New twist in the death of a woman on the baggage carousel at Chicago O'Hare Airport

A police report has shed light on the death of a missionary whose body was found on the baggage carousel at Chicago O'Hare International Airport last week.

Authorities determined that 57-year-old Virginia Vinton committed suicide in the airport. Her body was found with an electrical cord wrapped around her neck, the Daily Mailwhich received an incident report. Initial reports had indicated that Vinton died after becoming “caught” in one of the facility's baggage conveyors.

Although Vinton's cause of death has been confirmed by authorities, questions remain about the circumstances of her death. It's still unclear why the North Carolina native was in the Windy City or why she allegedly took her own life in a busy airport to which she apparently had no connection.

Reuters

Vinton's body was found by a porter who began his shift on August 8. Email This worker told police he started the carousel as usual when he spotted Vinton, who he initially thought was just watching him work. When she didn't look away, he reportedly got an “eerie feeling” and realized she was dead.

According to police, Vinton was caught on airport security cameras leaving her seat and entering a restricted area at 2:27 a.m. Thursday. She was found by the employee about five hours later.

The Email reported that Vinton worked for Wycliffe Ministries in North Carolina. She had a husband who was reportedly two years older than her and two daughters in their early twenties. The family reportedly lived in Africa for 12 years, where they translated the Bible into local languages.

The newspaper reported that Wycliffe's website stated that the family enjoyed visiting friends in the Midwest during the summer, which could explain their presence in Chicago in August.

Vinton's family has not commented publicly on her death.

If you or a loved one is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting “TALK” to 741741.