Woman in room 13 WASN'T murdered, died of seizure

UPDATED 9/10, 10:32 pm

Josephine John, the mother of 31-year-old Customer Service Representative Lyndsey Sabrina Layne is urging the man who last saw her daughter alive, to come forward and assist police with their investigations, after an autopsy revealed Layne died from a seizure and not from strangulation as was initially suspected.

An emotional John made the call yesterday at the Forensic Science Centre, St James where she and another female relative said that while the findings of the autopsy revealed there was no foul play involved, officers of the Homicide Investigations Bureau are still continuing their enquiries. She appealed to the man, who reportedly accompanied her daughter to the hotel room where she was later found dead, to come forward and assist officers with their investigations.

“I would like to ask the man, whoever you are, if you know that you are innocent, please come forward and help the officers with the investigation in whatever way.”

Layne lived in Orange Grove Road, St Augustine and according to reports arrived at the hotel with the man at 4.30 pm on Saturday. While the man waited in Layne’s blue car, she went to the reception area and paid for a room for approximately two hours. After paying cash, Layne signed in the hotel’s registry under a false name and was then joined by the man. They were given a key for room #13.

The receptionist in the lobby later saw man leaving in Layne’s car and became suspicious over the fact that he was leaving alone. When she knocked on the door of room #13, there was no response and she called in the police.

Officers arrived and the door was opened and Layne was found fully clothed on the floor. A District Medical Officer told police he suspected the woman was strangled but the autopsy yesterday ruled this out.

Layne was employed at the Public Service Credit Union and was the mother of an eight-year-old child. John said that her granddaughter has not yet been informed of her mother’s death and added that the family, including Layne’s husband are struggling to come to terms with her death.

Investigations are continuing.

UPDATED 9/10, 2:53 PM

Josephine John, the mother of 31-year-old Customer Service Representative Lyndsey Sabrina Layne, is urging the man who last saw her daughter alive to come forward and assist police with their investigations.

This comes after an autopsy revealed that her daughter died from a seizure and not from strangulation as reported earlier.

An emotional John made the revelation this morning at the Forensic Science Centre in St James.

She and another female relative said that while the findings of the autopsy revealed there was no foul play involved in her daughter's death, officers of the Homicide Bureau were still continuing their inquiries.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Police were last night searching for man after the body of a woman, believed to have been strangled, was found on the floor in Room 13 of the Touchdown Hotel in St Helena.

The victim Lyndsey Sabrina Layne, 31, lived in Orange Grove Road, St Augustine and according to reports arrived at the hotel with the man at 4.30 pm on Saturday. While the man waited in Layne’s blue car, she went to the reception area and paid for a room for approximately two hours.

After paying cash, Layne signed in the hotel’s registry under a false name and was then joined by the man. They were given a key for room #13. At 7.30 pm, the receptionist in the lobby observed the man leaving in the blue car and she became suspicious. When she knocked on the door of room #13, there was no response and the receptionist alerted the Las Lomas Police Post.

Constable Jugmohan and others responded and when the door of room #13 was opened they found Layne fully clothed, lying on the floor. A District Medical Officer was called to the scene and an initial examination revealed Layne may have been strangled. The body was removed to the Forensic Science Centre in St James where an autopsy will be done today.

Police later secured CCTV footage from the hotel. The car was later found abandoned and checks later revealed it was owned and registered under Layne's name. Investigations are ongoing.