Police Not Buying Story Of Woman In Reds Pitcher's Hotel Room
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- There is new information about a woman found tied-up in the downtown hotel room where a Cincinnati Reds player was staying.
Claudia Manrique, 26, claims she was the target of a thief who ransacked the room when she wouldn't give up the valuables.
KDKA-TV has learned the woman was indeed targeted, but she may not be an innocent victim like she claimed.
Police sources say they do not know if Manrique will ever be charged criminally, but sources tell KDKA-TV's Marty Griffin they do not believe much of her story.
The woman, described as a stripper who works out of Baltimore, MD, and an escort for Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman, says she was robbed at the Omni William Penn Hotel late Tuesday by a man who said he was a maintenance man working for the hotel.
Sources tell KDKA's Marty Griffin that's not true. Sources believe Manrique knew the man who robbed her and that he is believed to be associated with known drug dealers out of the Baltimore area and came to collect on a debt.
Sources say the man is captured on hotel surveillance video chatting on his cell phone as he left the building and that he stopped at a K-Mart on his way back to Baltimore and made a $20 purchase with a stolen credit card from the robbery.
After 10 hours of interviews Wednesday, Manrique's husband out of Baltimore – he's in the military and they're separated – and her roommate came to pick her up.
She was on her way back to Baltimore while police in Pittsburgh continue to sort through this.
Detectives want to know if this was a robbery, why would the thief leave a $70,000 watch and jewelry valued at well over $100,000 behind in the hotel room.
And why was the so-called victim tied up with cloth napkins?
Meantime, Manrique told police she is concerned she could be killed. She also told police she has a significant number of racy videos and photographs on her cell phone and video camera.
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Woman Found In Cincinnati Reds Pitcher's Hotel Room
