Woman stabbed to death by stranger in hotel room on trip to see concert
Suspect George Sydnor Jr, 43, was also discovered inside the hotel room and arrested on murder charge
A Virginia woman was stabbed to death inside a Washington DC hotel room while on a trip to see a concert in the city, according to police.
Christy Bautista, 31, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, was found dead inside the Ivy City Hotel on Friday evening, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
She was attacked less than an hour after checking into the hotel, according to a report by NBC Washington.
Suspect George Sydnor Jr, 43, was also discovered inside the hotel room. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Mr Sydnor is described as being of no fixed address, and investigators have not yet given any motive behind the killing, which took place in the Northeast area of the city.
Officials say it is not believed that the victim knew the suspect and they are investigating why he was in the hotel room.
Prior to the alleged attack, Mr Sydnor was reportedly seen on security camera footage riding a bike in the hotel parking lot around 6:45pm and later listening outside the door to room 116, according to NBC Washington. He was later seen going into the hotel room and cameras seemed to capture the sounds of a struggle.
The network also reported that Bautista was heard yelling for help in security footage. Officers arrived roughly 10 minutes later and, despite being told by a man that everythijng was fine, a bloody hand was seen through blinds so police obtained a hotel master key and entered.
Bautista was found stabbed and on the floor while Mr Sydnor attempted to light a cigarette, according to NBC Washington. She was unconscious and unresponsive, according to police. She was pronounded dead on the scene at 7:11pm.
The network reported that police also found a large kitchen knife with part of the blade broken off on one of the hotel room beds and the broken part of the blade was found in Mr Sydnor’s jacket’s pocket.
The DC Medical Examiner’s Office told NBC Washington that Bautista had approximately 30 sharp force injuries, primarily on her back, and that her death was a homicide.
“Our family is devastated by the loss of our beloved Christy,” Bautista’s family said in a statement, per hte network. “She brought joy to everybody who knew her and was a shining light in all of our lives.”
Bautista was a 2018 graduate from Virginia’s James Madison University, according to the college’s student newspaper.