Police probe suspicious death of Charles Town woman

March 21, 2001

Police probe suspicious death of Charles Town woman

By DAVE McMILLION / Staff Writer, Charles Town

West Virginia State Police were investigating the suspicious death of a Charles Town, W.Va., woman who was found unconscious in a local motel Sunday morning.

Christi Allen, 23, was found in a room at the Northgate Inn at about 11 a.m. Sunday, said Sgt. S.E. Paugh.

A person, who Paugh declined to identify, found Allen "in distress" and called 911.

Allen was taken to Jefferson Memorial Hospital, where she died at 4 a.m. Monday, Paugh said.

Allen never regained consciousness from the time she was found, Paugh said.

There were no signs of trauma and an autopsy performed Tuesday by Deputy State Medical Examiner Jack Frost did not reveal a cause of death, state police said in a press release.

Medical examiners are now conducting toxicology tests on Allen in an attempt to determine the cause of death, Paugh said. It is expected to take about two weeks to complete the tests, police said.

Paugh said there was no indication of foul play in the death, but police have to investigate to make sure.

"Her age makes it suspicious more than anything," Paugh said Wednesday afternoon.

Several people have been interviewed in the case, but Paugh said he could not say who they are.

Julie Easter, a front desk clerk at the Northgate Inn, said Wednesday that someone was staying in the room with Allen the night she fell unconscious.

Easter said Allen was only staying one night at the motel, which is along U.S. 340 north of Charles Town, near the 84 Lumber store.

"We didn't know anything was going on until an ambulance showed up," Easter said.

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