A 16-year-old girl was found dead in Providence Inn and Suites Motel just before 6 a.m. Thursday, according to a Columbia Police Department news release.
Columbia Police officers were dispatched to the hotel, located at 1718 Providence Road N., after an unidentified male called 911 and said he found the girl unconscious in his room.
The male had fled the scene and the female was found dead when officers entered the room.
“(Investigators) definitely want to find (the male) and interview him to see what he knows about the circumstances of her death,” Columbia Police Department spokesman Joe Bernhard said.
The girl has been identified as a runaway whom authorities had been attempting to locate.
“Since the beginning of March, detectives had been looking for her, but they didn’t find her,” Bernhard said.
Her next of kin has been notified of her death.
The girl’s cause of death will be determined by a medical examiner, pending the results of the examination.
“Anybody with any information, please call Crime Stoppers or the police department,” Bernhard said.
The investigation is ongoing and the police are investigating the death as a homicide.
Crime Stoppers can be reached at 875-TIPS, and callers may remain anonymous.
_Stay with The Maneater for updates as more information becomes available._