Woman Charged After Overdose Victim Left Outside Bloomington Hotel

Jul 31

A woman is charged with interfering with a dead body after authorities say she helped move a deceased overdose victim in the parking lot of a Bloomington hotel and then left the scene without seeking help.

Maria Delos Angeles Contreras, 33, is charged with one count of interference with a dead body, a gross misdemeanor.

> Sign up for the MN CRIME newsletter

The charge stems from an incident on July 26 in which police say Contreras and an unidentified male were seen dragging an unconscious woman on a chair through the Doubletree Hotel lobby at 7800 Normandale Boulevard.

Police were called just after 5 p.m. when a hotel employee reported seeing Contreras and the male dragging a woman in a chair by her feet. The employee followed the two through the lobby and into the parking lot, where they continued to drag the woman before walking away and leaving her behind.

A second woman arriving at the hotel told police she saw the scene unfold and got out to help after realizing the woman was unresponsive. The woman, who identified herself as a certified nursing assistant, said she tried to find a pulse but couldn’t. She asked Contreras and the man if they would help start chest compressions or move the woman to the ground. Instead, the two reportedly tried to push the victim into the good Samaritan’s vehicle. When she refused to let them do so, they walked away, leaving the woman unresponsive in the parking lot.

The woman was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead on arrival.

Shortly after notifying the victim’s mother of her death, hospital staff received a call from a woman claiming to be the mother and saying she was on her way to the hospital with someone named “Maria.” Staff found the call suspicious, as they had already spoken to the mother through another verified number. When told that her daughter had died, the caller asked, “Why is she dead?” before saying she didn’t know what to do and hanging up.

READ MORE > Bloomington coverage

The next day, the medical examiner informed police that the victim’s death appeared to be due to a controlled substance overdose and likely occurred only a few hours before the 911 call. There were no signs of decomposition.

Detectives then learned that the victim lived at Progress Valley, a substance use treatment facility, and that the suspicious hospital call had come from a number registered to Contreras, who also lived at the facility and was on probation for a drug offense. A roommate told investigators she saw Contreras and the victim together around 1 p.m. that day, and that Contreras returned to the facility alone around 7 p.m., locked herself in the bathroom and denied they had been together when questioned.

When confronted by police two days later, Contreras reportedly acknowledged that she knew surveillance footage would reveal what happened. “There’s cameras everywhere, there’s phone everywhere, like you guys are able to figure it out,” she said, according to the complaint. She denied wrongdoing but confirmed that the woman had overdosed and that she and a man had pushed her body into the parking lot.

Contreras made an initial court appearance and was granted release without bail to a treatment facility. If convicted, she faces up to 364 days in jail.

> See more of our latest coverage