New York City police say two Saudi sisters whose bodies washed ashore on Manhattan's Hudson River likely committed suicide.

Dermot Shea, New York City Police Department chief of detectives, said Tala Farea, 16 and Rotana Farea, 23, were reported to have preferred suicide over returning to Saudi Arabia.

Shea said the young women likely "entered the water alive."

Their bodies were found duct-taped together, bound at their waists and ankles, police say.

Based on video evidence, eyewitness testimonies and credit card purchases for food, hotel and transportation, police say they have determined there was likely no foul play involved in the sisters' deaths.

The young women, who had lived in the U.S. for about three years, may have been subjected to physical abuse and may have applied for asylum.

Their family in the state of Virginia last saw them in 2017.