A man suspected of killing a woman in a downtown Salt Lake City hotel is in custody, police announced Thursday.
He was booked into Salt Lake County Jail “a couple of days ago,” on charges unrelated to the homicide of 25-year-old Mechelle Lindberg, Salt Lake City police Detective Greg Wilking said.
Lindberg’s body was found under suspicious circumstances at the the Gateway Inn, 819 W. North Temple, on Tuesday morning.
The identity of the man in custody won’t be released until charges are filed, according to a Salt Lake City police news release.
“We just want the public to know he’s in custody,” Wilking said. “We’ve got to find the other two.”
Two people who are considered persons of interest, 26-year-old Kristie Marie Hansen and 29-year-old Javier Rodriguez Pena, may be able to give police more information about what happened Tuesday at the Gateway Inn, police believe.
(Photo courtesy of the Salt Lake Police Department) Javier Rodriquez Pena
“Their involvement in this case still needs to be clarified through interviews,” the news release stated.
(Photo courtesy of the Salt Lake Police Department) Kristie Marie Hansen
Investigator found “things in the room” at the Gateway Inn that made the death look suspicious, Wilking said.
Lindberg had been living in Pleasant Grove for the past few years, according to court records. Her husband, Cameron Lindberg, told a Salt Lake Tribune reporter she had been battling drug addiction for the past three months.
Neither he nor police know whether Mechelle Lindberg was staying at the hotel where she was killed.
“Mechelle and I have been together since 2011, and would have been married for three years in less than a week,” Cameron Lindberg wrote in an emailed statement. “She was the love of my life and a wonderful mother to our precious 1-1/2 year old daughter Alana.”
(Photo courtesy of Cameron Lindberg) Cameron and Mechelle Lindberg on their wedding day in December, 2014. Mechelle Lindberg was found dead in a Salt Lake City hotel Tuesday morning. Police are searching for two people believed to be with Lindberg before she died.
“Her recent struggles in life came to a tragic end before she was able to find the help she needed to turn her life around,” the statement continued. “Her smile always brightened any room, and her bubbly personality and enthusiasm for life were contagious. She had great dreams and desires for her future. We will miss her more than words can ever express.”
