An elderly woman’s bloodied and battered body was found wrapped in a blanket inside a Florida hotel room after a heated argument with a man half her age turned deadly, police said.
Horrified staffers made the gruesome discovery at the Holiday Express Inn in St. Petersburg on Thursday around 11:35 a.m., according to the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office.
Cops rushed to the scene to find Emma Mullins, 76, wrapped in a blanket and buried under a pile of sheets and towels on the floor.
“There were blood stains, overturned furniture, and broken glass throughout the room with obvious signs of trauma to Mullins,” police wrote.
Police quickly pinned the murder on Paul Stottler, arresting the 39-year-old after he was allegedly caught on security camera entering the hotel room with the victim a few hours before she was believed to have been killed and then leaving alone.
He was carrying several bags, which he dumped in the hotel parking lot, according to police.
Detectives determined that Stottler and Mullins had gotten into a fight before she was allegedly murdered.
They later discovered the bags were filled with documents with Mullins’ name on them hidden in an ice bucket, as well as bedding and men’s pants covered in blood.
Detectives later discovered they were filled with documents with Mullins’ name on them hidden in an ice bucket, as well as bedding and men’s pants covered in blood.
It is unclear how Mullins and Stottler knew each other.
He was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
The investigation is ongoing, police said.
Stottler remains in custody at the Pinellas County Jail as of Saturday morning, according to online records.