Woman found tangled in conveyor belt at Chicago airport identified

The woman found dead in the baggage claim area at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport committed suicide, authorities said.

The body of Virginia Christine Vinton, 57, was found around 7:45 a.m. Thursday tangled in a conveyor used to move baggage at Terminal 5, ABC7 Chicago reported.

Vinton, of Waxhaw, North Carolina, about 45 minutes outside Charlotte, was identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office on Friday, the outlet said.

Vinton death was classified as a suicide by hanging and asphyxiation.

She did not work at the airport, but Chicago police said she was caught on video going into a restricted area of the terminal around 2:30 a.m. the day she died.

Her body was found just a few hours later.

It was not clear why Vinton snuck into the employee’s only zone, police added.

The conveyor belt area where she was found is secured, but is not considered high security, ABC7 reported.

The incident is still under investigation. 

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.