Police investigate suspicious death at DoubleTree Hotel
SPOKANE, Wash. — Two people checked into a downtown hotel Saturday night, only one of them left alive.
Major Crimes detectives were called to the DoubleTree Hotel at 322 North Spokane Falls Ct. Sunday morning when a housekeeper found the body of 40-year-old Eric M. Smith.
Hotel surveillance cameras show Smith checking in with an unidentified woman around 9:30 Saturday night. According to court documents, the same woman is seen getting into a dark SUV 5 hours later and leaving with the same luggage she checked in with.
Hotel staff called 911 just before noon Sunday when a housekeeper found Smith’s body face down on the floor. There were no visible signs of injuries, according to court documents.
While searching the hotel room, detectives found a vial containing a white powdery substance and drug paraphernalia, including syringes.
An autopsy was conducted by the Spokane County Medical Examiner the next day — the cause and manner of death remain unknown pending laboratory results.
Investigators are treating the death as a potential homicide. They are working to identifying the woman in the video.
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