Police are searching for two people believed to have knowledge of what is now being labeled a homicide.
A woman’s body was found at a downtown Salt Lake City hotel Tuesday morning. Police are looking for Kristie Marie Hansen, 26, and Javier Rodriquez Pena, 29.
(Photo courtesy of the Salt Lake Police Department) Javier Rodriquez Pena
(Photo courtesy of the Salt Lake Police Department) Kristie Marie Hansen
Police say they plan to identify the woman, who was in her 20s, Wednesday morning.
Wilking said Hansen and Pena had been in the area of the victim and were associated with her.
“We need to speak with them to clear up what their involvement was,” Salt Lake City police Detective Greg Wilking said Tuesday night.
Someone outside of a second-floor room at the Gateway Inn, near 800 West on North Temple, called police to report “a person down” at 8:41 a.m., according to Wilking.
Police found a woman’s body, and evidence at the scene “suggests it’s suspicious,” Wilking said. “It doesn’t look like an overdose. It looks like more than that.”
Investigators don’t know how long the woman had been in the room, nor do they know whether she was renting a room at the inn or visiting someone who was.
Wilking declined to give more details about the scene and the victim, saying only that “things in the room” made the death seem suspicious and that officers were investigating.
Investigators also were working to determine the woman’s identity and were canvassing the area in search of someone who may have information about what happened.
Anyone with information is asked to call 801-799-3000 and reference case 17-224975. Police said Hansen and Pena could be dangerous and should not be approached.
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