Lawyer's Washington, DC, Hotel Stabbing Death Puzzles Investigators

— -- Authorities in Washington, D.C., hope surveillance footage will help them solve the murder of a lawyer found dead inside a hotel room.

The body of David Messerschmitt, 30, was discovered Tuesday inside the Donovan, with multiple stab wounds.

Surveillance footage shows a person of interest in a hooded jacket and gloves, pacing in front of a lobby elevator, then climbing the stairs -- before eventually getting out on the same floor where Messerschmitt’s body was discovered.

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier said police are investigating numerous angles.

“We really have no idea what the motive is at this point, so everything is open,” Lanier said.

The newlywed sent a text message to his wife Monday, saying he’d be home in an hour. But when Messerschmitt didn’t return to his Capitol Hill home, his wife filed a missing persons report.

Messerschmitt’s family pleaded for the community’s help in a statement.

“Someone out there knows something, and we hope they come forward to help the investigation,” the family's statement read.