The lifeless body of a woman was found at Chicago’s O’Hare’s Terminal 5 yesterday. During the morning hours, she was discovered to be entangled in machinery related to baggage movement, in a non-public baggage-processing area of the airport.
The tragic discovery
According to Chicago Fire Department Larry Langford, firefighters were called to the airport at roughly 7:45 a.m. on August 8th due to a report of a person “pinned in machinery” that moves baggage. He said they discovered the woman entangled in a conveyor belt system in a baggage room.
Her identity
Police confirmed the woman was found unresponsive at the terminal and was pronounced dead at the scene. They originally said the victim was 57 years old but had not given any other identifying information. Earlier today, she was identified as Virginia Christine Vinton of Waxhaw, North Carolina, according to a spokesperson for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. Records show that Vinton had previously lived in Chicago, as well as Missouri.
It’s unclear at this time why she was at the airport.
Terminal 5 serves Delta, Frontier, Sun Country and international flights for American and United, as well as roughly 30 international carriers. It was initially unknown if Vinton was a passenger or an employee working at the airport. However, Delta Air Lines confirmed that she was not an employee of the airline. Furthermore, the Occupational Health & Safety Administration, which confirmed that it was not involved in the death investigation, confirmed that Vinton was not an employee of an airline or the airport.
How did she get in there?
Langford said the baggage room wasn’t publicly accessible and other authorities said the area where the incident happened is restricted to employee access. However, while considered secure, it’s also not considered to be a high-security area. The space is filled with conveyor belts that bring luggage to and from airplanes in the international terminal, which also go through customs inspection. So far investigators haven’t discovered how Vinton found her way into the restricted area.
According to Chicago police, detectives have opened an investigation.
From the AP:
The police communications office initially said the woman was discovered at 2:27 a.m., creating confusion about why firefighters and paramedics didn’t arrive for more than five hours. After checking with the police department about the timing, Langford said that he was told surveillance footage shows the woman walking in the baggage room at 2:27 a.m.
The communications office issued a second statement Thursday afternoon saying that surveillance video shows the woman entering the room at 2:27 a.m. She was actually discovered at 7:30 a.m., prompting a 911 call.
Chicago PD representative Nathaniel Blackman told the AP that no one was watching the surveillance camera in real-time. It wasn’t until Vinton’s body was discovered at roughly 7:30 am that 911 was called.
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