Death of Orlando woman, 27, a homicide, police say

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando police passed out fliers Tuesday in hopes of finding clues in the death of a woman in her downtown apartment.

Sasha Samsudean, 27, was found dead over the weekend at Uptown Place on North Orange Avenue, according to police.

"Her friends Saturday afternoon got concerned because they didn't hear from her and they called the police to check the well-being. She was discovered late Saturday evening," Sgt. Wanda Ford, of the Orlando Police Department, said.

Samsudean lived on the third floor of the apartment complex.

Police said there was no sign of forced entry into her apartment. A neighbor told Channel 9's Steve Barrett that Samsudean had a number keypad lock on her door.

Police said they are treating her case as a homicide.

"Are you surprised at what you're hearing here?"  Barrett asked Greg Fortunat, who lives in the complex.

"Very much so. I've never had any issues," Fortunat said.

Police said Samsudean arrived home safely Friday night. A detective said investigators are focusing on a time between 10 p.m. Friday and early Saturday morning.

One resident said she heard a lot of activity on her floor.

"I heard some weird noises on the third floor the night it happened. Cooper, my dog, was barking. I'm not sure what happened, but I'm a little afraid now," she said.
Samsudean worked in Internet marketing, and YouTube videos show her pitching nearby apartments.

The fliers police passed out included a surveillance image of Samsudean in her apartment building around 1:45 a.m. Saturday.

"We know that she was there at 1:45 a.m. and she made it into her apartment, so we want anyone that saw anything suspicious, if they saw her wandering or outside to please call us," Ford said.

Police have not said how Samsudean died.

Family members said a funeral service is planned for Wednesday.

WFTV