A tragic love triangle led to the murder of Aileen Seiden, a South Florida woman. In 2018, her remains were discovered 400 miles from her home, just six miles from a motel room that was the focus of a police investigation. Authorities quickly linked the two cases, prompting a deeper inquiry into Seiden’s suspected murder.
Seiden had been staying at the motel with her two partners, Zachary Abell and Christina Araujo. In a concerning prelude to her death, she reached out to a close friend, revealing her fears of imminent danger. Her untimely death is now the subject of a CBS special titled “Who Killed Aileen Seiden in Room 15?”
Justice takes shape as Zachary Abell is convicted, while Christina Araujo accepts a plea deal
What transpired leading up to Aileen Seiden’s demise?
A close friend, known as “Allie,” revealed to CBS that Seiden entered into a relationship with Abell and Araujo in 2017, forming a “throuple.” However, the relationship had its dark moments. Allie recounted how Seiden often called her to report instances of physical abuse by Abell. “Aileen would call me and say, ‘You have to come over here, like, he hurt me again,’” Allie recounted.
As time passed, the relationship became increasingly unbalanced, creating jealousy and leaving one partner feeling isolated. “At that point, it just started to spiral out of control,” Allie explained.
Both Seiden and Allie reportedly felt hesitant to involve law enforcement due to threats made by Araujo, whose father allegedly held a prominent position in the Florida police force. Allie stated, “She came from police royalty… she had gotten away with everything in the past. And there was going to be no solutions to someone like Aileen getting hit.”
The tumultuous situation escalated during a road trip to Franklin County, where the trio stayed in a small motel. It was here that Seiden reached out to Allie for the final time, expressing a desperate need to escape. Together, they devised a plan to remove Seiden from the influence of Araujo and Abell, but tragically, Seiden was found dead shortly thereafter.
Law enforcement was alerted to a gruesome crime scene in room 15 of the motel, and just six miles away, a woman’s remains were discovered on an abandoned cul-de-sac. Detectives quickly connected the two incidents, launching a formal investigation into Seiden’s murder.
“I just put two and two together,” lead investigator Ronnie Jones remarked. “It wasn’t just somebody who cut themselves and bled a little on the bed. The amount of blood tells me that whoever was here was probably deceased.”
In light of the evidence, both Abell and Araujo faced murder charges. In 2024, a jury convicted Abell of second-degree murder, along with being an accessory after the fact and tampering with physical evidence. Meanwhile, Araujo accepted a plea deal in 2023.
