ODESSA, Texas — Odessa Police have arrested a suspect in connection to a deadly stabbing that happened at the Parkway Inn on Highway 80 Monday.
An arrest warrant was issued to 46-year-old Jose Sarinana for the offense of Murder, a First Degree Felony.
An initial investigation revealed that officers responded to a call about a deceased person, where the found an unresponsive woman who had been stabbed multiple times. The victim was later identified as Cynthia Ann Mendoza, 46, of Lamesa.
An arrest affidavit obtained by NewsWest 9 revealed that officers were first dispatched to a home on Garden Lane for a suspicious item call. The man who lived there said he had found a backpack with a bloody knife wrapped in clothing.
An investigation of the scene where the backpack was found revealed a blood trail to a neighboring home and a cellphone at the bottom of a tree.
Officers then responded to a call about an injured person at the Parkway Inn. They found a dead woman who was identified as Mendoza.
Surveillance from the hotel showed a suspect and victim argue, then enter the room where Mendoza was found. Yelling could be heard on the video before the suspect left the room alone carrying a black backpack.
The suspect could be clearly seen in the footage.
Prints were lifted from Mendoza's vehicle that came back to Sarinana. A records check then showed Sarinana's photo to look like the man in the surveillance video.
Mendoza's family confirmed to police that she had a boyfriend named Jose, and a bank card with Sarinana's name was found in a backpack in the room.
Sarinana is being held in the Ector County Law Enforcement Center on a $500,000 bond.