The mother who was found strangled and beaten to death next to a bloody iron in a New York City hotel room was believed to be prostitute and had been seen days earlier in a neighborhood known for sex work, DailyMail.com can reveal.
The lifeless body of Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, was discovered by staff in a room on the 11th floor of the SoHo 54 Hotel around 10:30am last Thursday.
A spokesman for the city medical examiner on Monday confirmed she died of compression to her neck and blunt head trauma and her death has been ruled a homicide.
No arrests have been made and an investigation is ongoing, however, DailyMail.com can reveal detectives believe Oleas-Arancibia was a sex worker and a male suspect has been identified in the case.
According to sources, Oleas-Arancibia was seen days before her death on the streets of Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, a known area for prostitution that is even being referred to as New York City‘s new ‘red light district’.
Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, was found dead in a room at SoHo 45 Hotel on Thursday morning
DailyMail.com can reveal that detectives believe Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, was a sex worker who had been seen on Roosevelt Ave in Queens days before her death
Her death has formally been ruled a homicide (pictured: interior of the room where Oleas-Arancibia was found)
Oleas-Arancibia died of compression to her neck and blunt head trauma, according to a spokesperson for the city medical examiner
The busy street located in the Corona neighborhood has become overrun with Venezuelan migrants offering sex services in the open-air, so-called ‘Market of Sweethearts,’ amid the ongoing migrant crisis, city officials confirmed last year.
Previously, the Bronx was home to the Big Apple’s highest concentration of sex workers for hire.
Sources tell DailyMail.com police have identified a male suspect and that an arrest in expected in coming days.
A spokeswoman for the city medical examine on Monday released details of the autopsy and said Oleas-Arancibia was unconscious and unresponsive when authorities arrived on scene.
She sustained significant head trauma and was pronounced dead by EMS.
A bloody iron was found near her body. However, there were no signs of forced entry, authorities said.
ABC 7 reported that a pair of bloody pants with a receipt in them were also recovered from the hotel room.
The woman’s son, 18-year-old Edwin Cevallos, spoke to his mother one day before her death.
Roosevelt Avenue, located in the Corona neighborhood of Queens has become New York City’s new ‘red light district’, due to the prostitutions being fueled by the migrant crisis, mayor Eric Adams said last year. Pictured: General views of women on Roosevelt Ave
Sex workers have been seen walking the streets during the day, with many aggressively soliciting even as children get out of school or during their lunch hour
Oleas-Arancibia (pictured left) came to the United States five years ago, leaving behind family including one of her sons
Cevallos had been living with Oleas-Arancibia and her nephew in an apartment in Queens.
But he said he saw changes in her demeanor a week before the tragedy. ‘She was so nervous and she was worried,’ Cevallos told the Daily News.
The teen said he was ‘in shock,’ adding: ‘Everything here in New York reminds me of her. Everything.’
The Ecuadorian native came to the United States five years ago, leaving behind family including one of her other sons.
‘My mom, she worked very hard,’ said Cevallos, who joined her in the country two years ago.
While the teen conceded that he didn’t know his mother’s occupation, he said she was ‘always working for us to give us the best life in this country.’
The 18-year-old was waiting to meet her Thursday morning and phoned the police when he still didn’t see her at 1 pm.
Cevallos described his mother as ‘a very good person’ who was ‘always helping people’ and ‘never hurt anybody.’
‘She was always paying for everything. She never owed money to anybody. She was always looking to help them move forward,’ the teen said.
The 38-year-old mother was unresponsive and unconscious when authorities arrived on scene. She was pronounced dead by EMS
A bloody iron was found lying by her body. Police also recovered a pair of bloody pants with a receipt in them from the hotel room
SoHo 45, formerly known as the Hampton Inn, advertises rooms for around $110 a night on its website
He explained that his mother had worked tirelessly to achieve the American Dream and provide a better life for her children.
‘She gave us the life that we always wanted,’ Cevallos said.
The last time he saw her was Wednesday morning, when she cooked him breakfast and paid a barber for his haircut.
Oleas-Arancibia told her son that she loved him as he left for school that day.
‘She was always happy and having fun,’ Cevallos said. ‘I can’t believe this happened.’
Detectives filed into the Manhattan hotel Thursday morning, startling guests who were staying there for New York Fashion Week.
SoHo 45, formerly known as the Hampton Inn, advertises rooms for around $110 a night on its website.
The hotel did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
