MYRTLE BEACH (WBTW) – An arrest has been made in the beating death of an 82-year-old woman at a Myrtle Beach motel Sunday morning.

Myrtle Beach Police say Rickey Waddell Wilson, 68, killed 82-year-old Virginia Eakers inside an oceanfront motel. Lt. Joey Crosby says the investigation lead officers to charge Wilson with murder after finding Eakers’ body in a room at Rodeway Inn & Suites Sunday morning. Lt. Crosby said Eakers was pronounced dead at the scene.

Documents regarding the investigation of the murder state that Wilson was with Eakers when she checked in to the motel two days prior to her body being discovered and was the only person to visit the victim during her stay at the motel. The documents note that Wilson lied to investigators about being in the motel room, and officers were able to disprove Wilson’s account of the story through surveillance video and witness statements.

Rodeway Inn & Suites staff members say the woman checked in on Friday alone, and she was supposed to check out the next day, but she didn’t. Instead, they say a man came in with her the second time and said they would like to extend the stay until Sunday.

“They both came back down together, and that’s the first time I’d seen him. She came in, she signed saying they were going to stay over. They both walked out the door and walked to the room, and that was it,” said the employee.

When Eakers didn’t come down at checkout time, hotel employees say they went to her room.

“The water was running, so she was going to yell in there, you know, ‘checkout time was 11, we’ll give you a few more minutes to get ready and check out’, and that’s when they noticed clothes in the tub. Thinking, you know, clothes in the tub, and that’s when they turned the corner, and that’s where they found her,” said the employee.

Police also note that while interviewing Wilson, officers noticed physical evidence that is believed to be linked back to the crime scene. The evidence was seized and tested positive for blood, court documents state. Police also say a personal item that Wilson had in his possession prior to entering Eakers’ room was left behind after the victim was murdered.

Staff members say they didn’t know how the two were related, but that they did seem to know one another.

Now, as police investigate the case as a homicide, employees say they’re trying to get back to normal.

“It’s hard. It’s traumatizing. That happened where they work, especially the head housekeeper and then the housekeeper that cleans this floor, you know, it’s hard,” said the employee.

Deputy Coroner Michelle McSpadden said Eakers died of traumatic injuries, according to an autopsy report. McSpadden said Eakers did not have a permanent address, but it appeared she lived in Myrtle Beach for the past several years.

Wilson is charged with murder and is currently booked into the Myrtle Beach Jail.–The Associated Press contributed to this article