A photo of a woman who died in an airport baggage carousel has been revealed as well as grim new details behind her tragic suicide death .
According to a report from the Chicago Police Department obtained by DailyMail.com , Virginia Vinton was discovered by a Delta Airlines baggage handler who was preparing to load luggage from a recently arrived flight at Carousel 11.
The report outlines the grim scene , noting that the handler "began starting up the conveyor belt by swiping his airport ID and using his fingerprint to begin operations."
As the belt activated and the small overhead door opened, the handler saw a woman standing at the entrance of the conveyor belt.
The worker, whose name has been redacted in the report, recalled thinking, "Why is there a lady in the chute looking at me, maybe observing me do my job."
He asked the woman, "Do you want me to turn off the conveyor belt?"
While placing bags on the belt, he experienced an "eerie feeling" and called out to her, "Hey, are you ok?"
As he approached he saw she was unresponsive and had an electrical cord wrapped around her neck.
The Chicago Fire Department responded to the scene and managed to cut Vinton down. They attempted life-saving measures, but "to no avail," and a doctor declared her dead at 7:55 am.
The area where her body was found, a section of the international terminal filled with conveyor belts that transport luggage to and from planes, is not accessible to the public. The bags in this area also pass through customs. Fire crews handed the scene over to police investigators. It remains unclear why she was there, as a US Department of Labor spokesman confirmed she was not an airport employee. Police have declined to comment further on the situation.
O'Hare International Airport, established in 1944 near Chicago's Rosemont area, is a hub for all major airlines, including United Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and Spirit Airlines. As of August 2024, the airport operates around 964 daily direct flights to 171 US cities and about 129 daily direct flights to 65 international destinations, according to Fly Chicago.
Travelers seeking adventure can fly to international destinations across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. A notable recent development was the January 2023 unveiling of a new extension to Terminal 5 at O'Hare International Airport, originally built in 1993. This expansion is part of the ambitious O'Hare 21 project, which began in 2019 and represents a significant $1.3 billion investment aimed at enhancing and modernizing the airport's facilities.
In a separate tragic incident last month, passengers on a Virgin Australia flight were stunned when a woman suddenly collapsed mid-flight. The distressing event took place around 9:30 am on a Monday, leading the flight crew to administer CPR as the aircraft was expedited for a priority landing at Tullamarine Airport in Victoria, Australia, by 10:15 am.
Despite the rapid response from emergency services on the tarmac, the woman did not survive. A Virgin Australia spokesperson shared the sad news with The Mirror, stating: "The passenger was taken off the aircraft but unfortunately later passed away."
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