Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYPD: Saudi Sisters Found Dead In Hudson River Were Denied Asylum In U.S.
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Nov 2, 2018
Modified Nov 2, 2018
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
NYPD
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Nov 2, 2018
Modified Nov 2, 2018
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Investigators say that there was likely no criminality in the mysterious deaths of two sisters found bound together on the banks of the Hudson River last month. Instead, police believe that Tala and Rotana Farea may have taken their own lives after their application for political asylum from Saudi Arabia was denied.
During a news briefing on Friday, NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said that detectives were informed by a source that the sisters "would rather inflict harm on themselves, commit suicide" than return to Saudi Arabia, where they last lived three years ago. The sisters, ages 16 and 22, had been placed in a shelter in Virginia in December of last year, according to Shea, after reporting physical abuse by family members.
They disappeared from that facility in August, and are believed to have taken "a series of methods of transportation" that ultimately brought them to New York City in September. Credit card records reviewed by the NYPD show that they stayed at a "number of high end hotels" and ate a "pattern of meals until the credit card started to run out," Shea said. They were seen on surveillance footage, apparently in good health, a week before their bodies were discovered.
A witness claims to have seen the sisters praying near the Hudson River on the morning of October 24th. Hours later, they were found dead, fully clothed and belted together with duct tape at their waist and ankles.
While police have previously said that their bodies showed no signs of trauma, officials now note that water was found in the sisters' lungs—meaning they likely entered the water alive. Authorities have not ruled out other possibilities of death, and an investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with additional information is urged to call CrimeStoppers 800-577-TIPS.
Tagged
hudson river
nypd
riverside park
rotana farea
tala farea
uws
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .