Sarai Sierra Spoke to a Man Named Taylan Online Before Vanishing

Turkish police are still trying to locate an American amateur photographer who went missing in Istanbul a week ago.

As we have previously reported, 33-year-old Sarai Sierra was set to return to the States on January 22. She last contacted her family one day before, via text message.

Law enforcement agencies are following a lead, in the form of a conversation with a man identified as Taylan uncovered on her email account. According to Daily Mail, the two arranged to meet on the Galata Bridge, in a commercial area of town.

“There's nothing remarkable about their conversation, but the fact that he's the last person she had any contact with makes him a person of interest. [...] That's a solid lead that needs to be followed up on,” Staten Island Rep. Michael Grimm explains.

Email records have left no indication of the relationship between Sarai and the mystery man. During her two-week holiday in Turkey, she flew out of the country twice, traveling to Amsterdam and Munich.

“These are things she made me well aware of. [...] She kept me 100 percent updated,” her husband Steven states for Staten Island Live.

“Every day while she was there she pretty much kept in contact with us, letting us know what she was up to, where she was going, whether it be through texting or whether it be through video chat, she was touching base with us,” he adds.

He has flown to Turkey to help with rescue operations, and has provided police with passwords to his wife's accounts on social networking websites.

Police are currently analyzing CCTV evidence from the Taksim sector where Sarai was staying at, as well as the Galata Bridge and its neighboring areas. We will keep you updated on new developments as this story unfolds.