Homicide detectives are investigating after a woman in her 20s was found dead inside a room at the Quality Inn in Westminster late Monday night.
Officers responded to the hotel, located at 6601 Westminster Blvd., after receiving a call of suspicious circumstances around 11 p.m. from the woman's concerned family members, according to the Westminster Police Department.
They were going there to conduct a welfare check on the occupant when officers found her dead inside the room, said Westminster police Cmdr. Cameron Knauerhaze.
Based on evidence discovered at the scene, investigators believe she was the victim of a homicide, a news release from the department stated.
Detectives and forensic services remained at the scene overnight as they investigated the woman's death, according to Knauerhaze.
“We’re going to work around the clock until we solve this case," he said.
Grief-stricken family members of the woman, who has not yet been identified, could be seen outside the hotel hugging and comforting one another on Tuesday morning, video from the scene showed.
Earlier, Knauerhaze had prayed with the victim's relatives.
“I was talking with some family members, and they’re obviously just going through a very hard time," he said. “That’s part of our jobs as police officers, is being community caretakers. And I felt the need to be with the family.”
A cause of death was not immediately known. Investigators were also unsure how long the woman had been at the Quality Inn, saying only that she had checked in recently.
No further information has been released.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police at 714-898-3315. Anonymous tips can also be left anonymous tips by dialing Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS or by visiting OCCrimestoppers.org.
