Eureka Police are investigating the theft of a gun that had been left in a hotel room that was believed to be locked when the guest was gone for three hours Dec. 7, Capt. David Wilson said.
A .380-caliber Smith and Wesson bodyguard-model pistol was taken between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. from a guest’s duffel bag at the Holiday Inn St. Louis West at Six Flags, 4901 Six Flags Road, in Eureka. The gun’s owner, a 36-year-old Carl Junction man, told police he left the gun in his bag when he went to the airport, the report said.
The gun is worth $300, according to the report.
There were no signs of forced entry into the room, and the victim told police he heard the door snap shut when he left. The hotel room doors do not lock if they are allowed to close slowly, and the man said he did not check to make sure the door had locked when he left, the report said.
A member of the housekeeping staff said she discovered the door ajar while she was cleaning rooms on the floor and reported it to the front desk. She said she did not see anyone in the room and thought someone may have left their belongings after checking out, according to the report.
The hotel checked the key card usage for the room’s door, and it was discovered that only the card issued to the victim and one issued to the hotel’s maintenance staff had been used at the room. The card issued to the maintenance staff was used Dec. 6 to repair a sink in the room, the report said.
As of Dec. 18, there were no suspects and the gun had not been recovered, Wilson said. He asks anyone with information about the incident to call Eureka Police at 636-938-6600.