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| Updated: 6/02/2012 12:57 am |
Published: 6/01/2012 1:25 pm |
RUSSELLVILLE, AR – Russellville police continue to investigate a case where a large amount of blood was found in an area hotel room Friday morning.
Police say a room at the Economy Inn, located just off of I-40 on N. Arkansas Ave, had a “significant amount” of blood inside it. An employee at the motel told police say they saw a white-haired man leave the hotel with a large black duffle bag in a Chevy Extended Cab with Texas plates.
Police began to look for the last person to rent the room, 60-year-old Stephen Cofer. Cofer and the truck were found in Roland, OK, which is about 8 miles west of Fort Smith, just across the Arkansas state line. Police say the black duffle bag was not in the truck when it was stopped.
Maintenance supervisor Clyde Wiggins saw the mess.
"It was nasty. it was nasty. It was a bunch of if in there," said Wiggins.
His wife heard all the commotion and went to see the scene for herself before police arrived.
"The comforter and the sheets were on the chair. It had blood all over. The carpet and floor covered in blood," said Chris Wiggins.
Two investigators from Russellville went to Roland to interview Cofer. Police say Cofer told them he suffered an injury while staying in the room and had tried to clean it up. Police say Cofer did have an injury consistent with the evidence in the hotel room.
After being interviewed, Cofer was released by police.
Russellville Police are still investigating “certain aspects” of the case.
"We are looking into this because we had that large amount of blood and when you have that amount of blood, you would think someone would need medical attention," said Captain Charles Falwell.
