A 51-year-old man faces charges of first-degree murder, violation of a restraining order and domestic violence after the suspicious death of his 34-year-old companion at the Blue Sky Motel in Lakewood.
Lakewood Police Detective Timmy Marquez said officers were called to investigate Friday morning after the motel manger found the woman’s body in the couple’s room at 6205 W. Colfax Ave. The couple checked in on Wednesday, Marquez said.
The man, Gary Dodd, was not there when the body of Lisa Marie Atteberry was found, Marquez said. An autopsy Saturday morning was inconclusive and is pending the results of toxicology tests.
Police believe Atteberry’s death is suspicious because of her young age and because there were no obvious contributing factors to her death. No drugs or drug paraphernalia were found in the motel room, Marquez said.
Police executed a search warrant at the motel to collect evidence related to Atteberry’s death and interviewed friends and family members of both Dodd and Atteberry.
“During our investigation it became apparent some sort of foul play was involved,” Marquez said. “The information we gained from our interviews supported our charges for a homicide.”
Dodd surrendered to Denver Police on Friday night on an unrelated arrest warrant.
