
(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) A woman staying at the Courtyard Marriott in Merrifield was sexually assaulted yesterday (Thursday), Fairfax County police say.
Officers were called to the hotel at 2722 Gallows Road at 1:30 p.m. for the assault, which had just occurred, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
“The victim, an adult woman, reported a man she just met sexually assaulted her in a hotel room,” the FCPD said. “Detectives from our Major Crimes Bureau responded to the scene to assume the investigation.”
Police are seeking the public’s assistance to identify a man who they believe to be the suspect, releasing a surveillance video today (Friday) captured by a camera behind the hotel’s front desk. The video shows a man entering the lobby just before 2 p.m. and exiting around 2:25 p.m.

According to police, time stamps on surveillance videos aren’t always accurate, since they might not be synced to the internet. The difference between the time on the footage and when police responded to the scene will be reviewed as part of the investigation.
“We cannot speak to the accuracy or differential of the time stamps on the surveillance system the video came from at this time,” the FCPD public affairs bureau said. “Detectives continue to investigate.”
The FCPD asks anyone with information to Major Crimes Bureau detectives at 703-246-7800, option 3. Community members can also submit a tip anonymously to Crime Solvers by phone (1-866-411-TIPS) or online.
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