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The family of an American tourist killed in Turkey won't tell her two young sons what happened to their mother until their father returns from his tragic search in Istanbul, the woman's parents said Monday, according to CNN. 

Sarai Sierra, from Staten Island, New York, had been missing since January 22, when she was supposed to return to the United States. Her father, who had gone to the airport to pick her up, originally thought his daughter had been detained in customs, he said.

After a search that included her husband and brother traveling to Istanbul, Turkish police found Sierra's body Saturday, near ancient stone walls in Istanbul's Sarayburnu district, according to the semi-official Anatolian news agency.

Sierra's sons, ages 9 and 11, were staying with family friends until their father returned.

"That's something we're going to do together as a family, and the father will be speaking to them," Sierra's mother, Betzeida Jiminez, said of talking to the children about their mother.

"It's something that is going to be hard and he (husband Steven Sierra) is going to talk about that when he comes back."

The Sarai Sierra's family said in a news conference Monday that despite the outcome, they were grateful they were offered some closure.

"I thank God that we were able to find her and able to have her with us," Jimenez said.

Absent from the press conference was Sierra's sister.

"My daughter couldn't be here today because she's too broken," Jiminez said. "All she does is cry and she's going through a hard time, her and her sister were very close."

Authorities in Turkey said 21 people had been questioned in Sierra's disappearance and death. Prosecutors were given court permission to take blood and DNA samples from all those questioned.

Sierra flew alone to Istanbul on January 7. She had gone back to school part-time for her bachelor's degree and planned the trip between semesters, her friend Magalena Rodriguez told CNN Monday.

"She did a lot of researching about the area, about where she was going to stay, the safest places to go and the time of day to travel," Rodriguez said. Rodriguez had originally planned on traveling with Sierra, but canceled her plans for financial reasons.

Rodriguez, who had last texted with her friend on January 18, described Sierra as witty, with a huge sense of humor.

Police told CNN's sister network CNN Turk that the body of the 33-year-old woman showed signs of stab wounds. However, the police chief of Istanbul, Huseyin Capkin, said Sierra died from a blow to her head. Police suspected she had been killed at a different location than where she had been found.

Sierra was an amateur photographer who had amassed more than 3,000 followers since she joined the photo sharing app Instagram last year. Her husband said she had connected with people through the app and that some followers had even offered Sierra to act as a tour guide during her trip.