New York authorities have announced that two Saudi sisters whose bodies were found on the banks of a New York river bound together with duct tape had committed suicide.
Chief Medical Examiner Barbara Sampson said on Tuesday, Jan. 22, that Rotana Farea, 22, and her sister Tala, 16, had killed themselves, and the cause of death was drowning.
The sisters were found beside the Hudson River in late October with no visible signs of trauma, dressed all in black, and in coats with fur-trimmed collars. They were tied together at the ankles and waist by duct tape.
“They would rather inflict harm on themselves, commit suicide, than return to Saudi Arabia,” Shea said, describing statements the sources made.
No Evidence of a Crime
A witness came forward on Oct. 31, to tell the police that he had a story that was “haunting him.”The man, who frequently exercises at Riverside Park, where the girls were found, said he came upon them on the morning they were found dead.
He said that the girls were sitting in a playground at the park, sitting about 30 feet apart but appearing to be together. “They were sitting with their heads in their hands, their heads lowered, and they were making noises loudly that he described as praying,” Shea said, relaying the witness’s statement.
The playground is a very short distance from the Hudson River. Shea said the duct tape found around girls was not tight and binding, but only “keeping them together,” indicating they may have placed the duct tape themselves before they entered the water.
Shea said at the time the NYPD believed the two sisters may have entered the water alive, adding that there was no credible information indicating any type of crime.
Left Home in November
Detectives said that the family of the girls last saw them on Nov. 30, 2017. The next month they were located by police officers and taken to a shelter-like facility in the Washington area due to some abuse allegations that came up.About eight months later, in August, the girls went missing from the facility where they had been staying. The family said they were not in contact with them.
On Aug. 24, police officers said, the girls traveled to New York City, arriving on Sept. 1.
“We have them staying at a number of high-end hotels in New York City during this time,” Shea said. “We also have them following a pattern of ordering meals, always two meals. Until as best we can surmise at this point in time ... the credit card, the money started to run out.”
Video footage showed the girls in good health until about a week before their bodies were found.