A 57-year-old woman was found dead in the baggage claim area of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, and the cause of death was determined to be suicide.
The woman was identified as Virginia Christine Vinton of Waxhaw, North Carolina. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that the cause of her death was asphyxiation by hanging.
According to investigators, Virginia entered Terminal 5’s restricted area around 2:30 a.m. on Thursday. However, surveillance footage only shows her entering the employee-only zone. It did not describe the circumstances surrounding her death, such as what happened or how it occurred.
Virginia’s body was discovered several hours later, around 7:45 a.m., after firemen responded to a 911 call.
The Chicago Fire Department officials also reported that the woman found dead at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport was “pinned” and trapped in the conveyor belt gear used for baggage processing. The section where she was discovered is not open to the public and is largely used for transporting luggage to and from airplanes at the international terminal.
A police source told the Chicago Sun-Times,
“She was trying to gain access at multiple points. They are not sure what her motive was. She was trying to get to the secure side of the airport.”
Authorities have established that Virginia was not an airport employee, and they are still investigating the circumstances of her death. Nonetheless, Chicago police have yet to reveal details on the deceased’s movements between her initial entry at 2:30 a.m. and the discovery of her death at 7:45 a.m.
Meanwhile, if you or someone close to you is facing a mental health crisis or appears to be considering suicide, please contact or text 988 for immediate help.