The family members of two Saudi sisters found washed up on the shore of the Hudson river in New York have denied reports the two women killed themselves.
The bodies of Tala Farea,16, and Rotana Farea, 22, were spotted by a passerby on October 24 and identified as two missing sisters from Fairfax, Virginia. The youngest, Tala, was last seen in August according to a post on the website of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The alert said she might be with her sister.
The bodies were found bound together with duct tape and facing each other. Police said both were fully clothed and there were no obvious signs of trauma. Preliminary reports suggest the women had planned to end their own lives.
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The family, originally from Jeddah, had not experienced any major familial troubles, a relative told Saudi newspaper Arab News, dismissing reports they may had taken their own lives.
According to other family members, the sisters were close, prompting Tala to run away form her home in Fairfax and move to New York City, where her older sister lived.
"We do not know that a crime took place," The New York Times quoted Dermot Shea, the chief of detectives, as saying. "We have a terrible tragedy for sure."
The Consulate General is following closely with local authorities the investigation of the two Saudi citizens found in the Hudson river.
— Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in New York (@KSAconsulateNY) October 29, 2018
تتابع القنصلية العامة مع السلطات المحلية تفاصيل حادثة قضية المواطنتين السعوديتين اللتين عثر عليهما في نهر هدسون.
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