SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Nov. 29, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake Police have identified a woman who was found deceased in a Salt Lake City motel Tuesday morning.
The victim is Mechelle Lindberg, 25, Salt Lake City Police Department said in a news release Wednesday morning.
The department initially said they were investigating the case as a “suspicious death,” but they later amended that to say the case was being treated as a homicide.
Just after 8:40 a.m., Lindberg was found in one of the rooms of the Gateway Inn, at 819 W. North Temple, SLCPD Detective Greg Wilking told Gephardt Daily.
The manner in which she died was unknown at the time, but Wilking said it was “not a natural death.” It does not appear there was anyone in the room with her at the time she was found.
SLCPD later released the names and photos of Kristie Marie Hansen, 26, and Javier Rodriquez Pena, 29, who are considered “persons of interest” in the case.
Wilking said in an update Tuesday night that as the investigation unfolded, it was learned that Pena and Hansen were in the area with the victim.
Wilking added that, although Pena and Hansen “haven’t been elevated to the level of suspects” and police simply want to know their involvement with the victim, the public is advised not to approach the two, but to just call police if they are seen.
Anyone who knows the whereabouts of Hansen or Pena, or who has any information about the homicide, is asked to call police dispatch at 801-799-3000 and reference case 17-224975.
Gephardt Daily will have more on this developing story as information becomes available.
