Man suspected of bludgeoning woman to death with iron caught on camera fleeing bloody scene in victim's leggings: Police

New York City police are searching for a man believed to have bludgeoned a woman to death with iron inside a Manhattan hotel room. The suspect was caught on security camera footage fleeing the bloody crime scene while wearing leggings previously worn by the alleged victim, according to police.

The family of the slain mother contacted staff at the SoHo 54 Hotel to conduct a wellness check. On Feb. 7, a hotel employee knocked on the door with a "Do Not Disturb" sign hanging on it. The worker entered the room and saw the woman on the floor.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said, "He saw the victim laying on the floor [covered by] a blanket. [He] didn’t think anything of it and went back downstairs thinking the woman was laying asleep on the floor.”

However, the brutally maimed body of 38-year-old Denisse Oleas-Arancibia was discovered in the hotel room by a housekeeper around 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 8.

There was an iron covered in blood found near the body. Kenny said there were "bits of plastic embedded in her head” from the iron. Oleas-Arancibia, from Queens, also suffered bruises all over her body.

An autopsy revealed that Oleas-Arancibia had died of strangulation and blunt force trauma.

Her death has been ruled a homicide.

Police also found a pair of men's pants covered in blood inside the hotel room.

Surveillance camera footage caught a possible suspect on video leaving the hotel in a black hooded sweatshirt, a tan jacket, and light-colored leggings.

Investigators believe the leggings that the man is seen wearing belong to Oleas-Arancibia.

"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," Kenny said.

Police have been able to track the suspect's movements through the victim's MetroCard and transactions on her credit card.

WNBC reported, "Oleas-Arancibia periodically stayed at the hotel, though she lived in Queens. It's believed she may have been an escort. Her son told investigators she worked in Manhattan for an unknown man."

Oleas-Arancibia reportedly moved to the United States from Ecuador because she wanted a "better life."

Oleas-Arancibia's 18-year-old son, Edwin Cevallos, told the New York Daily News, "She gave us the life that we always wanted. She was always working for us to give us the best life in this country. She always had money to cover anything in the house. She didn’t owe no money to anybody.”

The investigation is ongoing.

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