Sisters Found Dead On Hudson Shores Applied For Asylum: Report

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Two Virginia sisters who washed up dead on the shores of the Hudson River had applied for asylum from their home country of Saudi Arabia in the days prior to their deaths, according to reports.

The mother of Tala Farea, 16, and Rotana Farea, 22 told investigators that Saudi diplomatic officials informed her that the sisters had applied for asylum, putting the family's legal residency in the United States in jeopardy, the New York Post first reported.

Saudi officials called the mother on Oct. 23, just one day before the sisters' bodies were found on the banks of the Hudson River near West 68th Street and Riverside Park, the Post reported.

Police are still investigating the sisters' mysterious deaths. The sisters were found unconscious and unresponsive laying on the rocks near the Hudson River. Both women were wearing similar black tights and a black jacket with a fur trim, according to police.

The sisters were not suffering any obvious sign of trauma when they were found. ABC New York reporter Josh Einiger reported that a source said the women were taped together, but an NYPD spokesman could not confirm that detail.

According to information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Tala Farea had been missing since Aug. 24. The poster noted that she may be with her sister, Rotana Farea.

Photo by NYPD