Sunset Beach(37)
Interesting, Drue thought, that Jazmin Mayes’s former supervisor no longer worked at the hotel. But maybe not too surprising. Having worked at bars and restaurants off and on for most of her adult life she knew firsthand that most hospitality-related jobs in Florida had high rates of turnover.
She turned the page and found another of Zee’s reports.
Interview with Brian Shelnutt, Gulf Vista Security Chief, 2-10-17. Took place at Gulf Vista Hotel and Resort, where he is still employed.
Shelnutt states that security cameras were located in all hallways of guest wing, lobby, elevators and hotel kitchen and parking areas. Gulf Vista is a gated resort, with two full-time security guards manning entrance to resort property from Gulf Boulevard. Guests use hotel room key cards to enter and exit parking lot. Employee parking located on lower level of three-story parking deck on north side of hotel. This area has separate key-card entry and employees are restricted from using guest parking.
Subject states that he viewed all relevant camera footage of 9-15-16 and 9-16-16, at direction of investigators from Pinellas Sheriff’s Office. States he no longer has access to video footage but he states his best recollection is of seeing video of victim using key card to enter room on first floor of north wing at approximately 11:00 p.m. Victim seen pushing large housekeeping cart and vacuum cleaner into guest room and exiting at 1:30 a.m. Next seen pushing cart on service elevator and ground floor walkway to hotel laundry room. Access to area is limited to employees with master key card.
Shelnutt states exterior video camera footage showed several other housekeepers and engineering employees entering and exiting laundry room before and during time victim was in room, but no video showed her exiting the room, which did not have operational interior video cameras at time of incident.
Why not have cameras inside a large commercial laundry room? Drue wondered. She noted that Zee’s report specified “operational” video cameras. She made a note to herself to see if any other documents in the file referred to video cameras. She turned the page to read more.
At approximately 4:45 a.m. on 9-16-16 Shelnutt states he received a phone call at home from security guard Eli Greene, telling him that the body of a housekeeping employee had been discovered in rolling laundry hamper in laundry room. Shelnutt said Greene was called to laundry room by another housekeeper, Lutrisha Smallwood, who was in room, loading used guest linens into washer, when she uncovered body of an African-American woman, later identified as Jazmin Mayes. Shelnutt says he advised Greene to call 911 and seal off area, which he subsequently did, until arrival of Treasure Island Police Department officers. Shelnutt said he called hotel manager at home to alert him of the incident, then drove directly to the hotel, arriving at 5:45 a.m, where he was met by deputies. He states police did not allow him to enter the crime scene, but he was shown a photo of the victim, who he was able to identify as hotel employee Jazmin Mayes. Shelnutt called Byars at home, and Byars subsequently met with officers to share next-of-kin notification.
Asked about victim’s claim of sexual harassment, Shelnutt stated quite strongly that to his knowledge Jazmin Mayes never complained of harassment to him or any other hotel management.
Zee’s next interview was with Lutrisha Smallwood, who’d discovered her coworker’s body.
Met with Lutrisha Smallwood, 25, on 5-17-17, at Publix in Treasure Island, where she is now employed in bakery as apprentice cake decorator. Subject states that on 9-16-16, she entered laundry room at resort at approximately 4:30 a.m. No one else was in room. She stated that she was annoyed to find cart full of soiled linens that should have been washed, folded and dried by someone on previous shift. Cart was located in back of room, some distance from bank of washers and dryers. She said she pushed cart, which is on casters, toward washing machines, noting that it was unusually heavy. When she unloaded first armful of sheets and towels she said she encountered a sheet with bloodstains, that seemed to be wrapped around a large object. Upon moving sheet she said she saw a woman’s foot. She fled area and called security on hotel-issued radio. At that point, she said, Eli Greene met her in hallway outside laundry room, and instructed her to wait for police in the hotel security office, which she did. Subject said she had known victim for only a few months, and had limited contact with her since they usually worked on different shifts at hotel. Subject said victim had never complained to her about harassment from any employees at hotel, and said she had never experienced harassment at hotel. She also stated that she believed victim’s closest friend at hotel, a woman named Neesa, was fired in weeks following victim’s death. Has no knowledge of Neesa’s last name or current whereabouts. On checking personnel records, appears woman she referred to is Neesa Vincent, who was a housekeeper until she was discharged by hotel management on 9-27-16. Reason given for discharge was chronic absenteeism. Phone number for Neesa Vincent in hotel records no longer connected. Visited Bay Pines Trailer Park on 5-20-17, man living in trailer listed as subject’s address states he was Neesa Vincent’s boyfriend, but she moved out not long after losing job. He has no knowledge of her current whereabouts.
Drue closed the folder and rubbed her eyes. There were more documents, but they could wait. She’d been sitting and reading for what seemed like hours. She walked over to the sliding-glass doors and stepped out onto the deck. She stared up at the sky. The moon was only a crescent tonight. A faint breeze stirred the sea oats at the edge of the dunes closest to the house. She would have loved to have taken a walk on the beach this time of night, but her knee was still swollen and she’d been so absorbed in reading the Jazmin Mayes file she hadn’t noticed how late it had gotten. After nine, and tomorrow was a school day.