Woman Found Dead In Hotel Room With Two Capuchin Monkeys and An Incoherent Man . . . Police Declare Death “Suspicious”

Police in North Port, Florida responded to the discovery of a dead body in a hotel room with two live Capuchin monkeys and an incoherent man. In an announcement that would seem the most unassailable finding in the annals of criminal justice, the police declared the death of Linda Marie Smith, 59, to be “suspicious.”

The two monkeys were in a crate in the hotel room and have been collected by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The man is said to have been incoherent and requiring medical attention. There was however no signs of trauma on Smith’s body but there was a note (the contents of which have not been released).

What is interesting is that, in Florida, you cannot simply buy Capuchin monkeys. You have to complete 1,000 hours of training and provide two letters of reference before becoming permitted to possess a Capuchin monkey. There are only 45 licensed Capuchin monkey owners in Florida.