Woman's Body Wrapped in Plastic, Hidden Under Hotel Bed

Yesterday, a housekeeper found a female body wrapped in garbage bags and stuffed under a bed in Room 608 of the Hotel Carter. The woman, described as a white woman in her 20s, was not carrying any identification and the ME's office is conducting an autopsy to determine her cause of death; WABC 7 says that the woman suffered a blunt trauma to the head, but it's unclear if it's the cause of death.

The Post reports that the "police tentatively identified the woman as a 22-year-old tourist from Washington, D.C." and that the housekeeper realized there was a body when she "patted" the bags and felt a foot. The Daily News says that the victim "was never a customer" at the hotel, according to an employee.

The News had details about the room's previous occupant:

The employee said a man who identified himself as Clarence Dean of Alabama checked out of the room at 12:56p.m. Wednesday after a prolonged stay.

Dean, described as a chubby white man in his 30s, checked into the hotel on Aug.17 and was scheduled to leave on Aug.19. But instead of leaving, he paid per diem with cash at a $116-per-night rate.

On Tuesday night, hotel workers noticed strange activity in the hotel room - judging from Dean's electronic key card, which showed he entered and exited the room every few minutes over a period of time.A wallet believed to be the victim's was also found in the room, the worker said.

The hotel, located across from the former NY Times building, is popular with tourists. Many guests have been trying to get refunds and find other hotel accommodations. One Australian tourist told the Post, "There was a girl screaming in the corridor saying that she wanted a refund, that she didn't want to stay here anymore because someone was murdered." A tourist from Toronto told the News, " Could we be next? I'd sleep in Central Park before I sleep here."