Hair-raising photos have emerged of the infamous Putnam Hotel in DeLand, Florida – where a man killed his girlfriend and their unborn child.
The photos were taken by an urban explorer known as Bullet on a Nikon D810 with a 14-22mm lens.
He said: ‘People usually can’t believe places like this surround them, especially those that live in the same city or town.’
The Putnam Hotel in DeLand, Florida, was the site of the 1984 murder of Elmyra Winfield, 22, and her unborn child. She was pushed by Stephen Hughes, 19, off a third story fire escape
‘All the mini fridges inside had rotten food in them, but it’s been abandoned for so long that the food didn’t smell, they were practically fossilized.
‘I love exploring things others never see or even think about.’
On February 10, 1984, Stephen Hughes who was 19 at the time, pushed his 22-year-old girlfriend, Elmyra Winfield, off a third story fire escape.
A photographer who goes by the name of Bullet took photos from inside the hotel to get a glimpse inside the murder of Winfield
Hughes was charged with first-degree murder and was tried on manslaughter charges for the death of the 15-week-old fetus.
At the time of the trial, the defense argued that Hughes could not have committed premeditated murder because he was too drunk to know what he was doing, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
He was high on a cocktail, alcohol and drugs at the time of the murder.
The murder occurred on February 10, 1984. Stephen Hughes was high on a cocktail, alcohol and drugs
Back then, the hotel was described as being run-down, rife with drug dealings and prostitution.
Local residents said the building is haunted and visitors claim the building is ‘seeped in sadness’.
Unlike actual events, the local legend states that a hotel guest killed his wife and then committed suicide.
Hughes was charged with first-degree murder and was tried on manslaughter charges for the death of the 15-week-old fetus as well
People claim to have seen a shadowy figure roaming the halls or have heard walking and whistling when no one was there, according to Abandoned Florida.
The hotel replaced the Putnam Inn in 1923 after it burned down making it Florida’s first fireproof hotel, according to local historians.
The hotel originally contained 128 hotel rooms and once accommodated wealthy northerners on vacation.
It was bought by Jerry Rocco in 1974.
Over the years, he renovated it into 46 apartments which included a kitchen, living room, a separate bedroom and private bathroom, leaving 26 hotel rooms, according to Abandoned Florida.
Jerry Rocco’s wife, Jayne Rocco, received the building in 2009 after a divorce settlement and tried to update the hotel but it closed down two years later due to financial troubles.
Jayne sold the property in June 2013 for $903,000 to Soly Halabi, senior managing director at Venture Capital Properties in New York City, according to Abandoned Florida.
He planned to restore the property along with a partner but the project it never happened.
In May 2015, the property was sold to Summit Hospitality Management Group.
A year later, the property was put up for sale again and the hotel now remains in shambles where it is said a lot of homeless take residence.
The historic hotel building is considered a key part of the West Volusia tourism and business development by locals.
Bullet said: ‘I wanted to show people the decay of a historic building that is now abandoned and overrun with homeless people.’
‘The floor that looks gutted like it’s under construction is the floor said to be most haunted and guests weren’t allowed on that floor.
‘The historic building has been altered and damaged by previous owners.’
The defense stated that Hughes could not have committed premeditated murder because he was too drunk to know what he was doing
At the time of the murder, the hotel was described as being run-down, rife with drug dealings and prostitution
Local residents said the building is haunted and visitors claim the building is ‘seeped in sadness’
Unlike the true story, lore states that a guest hotel killed is wife and then himself. People claim to see a shadowy figure roaming the halls
The Putnam Hotel was originally built in 1923 after the Putnam Inn burnt down in 1921. The hotel became Florida’s first fireproof hotel
The hotel originally contained 128 hotel rooms and once accommodated wealthy northerners on vacation
The hotel was bought by Jerry Rocco in 1974 and over the years, renovated it into 46 apartments
The apartments included a kitchen, living room, a separate bedroom and private bathroom, leaving 26 apartment hotel rooms
Jerry Rocco’s wife, Jayne Rocco, received the building in 2009 after a divorce settlement. She tried to update it but it closed two years later
Jayne sold the property in 2013 to Soly Halabi. He planned to restore the property along with a partner but the project it never happened.
Bullet said: ‘I wanted to show people the decay of a historic building that is now abandoned and overrun with homeless people’
In May 2015, the property was sold to Summit Hospitality Management Group. A year later, the property was put up for sale again
The photos were taken on a Nikon D810 with a 14-22mm lens. Bullet wanted to bring awareness to place like this as residents may sometime be unaware of what surrounds them
Bullet said: ‘People usually can’t believe places like this surround them, especially those that live in the same city or town.’
The once pristine hotel is now in shambles and overrun with homeless. It is now up for sale to developers
Bullet said: ‘The floor that looks gutted like it’s under construction is the floor said to be most haunted and guests weren’t allowed on that floor’
Bullet said: ‘All the mini fridges inside had rotten food in them, but it’s been abandoned for so long that the food didn’t smell, they were practically fossilized’
The historic building has been altered and damaged by previous owners and needs numerous improvements
The hotel has become known as a key part of the West Volusia tourism and business development in Florida
The eerie images show another side to the once pristine hotel. It now represents the scene where a young woman was murdered
Bullet said that he loves looking at obscure places. He said: ‘I love exploring things others never see or even think about’