CHICAGO (August 9, 2024) – A 57-year-old woman was found dead entangled in a baggage conveyor belt system at Terminal 5 of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport Thursday morning. Terminal 5 serves Delta Airlines as well as a number of international carriers, NBC reports.
A spokesperson for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the woman Friday morning as Virginia Christine Vinton of Waxhaw, North Carolina.
Surveillance footage shows the woman walking into the baggage room at 2:27 a.m. but a spokesperson for the Chicago Fire Department, said firefighters were not called to the airport until about 7:45 a.m. The 911 call reported a person pinned in machinery used to move baggage. Police have not said whether they have been able to track the woman’s activities between 2:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m., ABC mentioned.
When firefighters arrived, Vinton, who was not an airport employee, was found unresponsive and pronounced dead on the scene, The Guardian reported.
Police confirmed the woman was apparently at the airport overnight, but it remains a mystery why she went into the employees-only area. Authorities said the area where the incident happened is considered secure, it but is not considered a high security area.
Chicago fire officials told WGN News they believed the incident was an industrial accident.
Vinton’s death investigation is ongoing and there is no further information available at this time.
