DC Hotel Murder Victim From Virginia Was 'Nicest, Purest' Person

The 31-year-old woman killed by a homeless man in what police say was a random attack at a Washington DC hotel has been identified as a Virginia native with an innate ability to make others feel comfortable.

Christy Bautista.
Photo Credit: *GoFundMe photo*

by Zak Failla & Cecilia Levine

04/05/2023 9:32 a.m.

Christy Bautista, of Harrisonburg, VA, was stabbed dead by George Sydnor, Jr., 43, in a room at the Ivy City Hotel in the 1600 block of New York Avenue Friday evening, March 31, Metropolitan police said.

Court documents detailed by NBC4 and FOX5 say Bautista was heard yelling for help less than an hour after checking into her hotel room. Responders found Sydnor with blood on his hands and trying to light a cigarette, as Bautista's body lay with nearly 30 stab wounds on the hotel room floor.

Bautista, of Harrisonburg, graduated from James Madison University, where she made an impact on other students.

"Christy was my freshman orientation guide (FROG in JMU speak), and I just remember how much she made me feel like JMU was home," Hannah Patterson writes on Facebook. "She was kind, funny, and so very welcoming to everyone."

A GoFundMe page for Bautista's family had raised more than $6,500 as of Wednesday, April 5.

"I have such a clear memory of Christy coming up to me at up and up, waving a fan in my face and saying 'you are such a goddess,'" Jesse Merrill writes on the campaign. "The nicest, purest person who never deserved what happened to her."

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