Four members of a New York family were found dead in a Baltimore County hotel Monday.
Housekeepers at the Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel in Towson made the gruesome discovery when they went to check on the family when they did not check out.
"Is it a homicide-suicide?" Baltimore Police Corporal Mike Hill said. "Is it a joint suicide? We just don't know,"
The bodies were identified as William Parente, 59, Betty Parente, 58, Stephanie Parente, 19, and Catherine Parente, 11, from Garden City.
The Sheraton Hotel, located just off the Baltimore Beltway near both Towson and Goucher Colleges, often serves as a stayover spot for parents and alumni from both schools. Guests staying on the 10th floor, where the bodies were found, were given the option of moving to other rooms in the hotel. Some opted to check out of the hotel altogether.
"We're here to visit Goucher College with my daughter. We're going to another place to stay tonight," one hotel guest said.
Crime scene investigators spent hours examining the hotel room for evidence, while detectives canvassed the 10th floor to see if any other guests had heard or noticed anything unusual.
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Just before 7 p.m. Monday, crews towed a silver Mercedes SUV with New York license plates from the hotel parking garage. That tow truck was accompanied by a police escort.
