Deaths of Saudi sisters found bound together in New York's Hudson River ruled to be suicide

A pair of Saudi Arabian sisters whose bodies washed up together on a New York waterfront deliberately took their own lives, the city’s chief medical examiner has concluded.

Tala Farea, 16, and Rotana Farea, 23, “bound themselves together before descending into the Hudson River,” Barbara Simpson said in a brief statement.

She added: “Today, my office determined that the death of the Farea sisters was the result of suicide.”

The siblings’ bodies were spotted in Manhattan on 24 October last year, two months after they were last seen at their home in Fairfax, Virginia.

Police have previously said a jogger had seen the women praying at a playground near the river hours before their bodies were found tied together with duct tape.

Water was found in the siblings’ lungs, indicated they were alive when they entered the river.

The women had lived with family in Fairfax after leaving Saudi Arabia several years ago, but ended up in a shelter following alleged abuse at home.

They were reported missing on 12 September and were later found to have visited Washington DC and Philadelphia before arriving in New York on 1 September.

Police said they stayed in expensive hotels in Manhattan until the credit card they were using reached its spending limit.

New York City Police Department chief of detectives Dermot Shea said people who knew the Farea sisters in Virginia had told investigators they had indicated “they would rather inflict harm on themselves - commit suicide - than return to Saudi Arabia".

Under the kingdom’s guardianship system, women must have the approval of a male relative – such as a father, husband, brother, or even a son – to marry, obtain a passport or travel.

For confidential support in the UK, contact the Samaritans on 116 123. In the US, contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline on1-800-273-8255.