2 women were found dead in the same motel room just days apart — and the owners are to blame: Lawsuit

Two radical died successful the aforesaid bluish California motel country conscionable 5 days isolated — and the begetter of 1 of the victims says the motel's owners are to blame.

On Feb. 21, a pistillate was recovered dormant successful a country astatine the Lamplighter Inn successful Eureka, California, a tiny larboard metropolis astir 100 miles southbound of the Oregon border. As reported by section ABC affiliate KRCR, which besides obtained the complaint, constabulary officers and firefighters responded to a telephone astir 2 unconscious radical recovered successful the motel astatine astir 2 p.m. One of those people, a 37-year-old woman, was pronounced dormant astatine the scene, and the different was taken to a hospital.

Authorities primitively suspected a cause overdose. However, 5 days aboriginal — astir noon connected Feb. 26 — different study of 2 unconscious radical successful the aforesaid Lamplighter Inn motel country came in, and again, 1 pistillate was pronounced dead. The different impermanent was rushed to the infirmary successful captious condition. Although authorities again initially suspected that an overdose was the cause, Humboldt Bay firefighters reportedly showed signs of vulnerability to c monoxide and tested the aerial successful the room.

They seemingly discovered elevated c monoxide levels — and recovered nary c monoxide detectors successful the room. The metropolis unopen down the edifice immediately.

Now, the begetter of 1 of the women, Samantha Hanna — the pistillate who was recovered connected Feb. 26 — has filed a suit against Harjinder K. Heer and Surinder S. Heer, accusing them of failing to marque the motel country safe, contempt having ample announcement of the danger.

"Prior to [Samantha's] death, Defendants were connected existent and/or constructive announcement that the Lamplighter Motel presented a lethal c monoxide hazard to guests," the ailment alleges, noting that a "strikingly akin incidental occurred astatine the aforesaid motel and successful the aforesaid room" conscionable 5 days earlier.

"Rather than instantly shutting down operations, conducting a competent inspection, identifying and eliminating the root of c monoxide, installing and confirming the beingness of required detectors, and ensuring the country was harmless for quality occupancy, Defendants failed to adequately remedy the information and continued to exposure unsuspecting guests to a known deadly danger," the ailment says. "Defendants' behaviour was despicable and carried retired with a conscious disregard for the rights and information of motel guests, including [Samantha]."

The lawsuit, filed by Samantha Hanna's begetter Samuel Hanna, notes that successful July 2025, the Lamplighter was cited for information violations during its yearly occurrence inspection and alleges that the information worsened considerably by February 2026. At that point, according to the complaint, "the information had go truthful terrible that adjacent responding occurrence unit experienced symptoms of c monoxide vulnerability upon entering the room[.]"

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That 2025 inspection, according to Hanna's lawyers, enactment the motel connected announcement — and should person spurred its owners into action.

"[H]ad Defendants closed the motel and taken the Premises retired of work aft the February 21 incident, arsenic basal information required, Decedent's decease connected February 26, 2026 would ne'er person happened," the ailment says.

"The Lamplighter Motel was not a spot that should person remained unfastened to the public," the ailment adds.

On Friday, the Eureka Police Department told Law&Crime that determination were nary updates to the probe that it could share.

Lawyers accidental that the spot owners indispensable beryllium held accountable for their failures "so that a benignant of leak similar this doesn't hap again."

"We're going to beryllium engaged successful a find process for the adjacent respective months to larn and get arsenic overmuch accusation arsenic we can, and past we're going to proceed to a assemblage proceedings arsenic soon arsenic the tribunal gives america an disposable date," lawyer Jon Davidi told KRCR.

Samuel Hanna alleges wrongful decease and seeks an unspecified magnitude of damages, including punitive damages.

"She was my champion person and supra and beyond, she was conscionable an astonishing young woman," helium said. "It's conscionable not thing a monetary worth is going to fix; it demands justice."