—Formerly known as iconic, family-friendly interstate stops, many American motels have become places where transience and anonymity often go hand-in-hand. "Murder at the Motel" explores tragic murder cases set in motels and the pursuit to bring justice to the victims. Family members share their perspectives and personal stories regarding the victims and how the investigations unfolded. The series also spotlights law enforcement officers who work tirelessly in their quest to solve these horrific crimes.

2 seasonsDocumentary, CrimeTV-14

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Season 28 of 8 Episodes

Late on the night of March 19, 2017, police respond to a call from a witness who hears a gunshot at the Surf Motel on Auburn Boulevard in Sacramento, California; at the motel, they find the body of 53-year-old Leonora Montoya.
In 2015, Abigail "Abby" Cozad was found dead in a Colorado motel room; years earlier, Abby had suffered a traumatic brain injury in a drunk-driving crash, leaving her vulnerable and overly trusting.
On May 15, 2016, Bensalem police and firefighters were called to the Lincoln Inn Motel, where a room was engulfed in flames; as crews battled the blaze, they made a horrifying discovery, a body burned beyond recognition lying in the wreckage.
In 2012, 24-year-old Military reservist Alvin Bulaoro was reported missing by his family; two long weeks later, his body was discovered having sustained gruesome injuries, inside a sleeping bag in the backseat of his car in a parking lot.
On April 23, 2018, the battered body of Aileen Seiden is discovered off a highway on Florida's Forgotten Coast; investigators trace the crime to Room 15 of the Sportsman's Lodge Motel, where blood evidence reveals a violent struggle.
On April 9, 2021, Tina Strader, a housekeeping manager at the Rodeway Inn in Venice, Florida, stopped replying to her regular check-in texts to her husband; worried, he traced her last message to Room 205, where he discovered her body hidden in a closet; viciously beaten, with a towel forced down her throat; using surveillance footage, investigators worked to identify her killer and bring him to justice.
On July 7, 2017, cleaning staff at America's Best Value Inn in Michigan discovered a horrifying scene: 43-year-old Christina Daughenbaugh's body, wrapped in bedsheets, surrounded by blood with a knife lying nearby.
On a cold November evening in 2011, the stillness of a motel in Utica, N.Y., is shattered by a crime; police responding to a call at The Davis Motel uncover the lifeless body of the owner with a belt tied around her neck; what follows is the unmasking of a predator whose past is as haunting as the crime itself.

Formerly known as iconic, family-friendly interstate stops, many American motels have become places where transience and anonymity often go hand-in-hand. "Murder at the Motel" explores tragic murder cases set in motels and the pursuit to bring justice to the victims. Family members share their perspectives and personal stories regarding the victims and how the investigations unfolded. The series also spotlights law enforcement officers who work tirelessly in their quest to solve these horrific crimes.

Brian Dives

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