Police Investigate Murder at Water Mill Resort | The East Hampton Star

Oct 30, 2024

UPDATE, 11:20 a.m.: Late Tuesday morning, Suffolk County police identified the woman found dead at the Shou Sugi Ban House as Sabina Rosas, 33, of Brooklyn. The investigation is ongoing.

ORIGINALLY, 10:15 a.m.: The Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad is investigating the murder of an unidentified woman at Shou Sugi Ban House in Water Mill, after a staff member found her body in a guestroom there on Monday around 12:30 p.m.

When police arrived at the resort, which is on Route 27, officers determined that the woman was a "victim of violence." On Monday, police sent out a press release that described the death as "suspicious," while directing further inquiries to the Suffolk County Police Department public information office.

The cause of death has not yet been confirmed; police are waiting for an autopsy report from the Suffolk County medical examiner. Police request that anyone with further information call the homicide squad at 631-852-6392 or crime stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.

Shou Sugi Ban House, which describes itself as "a luxury wellness resort," has 13 guest studios along with a spa and wellness spaces. The resort noted last October that for the fourth year in a row it had been named New York's best wellness retreat in the 2023 World Spa Awards. Conde Nast Traveler included it on its 2023 list of top 20 destination spa resorts in the United States, and Travel + Leisure had the resort on its 2023 list of the 12 best retreats for couples, describing it as a "minimalist modern sanctuary."

"Expect a combination of ancient healing arts, movement classes, and local, seasonal, healthy eating and drinking," Vogue wrote in its 2024 global spa guide.

This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.