Chilling surveillance footage captured a man suspected of bludgeoning a mom with an iron inside a New York City hotel room fleeing the scene wearing her blood splattered Lululemon leggings.
The unidentified murder suspect appeared to don the victim’s leggings after police say that a pair of bloodied men’s pants were found alongside Denisse Oleas-Arancibia’s body that was discovered by staff at the SoHo 54 Hotel last week.
When staff discovered her body on the morning of February 8, the 38-year-old was lying beneath a blanket and beside a broken iron, having checked in the day before.
The eerie surveillance photo shows the suspect walking at night along a well-lit Manhattan street, wearing light colored women’s leggings, black hoodie and tan jacket.
A chilling surveillance footage image shows the suspect in the grisly slaying of a Queens mom in a Manhattan hotel, where he appeared to wear the victim’s LuluLemon leggings down the street after the slaying
Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, was found dead in a room at SoHo 45 Hotel last Thursday morning
Her death has formally been ruled a homicide (pictured: interior of the room where Oleas-Arancibia was found)
Oleas-Arancibia died of compression to her neck and blunt head trauma, according to a spokesperson for the city medical examiner
NYPD Chief of Detective Joseph Kenny told the New York Post that investigators are seeking information about the suspect, and described the leggings as ‘distinctive.’
‘We have video of the woman arriving at the location, wearing a distinct pair of leggings and later on we have a male leaving the hotel wearing the same leggings and we also have a pair of male pants in the hotel room. There was blood all over the pants.’
When pushed further by about what made the leggings so distinctive, Kenny added: ‘It’s a guy wearing women’s leggings.’
As revealed by DailyMail.com following the murder, it is believed that Oleas-Arancibia was a prostitute who had been seen working on Roosevelt Avenue just days earlier.
A spokesman for the city medical examiner on Monday confirmed she died of compression to her neck and blunt head trauma and her death has been ruled a homicide.
Her body was found when wellness calls were made to the front desk throughout the evening for her, and The Post reported that one employee did walk into her room, despite a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the handle, and left after seeing her on the floor under the blanket.
Kenny added: ‘Didn’t think anything of it and went back downstairs thinking that the woman was lying asleep on the floor.’
Investigators have yet to identify the man in the leggings but are using ‘extensive video’ to track down the person of interest, who they are following through transactions in the subway system.
Kenny told the outlet that the person has been using his own credit card to buy meals and MetroCards.
DailyMail.com revealed earlier this week that detectives believe Oleas-Arancibia, a mother-of-two, was a sex worker.
Sources said that she had been seen days before her death on the streets of Roosevelt Avenue in Queens.
The 38-year-old mother was unresponsive and unconscious when authorities arrived on scene. She was pronounced dead by EMS
DailyMail.com revealed earlier this week that detectives believe Oleas-Arancibia, a mother-of-two, was a sex worker
Wellness calls were made to the front desk throughout the evening for Oleas-Arancibia
A spokesman for the city medical examiner said Oleas-Arancibia died of compression to her neck and blunt head trauma.
She was unconscious and unresponsive when authorities arrived on scene. She sustained significant head trauma and was pronounced dead by EMS.
The woman’s son, 18-year-old Edwin Cevallos, spoke to his mother one day before her death.
Cevallos had been living with Oleas-Arancibia and her nephew in an apartment in Queens.
But he said he saw changes in her demeanor a week before the tragedy. ‘She was so nervous and she was worried,’ Cevallos told the Daily News.
The teen said he was ‘in shock,’ adding: ‘Everything here in New York reminds me of her. Everything.’
Oleas-Arancibia (pictured left) came to the United States five years ago, leaving behind family including one of her sons
The Ecuadorian native came to the United States five years ago, leaving behind family including one of her other sons.
‘My mom, she worked very hard,’ said Cevallos, who joined her in the country two years ago.
While the teen conceded that he didn’t know his mother’s occupation, he said she was ‘always working for us to give us the best life in this country.’
The 18-year-old was waiting to meet her Thursday morning and phoned the police when he still didn’t see her at 1 pm.
Cevallos described his mother as ‘a very good person’ who was ‘always helping people’ and ‘never hurt anybody.’
‘She was always paying for everything. She never owed money to anybody. She was always looking to help them move forward,’ the teen said.
A bloody iron was found lying by her body. Police also recovered a pair of bloody pants with a receipt in them from the hotel room
SoHo 45, formerly known as the Hampton Inn, advertises rooms for around $110 a night on its website
He explained that his mother had worked tirelessly to achieve the American Dream and provide a better life for her children.
‘She gave us the life that we always wanted,’ Cevallos said.
The last time he saw her was Wednesday morning, when she cooked him breakfast and paid a barber for his haircut.
Oleas-Arancibia told her son that she loved him as he left for school that day.
‘She was always happy and having fun,’ Cevallos said. ‘I can’t believe this happened.’
Detectives filed into the Manhattan hotel Thursday morning, startling guests who were staying there for New York Fashion Week.
SoHo 45, formerly known as the Hampton Inn, advertises rooms for around $110 a night on its website.