Deputies said Emma Mullins was concealed beneath bedding after entering the hotel with a man later charged with second-degree murder.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A hotel employee making a routine visit to a guest room found the body of a 76-year-old woman concealed beneath bedding and clothing, setting off a homicide investigation that led deputies from a bloodstained room to surveillance video and discarded evidence in a parking lot dumpster.

Emma Mullins was pronounced dead after deputies responded at about 11:35 a.m. June 25 to the Holiday Inn Express at 4816 100th Way North, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said she was on the floor wrapped in a blanket, with sheets, towels and clothing placed over her in what appeared to be an effort to hide her location. Paul Mason Stottler was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. The charge is an allegation, and the public reports reviewed for this article did not identify a conviction or other final resolution.

The employee’s call placed hotel staff at the beginning of the investigation rather than the end of an ordinary room-cleaning process. Authorities have not publicly described whether the employee entered after checkout time, whether the room had been marked for service or what first drew attention to the area where Mullins was found. The sheriff’s office said only that a hotel employee reported a deceased person in one of the rooms. Deputies then secured the scene and began examining what appeared to have been a violent struggle.

Inside the room, detectives reported bloodstains in several locations, overturned furniture and broken glass. Mullins had obvious signs of trauma, the sheriff’s office said. A criminal complaint cited by Law&Crime described blunt-force injuries to her face and body. Officials have not released a detailed autopsy report or publicly identified a weapon. The official account therefore establishes signs of extensive violence but does not explain exactly how each injury occurred or the medical cause and manner of death determined by an examiner.

The scene also suggested that someone had tried to delay discovery. Mullins was not left in open view. Investigators said she had been wrapped in a blanket and covered with multiple items from the room. The sheriff’s office characterized the placement as an attempt to conceal her location. Authorities have not said whether the arrangement successfully prevented anyone from seeing her earlier or how much time passed between her death and the employee’s discovery.

Detectives next turned to the hotel’s surveillance system. Video showed Mullins and Stottler entering the room together, according to the sheriff’s office. Hours later, only Stottler was seen leaving. Investigators said he carried several bags from the hotel and placed them in a dumpster in the parking lot. The video supplied a timeline connecting the pair to the same room and showing Stottler’s movements after Mullins was no longer seen leaving the property.

The exact relationship between Mullins and Stottler has not been fully explained. The sheriff’s office told a local television station that they were friends but did not provide further details. Authorities have not said how long they knew each other, why they went to the hotel or who rented the room. Investigators also have not released evidence of an argument’s subject or identified a motive. Those unanswered questions are significant because the available evidence describes their movements and the aftermath but not what caused the alleged altercation.

Stottler was identified in official records as transient. The sheriff’s initial announcement listed him as 38, while later reports noted that he turned 39 shortly after the killing. His date of birth was listed as June 30, 1987. Mullins was a St. Petersburg resident. Officials notified her next of kin before publicly identifying her, according to the sheriff’s office. No relatives were quoted in the initial reports, and no public memorial statement was included in the sources reviewed.

A search of the dumpster produced evidence detectives said was tied to the room and Mullins. Investigators recovered three documents bearing her name. The documents had been placed inside an ice bucket, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies also found bedding and a pair of men’s pants stained with blood. Authorities have not publicly described the documents, explained why they were in the room or said whether the blood had been conclusively matched through laboratory testing.

Law&Crime reported that Stottler admitted discarding evidence when he left the hotel. The underlying complaint was not reproduced in full in the publicly available reports reviewed for this article, and authorities have not released a recorded interview. The alleged admission therefore remains part of the prosecution’s account rather than a proven fact at trial. The sheriff’s official release focused on the surveillance footage and recovered items and said the homicide investigation remained active.

The reported evidence creates a sequence investigators may seek to prove in court. Mullins entered the hotel with Stottler at about 10:45 p.m. the night before her body was discovered, according to the complaint account. Stottler was later recorded leaving alone at about 4:30 a.m. while carrying bags. The employee found Mullins later that morning. Detectives then searched the dumpster and recovered items they said connected the discarded bags to Mullins and the room.

That sequence does not by itself establish every element of second-degree murder. Under Florida law, prosecutors generally must prove an unlawful killing through an act showing a depraved mind regardless of human life but without the premeditated design required for first-degree murder. The precise legal theory in Stottler’s case will depend on the filed charging documents and evidence admitted in court. The sheriff’s announcement reported the arrest charge but did not provide a prosecutor’s detailed explanation of how the statute would apply.

The distinction between an arrest and a conviction remains important. Police may arrest a person when they believe probable cause supports a charge. At a criminal trial, the state must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Stottler is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless he is convicted. Public reporting shortly after the arrest said he was held in the Pinellas County Jail, and a local outlet listed the murder case as pending. The sources reviewed did not identify a trial date or final disposition.

The hotel’s role appears limited to providing the setting and supplying information to investigators. There is no allegation that the hotel company or its employees participated in the violence. An employee reported the death, and surveillance footage from the property became part of the investigation. Authorities have not publicly discussed the hotel’s room-access records, payment records, electronic key logs or internal procedures, though such materials can become relevant in reconstructing activity at a commercial lodging property.

The case also depends heavily on evidence collected after the alleged killing rather than a publicly identified eyewitness to the violence. No one has been reported as seeing the struggle inside the room. Instead, detectives cited the condition of the room, injuries to Mullins, surveillance video, materials recovered from the dumpster and Stottler’s alleged admission about discarding evidence. Each category may require authentication and forensic testing before it can be presented to a jury.

Bloodstained clothing and bedding can help investigators connect a person or location to a violent event, but the sheriff’s office has not released laboratory findings. Broken glass and overturned furniture may support an account of a struggle, though those physical conditions do not independently show who initiated it or why. Surveillance video can document movement and timing but may not capture events behind a closed hotel-room door. The prosecution would need to combine the evidence into a coherent account while the defense may challenge how it was collected or interpreted.

Officials have also not said whether Stottler had visible injuries when he was arrested, whether he sought medical treatment or whether investigators recovered personal property belonging to Mullins outside the dumpster. No publicly released account identifies a weapon or describes fingerprints, DNA testing or cellphone records. The absence of those details from a news release does not mean the evidence does not exist. It means the investigation had not publicly disclosed it. Local reporting noted that Stottler had prior criminal cases in Pinellas County, including convictions or charges involving burglary and battery. Those records are separate from the murder allegation and do not establish guilt in Mullins’ death. Courts generally control how much information about prior conduct may be introduced at trial because jurors are required to decide the charged case on admissible evidence rather than assumptions about a defendant’s past.

The age difference between Mullins and Stottler drew attention in coverage, but investigators have not said it played a role in the killing. Mullins was 76. Stottler was 38 at the time of the arrest and turned 39 days later. The sheriff’s office described an altercation between them without explaining whether it began suddenly or followed an earlier disagreement. Any account that assigns a romantic relationship, financial dispute or other motive would go beyond the verified information released by authorities.

The discovery also placed hotel employees in a difficult position common to lodging-related death investigations. Workers who enter rooms after guests leave may encounter medical emergencies, unattended deaths or crime scenes without warning. In this case, the employee’s report brought deputies to the room and preserved a point from which detectives could trace activity through video and the parking lot. Authorities have not identified the employee, and there is no indication that the worker witnessed the earlier events.

Detectives assigned to the sheriff’s Robbery and Homicide Unit took charge of the case. Their work included processing the room, reviewing surveillance footage, searching the dumpster and interviewing Stottler. The sheriff’s office said Mullins and Stottler had been involved in an altercation but did not describe the source of that conclusion. It may have been based on physical evidence, witness interviews, Stottler’s statements or a combination of information. Second-degree murder is a serious felony that can carry a lengthy prison sentence upon conviction. Any ultimate penalty would depend on the formal charge, criminal history, sentencing rules and findings made by the court. It would be premature to state a likely sentence before the case is resolved. The initial public reports centered on the arrest and the evidence that led detectives to Stottler rather than later courtroom proceedings.

Mullins’ final hours remain only partly visible in the public record. Surveillance placed her entering the hotel with someone described as a friend. Investigators say violence occurred inside the room. She was later found concealed on the floor, while items bearing her name and bloodstained materials were recovered from a dumpster. Authorities have not released her communications that evening or explained whether anyone expected her to return home.

As of the latest sources reviewed, the sheriff’s office continued to describe the matter as an active investigation. Stottler faced one count of second-degree murder, and the case had not been reported as resolved. Further court filings could clarify the prosecution’s theory, the defense position, the forensic evidence and the schedule for future proceedings. Until then, the central allegation remains that Mullins died during a violent encounter in the room and that Stottler tried to dispose of materials before leaving alone.

Author note: Last updated July 27, 2026.