“She’s dead in here”: Man who discovered body in Washington County motel room speaks out

A man who found a woman’s body in his motel room says he hasn’t been able to sleep because he can still see her face when he closes his eyes.

“I peeped around the bathroom corner. I saw the shadow, kind of looked around the bathroom door and I saw her there. And then I ran out the door and screamed, ‘She’s dead in here,’” said Tommy Pendland.

Pendland says he found a 42-year-old woman’s body after checking into his room at the Rodeway Inn on Motel 6 Drive on Saturday. He tells Channel 11 other guests complained about the odor coming from that room.

“Like I saw little kids’ stuff, a duffel bag, the drug stuff over here and then that smell, and I just put everything together,” said Pendland.

South Strabane Police responded to the motel and are investigating. Officers say the way the woman’s body was decomposing — she probably had been dead for days. We went back to the motel, and some guests were still upset.

Police are still investigating how the woman died, and we are still waiting to hear from the Washington County coroner.


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