What began as a quiet weekend at a Festus Holiday Inn Express turned into an overnight SWAT operation early Sunday after Jefferson County deputies tracked a man tied to a Fenton death investigation to the hotel. By the time the sun came up, the suspect was dead in a third-floor room from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to authorities.
The investigation started Saturday evening in the 2600 block of Winding Valley Drive in Fenton, where deputies found a woman inside a home and launched a death investigation. Officials have not yet released the names of either the woman or the suspect, saying they are waiting to notify family members.
Suspect Tracked To Festus Hotel, Deputies Say
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office told KMOV that deputies traced the person connected to the Fenton case to the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Festus on Saturday night and began monitoring the property.
Sheriff’s spokesperson Grant Bissell said deputies had eyes on the hotel from about 9 p.m. and started evacuating guests around 11 p.m. as a SWAT team moved in to attempt an arrest. Detectives and negotiators stayed on site as the operation stretched into the early hours of Sunday.
Suspect Found Dead In Third-Floor Room
The operation ended when deputies found the suspect dead in a third-floor hotel room from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office told KSDK.
KSDK reported that the suspect was a 69-year-old man and that investigators are still withholding his name, as well as the Fenton victim’s name, until relatives can be notified. Guests staying on lower floors were taken by bus to Festus High School so they could gather their belongings and have a place to stay overnight, according to the station.
What Investigators Say About The Fenton Death
Deputies initially responded to the home on Winding Valley Drive in Fenton on Saturday evening, where they found the woman, according to KMOV. The sheriff’s office has not released details on how she died or what exactly deputies encountered inside the residence.
Investigators say the Fenton case remains very much active and have asked anyone who may have seen or heard anything in the area to contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigation Ongoing As Sheriff Urges Tips
Sheriff’s officials say detectives and the medical examiner will continue working in the coming days to sort out a full timeline that connects the Fenton scene to the overnight hotel operation in Festus.
Bissell told KSDK that the suspect had previously served prison time for murder and that, because of that history, deputies treated him as potentially dangerous during the Holiday Inn operation.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the Fenton death or the suspect’s movements to contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office as the investigation continues.
