Woman Found Dead Next To Bloody Iron at SoHo Hotel, Ruled a Homicide by M.E.
Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, was discovered on Feb. 8 by a SoHo 54 Hotel employee. It was 10:30 a.m. The authorities have said there was no sign of forced entry, and that she had suffered blunt force trauma to her head. On Feb. 12, the NYC Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide.
| 13 Feb 2024 | 12:44
Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, was found dead on the 11th floor of the SoHo 54 Hotel on Feb. 8. Her death has been ruled a homicide by the NYC Medical Examiner. (
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The SoHo 54 Hotel on Watts. Ave, where a 38 year-old woman was reportedly found dead next to a bloodied iron. On Feb. 11, the NYC Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide. No arrests have been made. (
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A 38 year-old woman was reportedly killed on the 11th floor of the SoHo 54 Hotel. Her body was initially found by a housekeeper. The NYC Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide, noting that she was beaten and strangled.
At around 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 8, police responded to a 911 call and discovered Denisse Oleas-Arancibia. She was unconscious and unresponsive. A blanket had been placed over her body. She had reportedly suffered blunt force blows to her face, and a bloodied clothing iron was discovered nearby.
No arrests have been made, but ABC7 has reported that detectives are said to be searching for the owner of a pair of bloody pants–with an unspecified receipt in them–that were found inside the room.
EMS pronounced Oleas-Arancibia dead at the scene. It did not appear that there was any forced entry, indicating that the perpetrator may have known the victim.
Edwin Cevallos, Oleas-Arancibia’s 18 year-old son, tearfully told The Daily News that his mother had been worried that something bad was about to happen to her. Cevallos added that Oleas-Arancibia “was always helping people. She was a very good person. She never hurt anybody.” The two reportedly shared an apartment in Jackson Heights, and have family in Ecuador. Cevallos added this his mother worked in Manhattan, but that he was unsure of what her job was.
The hotel, located near Sixth Ave. on Watts St., was reportedly jam-packed with Fashion Week attendees at the time of the murder. A Feb. 7 post on the hotel’s Facebook account proclaims that hotel guests can “join the stylish celebration of NYC Fashion Week and experience the glamorous whirlwind. Your stay at SOHO54 is your ticket to chic and unforgettable moments in the heart of it all.”
SoHo 54 did not return comment as of press time.