The hunt is on for a hooded lurker in the slaughter of a promising young lawyer found stabbed to death in a Washington, D.C., hotel.

The mystery figure was recorded in full winter gear inside the swanky Donovan Hotel where 30-year-old David Messerschmitt's lifeless body was discovered on Tuesday, police said.

Messerschmitt, an associate with the high-powered D.C. firm DLA Piper, was reported missing early that morning when he didn't return home.

His wife, Kim Vuong, told cops he'd texted at 7:34 p.m. on Monday to say he'd be home in about hour, but he never arrived, the Washington Post reported.

Messerschmitt "seemed fine" in an earlier phone call and usually beat her home from work, she told investigators.

Police are focusing on a "person of interest" filmed pacing across the hotel lobby and jogging up a stairwell shortly after Messerschmitt contacted his wife.

It wasn't clear if the person, cloaked in the hood of a winter coat, was a man or woman.

A 'person of interest' was recorded jogging up the stairwell of a Washington, D.C., hotel about the time a young lawyer was murdered, police say.

Messerschmitt was a rising talent in the legal world. The Cincinnati native and Ohio State grad landed a job in the D.C. offices of the international firm following an internship with a federal judge.

"He was an exceptional intern," U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott told the Washington Post. "He was particularly bright, one of the best I ever had. He had very good analytical skills and a wonderful demeanor. He was kind and quiet and had a good sense of humor."

Police haven't said what Messerschmitt was doing at the hotel. They're offering a $25,000 reward for information in the case.