A man has been brutally murdered in the small town of Saranac Lake in upstate New York. The attack took place between the hours of Monday sunset and Tuesday sunrise. The identity of body has yet to be confirmed, but it is believed to be that of Richard Barton, an Englishman on vacation in New York.
A police spokesman gave these brief details of the murder:
"The body of a caucasian male, roughly 30 years old, approximately 6'8" tall and weighing 210 pounds, was found with severe lacerations all over his body, with several body parts amputated. The cause of death has been determined as loss of blood. We are treating the death as suspicious."
The attack took place at Prescott House, a former psychiatric hospital only recently converted into a hotel. The hotel has 24 rooms, but only one—that of Mr. Barton—was occupied on the night of the murder.
Details of what Mr. Barton was doing in Saranac Lake remain sparse. A journal found in Mr. Barton's room has revealed vague details of a road trip around New England and upstate New York, but gave no indication of the purpose of the visit, nor indeed any motive for visiting the sleepy town of Saranac Lake off-season.
So far there have been no arrests related to the murder. However, police would like to speak with a person spotted in the Prescott House car park sitting in a light-coloured sedan with the engine running early Tuesday morning.