KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man from Albuquerque, New Mexico, is accused of killing a woman a hotel in Olathe in January.
Franklin Bluelake, 57, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 53-year-old Rhoda Morgan.
On Jan. 20, 2023, Olathe police found Morgan dead inside a room at a hotel located in the 20600 block of west 151st Street.
Hotel employees called police and notified them Morgan hadn't checked out of the hotel.
An investigation later found Morgan was murdered and suffered a broken neck.
According to court documents, investigators used surveillance video and interviews with Morgan's family to pin Bluelake as the suspect.
On Feb. 1, 2023, relatives of Bluelake allegedly told authorities that they had spoken with him on the phone.
Bluelake's relatives told authorities he briefly discussed the killing with them, and said he was in Texas and wouldn't be caught.
Investigators later figured out he was hiding out on tribal land in the Flagstaff, Arizona, area.
Bluelake's bond is set at $1 million.
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