Police: Man was living with dead girlfriend inside Taylor motel
Woman found dead in Taylor motel room, police say boyfriend was living with corpse
According to police, the room was filled with trash and housed two dogs. Rebecca Patnaude's body was found on the bed. Investigators believe Christopher Schoonmaker remained in the room with Patnaude's body for several days after her death.
TAYLOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - A dead Taylor woman was found inside a hotel room after her boyfriend allegedly lived with her body for days before leaving town, police say.
The backstory:
The discovery was made last week by an employee at the Red Roof Inn in Taylor, not by the woman's boyfriend.
Police identified the woman as Rebecca Patnaude. Investigators say she was found dead inside a hotel room that she shared with her boyfriend, Christopher Schoonmaker.
"The condition of the room in and of itself was that of a hoarder status, I would say," said Taylor Police Lt. Joshua Schneider.
According to police, the room was filled with trash and housed two dogs. Patnaude's body was found on the bed.
Investigators believe Schoonmaker remained in the room with Patnaude's body for several days after her death.
"Definitely bizarre, concerning. Makes you wonder his current mental status is and what would make someone want to stay with someone deceased like that," Schneider said.
Police say Christopher Schoonmaker never reported Patnaude's death. Instead, investigators allege he left town late last month after taking and using her credit cards.
Patnaude's family says they are struggling to understand what happened.
FOX 2: "What does it say about a person who is going to sleep in the same room as a corpse?"
"Morbid. There's got to be something not right," said Patnaude's niece, Hailee Petriw.
"The way it happened that is devastating," she added.
An autopsy found no obvious signs of foul play. Police said Patnaude also suffered from several medical issues.
At left Taylor Red Roof Inn, Christopher Schoonmaker, middle and Rebecca Patnaude.
However, investigators say they still want to speak with Schoonmaker as soon as possible.
"We do believe we have some sort of crime here, and we will be presenting the facts to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office," Schneider said.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office also did a toxicology test before making an official determination about Patnaude's cause of death.
Anyone with information about Christopher Schoonmaker's whereabouts is asked to contact Taylor police.
The Source: Information for this report is from Taylor police and Rebecca Patnaude's family