By Jeff Bahr
BELLEVILLE –
Pawan Kumar, 26, of Wilmington, Del., was found dead in a motel room at the Belleville Motor Lodge on Tuesday, June 19, according to Essex County Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Katherine Carter.
Thus ended the short search for the man sought in connection with the apparent slaying of Danielle Mehlman, 26, of Bensalem, Pa., whose lifeless body was found in a Dewey Beach, Del., motel on Monday, June 18.
Kumar was pronounced dead at the Belleville Motor Lodge at 1:30 p.m. said Carter. His death, pending confi rmation by an autopsy, came as a result of an apparent suicide by drug overdose, she said.
Kumar’s death occurred on the very day that warrants were issued for his arrest.
Dubbed a “person of interest” by Delaware police, Kumar was being sought on charges of first-degree murder and possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, according to Delaware State Police spokesman Cpl. Gary Fournier. Surveillance photos showing Kumar shopping in a convenience store near the crime scene were released on Monday.
Mehlman, the mother of a four-year-old son, apparently met Kumar on an online dating site within the last few weeks, according to Mehlman’s family members. From there, things become more muddled.
Mehlman was last heard from when she text-messaged a friend at 5:30 a.m. on Monday. Five hours later her body, with apparent stab wounds, was discovered by a cleaning woman in a ground-fl oor room at the Atlantic Oceanside Motel in Dewey Beach – a popular seaside destination.
The first inkling that something was amiss came when Mehlman failed to pick up her son on Monday afternoon from the boy’s father, Jamie Russen. The youngster was spending time with his dad in New Jersey in celebration of Father’s Day.
Mehlman’s family was aware that she was spending the weekend in Dewey Beach, but knew nothing of Kumar. The tragic event registers as the first homicide in Dewey Beach since the town was incorporated in 1981.
“We are deeply saddened by the first murder ever in the history of Dewey Beach,” said Dewey Beach Mayor Diane Hanson in a press release.
“Dewey Beach has always been a place to come and play safely. Public safety is our top priority and we plan to keep it that way,” she added.
When contacted by The Observer, a representative of the Belleville Motor Lodge declined to comment.
