Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Police Say No Weapon Used in Hotel Homicide

Homeless woman, recently convicted of petit larceny, found dead at Budget Host Inn on Thursday; police determine no weapon used.

Suffolk County Police said on Friday morning that no weapon was used in the killing of a homeless woman who was found dead at the Budget Host Inn in Riverside on Thursday.

The Suffolk County Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide, which by definition is an intentional death, according to police.

According to police, Henrietta Sholl, 53, was found on a bed at the inn at 11:56 a.m. They said she had been at the hotel for more than one day.

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Police did not release the cause of death. They are still investigating the homicide.

According to court records, Sholl was arrested on Nov. 3, 2010 on petit larceny charges. After pleading guilty on Jan. 26, 2011, she was sentenced to 90 days imprisonment by a Suffolk judge. 

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The Budget Host is located near the traffic circle in Riverside and is currently the listed home to at least one registered sex offender. A trailer for homeless sex offenders sits within a half mile of the hotel, and the hotel has been rumored to sometimes house overflow sex offenders.

It has been the location of several incidents involving police in the past. 

Southampton Police, at the hotel for a separate incident on Friday morning, directed questions to Suffolk County Police.

Police said the investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to call the Suffolk County Homicide Squad at 631-852-6394 or anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.


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