Husband of NYC woman found dead in Turkey says hasn't had strength to tell kids she's gone

A member of the Istanbul-based Association For Families With Lost Relatives hands out flyers with photos of Sarai Sierra, a New York City woman who disappeared while on vacation in Istanbul, urging anyone with information to call police, in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013. Sierra, a 33 year-old mother of two, has been missing since Jan. 21, when she was due to return home. Turkish police have set up a special unit to search for her and are trying to trace a man she had been in contact with during her stay.(AP Photo) (The Associated Press)

Police forensics search for missing New York City woman Sarai Sierra near the remnants of some ancient city walls in low-income district of Sarayburnu in Istanbul, Turkey, late Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013. Turkey's state-run news agency said that she has been found dead in Istanbul and police have detained nine people in connection with the case. Sierra, a 33-year-old mother of two, went missing while vacationing alone in Istanbul. Her body was discovered late Saturday amid the city walls.(AP Photo) (The Associated Press)

Betzaida Jimenez, mother of 33-year-old Sarai Sierra who was found dead on Saturday in Turkey, pauses during a news conference at a friend's home in Staten Island, Monday, Feb. 4, 2013, in New York. Sierra went missing while vacationing alone in Istanbul on Jan. 21, the day she was due to board her flight back home. Congressman Michael Grimm is at left. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) (The Associated Press)

The husband of a New York City woman found dead in Turkey says he hasn't had the strength to tell his children their mother is gone.

Steven Sierra spoke by telephone from Istanbul Monday on ABC-TV's "Good Morning America." He called Sarai Sierra an amazing and caring person and a loving mother to their 9- and 11-year-old sons.

She was on a solo vacation in Istanbul when she disappeared Jan. 21. Her body was found 12 days later near the remnants of the city's ancient walls. Police say she had suffered a fatal blow to the head.

Her husband traveled there last week to help in the search. He intends to accompany her body back to New York.