
Ms. Sierra was fatally bludgeoned in Istanbul, Turkey, while she was wrapping up a solo photography holiday.
Investigators are still searching for the person or persons responsible for her murder, after her body was found on Feb. 2 with extensive trauma to the head, torso and face near remains of ancient city walls in one of Istanbul's more run-down neighborhoods.
On Thursday, The Daily Mail reported that Turkish police determined that her body had been dragged about 100 meters from the spot where she was slain. Police also reportedly found a rock with her blood on it.
The developments come as police continue their search for a prime suspect known only as "Ziya T," according to The Daily Mail report. Investigators have said that the 46-year-old collector of waste paper was seen in that area covered in blood and dirt on Jan. 21, the day Ms. Sierra went missing.
Fifty-two DNA samples have been taken, but none matched those found on her body. Turkish media have also reported that officials there are still looking for 34 other people in connection with the case.
At the wake, her husband and family resisted the urge to vengeance and relied on their faith to sustain them. "I hesitated at first to say a prayer for whoever was responsible," Sierra said. "But I did pray. I know justice must be served, but I don't know what justice is. I only hope and pray that this person or persons will come to the knowledge of Our Lord and Savior."
Alluding to accounts of marital strife, Sierra said, "Despite the roller coaster we've been through in our marriage, our love was so deep that we always made it through. We laughed a lot. She was tremendously funny, always playing pranks on me."
Betsy Jimenez remembered simple mornings with her daughter, getting breakfast and choosing outfits together.
"I'm going to miss her," she said twice, her voice breaking as she glanced at the projected photos.
The funeral was to be Friday morning at the Concord church, with burial to follow in Silver Mount Cemetery, Silver Lake.
Source: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/02/tragic_tourist_sarai_sierra_is.html
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