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O'Hare death: Medical examiner identifies woman found trapped in private baggage area

O'Hare travelers collect their luggage at baggage claim
Travelers collect their luggage at baggage claim after arriving at O'Hare International Airport
Scott Olson/Getty Images

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - The medical examiner has identified the woman who was found dead Thursday inside O'Hare Airport's Terminal 5 baggage claim area.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the victim as 57-year-old Virgnia Christine Vinton of Waxhaw, North Carolina.


According to Chicago Police, Vinton was discovered around 7:30 a.m. unresponsive in a private baggage area that's designated for airport employees. Chicago Fire crews were called to the scene. CFD spokesman Larry Langford said she was entangled in a conveyor belt.

Vinton was pronounced dead at the scene.

It remains unclear how she became trapped and how she gained access to the room in the first place.

Police said video footage showed Vinton entered the baggage handling room at 2:30 a.m., roughly five hours before she was found.

Scott Allen, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Labor, said an official with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration visited the scene and learned the woman was not an airport employee.

CPD detectives continue to investigate the incident. An autopsy will be conducted as well.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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