PORTLAND, Maine — Police searched a Portland apartment Monday as they continue to piece together the days and weeks leading up to the death of a Westbrook woman whose body was found Thursday in a truck outside a Motel 6 in the city.
Lt. Scott Pelletier of the Portland Police Department told reporters Tuesday it is believed Margarita “Rita” Fisenko Scott, 29, frequented or stayed at the apartment during the month of December.
“At this point no one has been ruled out of the investigation,” said Pelletier. “We continue to establish a timeline of the victim’s movements, where she may have been employed, locations where she may have been staying, as well as identifying other people who may have been spending time with her.”
Police are not yet releasing how she died, but after an autopsy Friday the state medical examiner ruled Scott’s death a homicide.
The apartment at 266 West Concord St. came to police attention after an anonymous tip. Pelletier said the tenants at the time that Scott may have been staying at the apartment no longer live there but have been found and are cooperating with police.
“We are establishing whether they were just mutual friends or what their relationship is, we’re not exactly sure right now,” Pelletier said. “I believe they knew each other, but the extent of that, I’m not really sure.”
Scott’s body was found at 3:37 p.m. Thursday in the back seat of a red 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer registered to her husband. It reportedly was her husband and a friend who found the body Thursday and immediately called police.
Pelletier said Tuesday that Scott’s husband and family have been working with police.
“Our investigation has not revealed any history of domestic violence between the two,” he said. “Mr Scott has been extremely cooperative as has the family.”
Little is publicly known about Scott’s whereabouts before her body was found. Pelletier said she had not been living with her husband and her family had not had contact with her since before Christmas. He said the husband and her family had been in contact with police in an attempt to locate Scott.
The truck may have been parked by the Riverside Street motel for some time before Scott’s body was found.
“We don’t believe the vehicle was parked there on the 17th, when it was discovered,” Pelletier said. “We’re not sure.”
Pelletier said Tuesday that police were not aware if Scott had any criminal record or history of drug use.
“That’s something that we would continue to look at, obviously the victimology would be extremely important to see what type of people she would be hanging around with,” he said.