Residents of Hope’s Thunderbird Hotel are feeling the stress after a wild made-in-Hollywood manhunt crashed into their lives this week.
Fugitive Ryan Jenkins, a reality TV contestant wanted for the murder and mutilation of his bikini model wife, was found hanging from a coat rack in a hotel room in the sleepy community.
The discovery brought with it a swarm of frenzied local media who have been covering the bizarre tabloid celebrity story.
“I was shocked. You look at it from the perspective of little Hope being hit with a big city crime,” said motel manager Kevin Walker, who
admitted to being worn out by the coverage. “I understand [media] have a job to do but it’s crazy for us. I’ll be glad when this is over.”
Walker was the first person to find Jenkins’ body when he decided to check in on the tenant.
“To find a man hanging there three feet in front of you...” Walker attempted to put into words. “It’s a tragedy. He was still a man, he didn’t look like the guy in the papers when he walked by. And the media is glorifying this tragedy.”
Other residents called the whole story “unsettling.”
“People live here and it’s like a family,” said one woman who did not want to be identified. “The worst part is that he murdered somebody. But unfortunately he chose to do his dirty deed here.”
The BC Coroners Service confirmed yesterday Jenkins died by hanging.
