A heavily decomposed body was discovered Thursday in the attic of a long-abandoned Econo Lodge near I-35 and Brightleaf Drive on San Antonio's Northeast Side, and investigators say the location made recovery so difficult that the medical examiner's office initially could not safely remove the remains. Responding officers found the deceased man positioned in an area authorities could not immediately access, and they had to wait for the San Antonio Fire Department to assist before the body could be brought out.
According to WOAI News 4 San Antonio, a person staying at the abandoned motel found the body and contacted workers at a nearby business, who then alerted authorities. Police say an initial examination turned up no obvious signs of foul play, though the cause of death has not been confirmed. Investigators are weighing several possibilities, including a heat-related death, an overdose, or suicide, the station reports.
A Building Fire Crews Already Knew Well
The vacant Econo Lodge was not unfamiliar territory for San Antonio first responders. Last October, the same property at 9503 I-35 N. near Whirlwind Drive was hit by three major fires within 40 hours, and fire officials at the time noted the complex had a shared attic space running across units and was frequently used by unhoused individuals, according to KENS 5. Crews at the time also flagged unstable balconies as a hazard that complicated searches of the structure.
That interconnected attic layout appears relevant again now, as the same type of enclosed upper-level space became the site of Thursday's discovery. The property's history of squatting and fire damage had already put it on the radar of San Antonio emergency responders well before this latest death investigation began.
Extreme Heat Adds Another Layer to the Investigation
Police are considering heat stroke as a possible cause partly because of the conditions blanketing San Antonio this week. The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for Bexar County on Thursday, with daily highs reaching up to 105 degrees and heat index values climbing as high as 110 degrees, as reported by the San Antonio Express-News. Enclosed, unconditioned upper floors like a motel attic can trap heat far beyond outdoor temperatures, which is one reason investigators have not ruled out hyperthermia in this case.
Under Chapter 49.25 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, any unnatural or unattended death without an attending physician present must be reported to the county medical examiner's office for an inquest, per the Bexar County government. That statute also bars peace officers from moving a deceased person until the medical examiner authorizes it, which helps explain why the man's body remained in place until fire crews could assist. If investigators pursue toxicology testing to check for an overdose, Bexar County's in-house lab typically takes 42 to 49 days to return final results after an autopsy.
How Heat Deaths Get Counted
Even if extreme heat contributed to the man's death, it may not show up that way in official statistics. Bexar County officials confirmed in 2025 that the medical examiner's office only classifies a death as heat-related when hyperthermia is the direct cause, and does not log cases where heat was merely a contributing factor, according to reporting from the San Antonio Current. Public health researchers have argued that this coding approach undercounts the true toll of summer heat fatalities in the region.
San Antonio City Council members have taken notice of the gap. In April 2025, two council members filed a formal measure directing the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District to partner with the medical examiner's office to improve tracking of heat-related deaths, according to Deceleration. The push reflects a broader effort to build better public heat-surveillance data across the county.
Vacant Building Rules Face Their Limits
The Econo Lodge's condition also raises questions about how the city polices abandoned commercial properties. Under Chapter 12 of the San Antonio Code of Ordinances, owners of vacant structures are required to register with the city's Vacant Building Program, maintain basic upkeep, and carry liability insurance or a surety bond, according to the City of San Antonio. That program now covers 112 square miles of the city.
Enforcement, however, is not straightforward. San Antonio City Council members reviewed proposals in May 2026 for stricter oversight of vacant and nuisance building owners, noting that city code enforcement liens cannot trigger property foreclosures under Texas law, per the San Antonio Report. City leaders discussed sliding-scale fees as a way to discourage owners from letting buildings sit abandoned indefinitely. Officials with the city's Office of Historic Preservation, which runs the Vacant Building Program, said in February that property rights protections and multi-step administrative procedures slow down mandatory enforcement or demolition of hazardous structures, according to KSAT. Residents can report unsafe structures through the city's 311 system.
This is not the first time San Antonio police have opened a death investigation at a budget lodging property. In September 2025, officers investigated after a man was found deceased inside a Days Inn hotel room near Interstate 10 and West Vance Jackson Road, with emergency crews initially responding to reports of an unconscious person before confirming the death, KENS 5 reported. As of Thursday, San Antonio police had not confirmed a cause of death for the man found in the Econo Lodge attic, and the case remains under investigation.
