The Saudi Arabian sisters who were found dead and bound together with duct tape in New York City applied for asylum before they died.
The revelation comes as new pictures of the girls were released by the NYPD.
The mother of Tala Farea, 16, and Rotana Farea, 22, told detectives that she learned the girls applied for asylum in the United States the day before their bodies washed up on the East Side of Manhattan from the Hudson River.
The Virginia-based mother said the Saudi embassy in Washington called her on Oct. 23 alerting her that the family’s residence in America was in jeopardy because of the asylum applications, reported the New York Post.
Officials wouldn’t confirm the report publicly but did confirm they’re looking into the sisters’ immigration status.
The sisters and their mother lived in Fairfax, Virginia, outside of Washington but some reports indicated that the elder sister had moved to New York City. Their mother filed a missing persons report for Tala in December 2017. She later said she hadn’t seen either girl since then.
Police found the girls in New York City last year after the report, which said that Tala may have been with her sister.
When officers located the girls, they requested protection and were placed in a shelter, according to the New York Times. For several months this year, Rotana lived in an apartment in Fairfax but moved out in July. Their mother filed another missing persons report recently but withdrew it after she said her younger daughter called her and told her she was visiting Rotana in the city.
Detectives initially suspected a double suicide from the George Washington Bridge but family members rejected that theory and officers have also dismissed it after reasoning that the bodies would have sustained more damage from a fall from the bridge.
The girls were bound together with duct tape, arranged so they faced each other, and were found fully clothed in matching outfits. The bodies had no signs of trauma.
Detectives Go to Virginia
NYPD detectives went to Virginia in recent days as part of the investigation into the deaths, reported WABC.
“Sources say police now have a better sense of where the two entered the water and how long they may have been in the water,” the broadcaster reported.
The Saudi consulate in New York said that the Consulate General is keeping close tabs on the investigation.
Anyone with information is urged to call CrimeStoppers at 800-577-TIPS. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
