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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 Virginia Vinton, 57, committed suicide in the airport. Her body was found with an electrical cord wrapped around her neck, the Daily Mailwhich had received an incident report. Initial reports had indicated that Vinton died because she had become “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.

Chicago O'Hare International Airport is the fifth busiest in the country.

Reuters

Vinton's body was found on August 8 by a porter as he was beginning his shift. 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 20s. The family reportedly lived in Africa for 12 years, translating Bibles into local languages.

The newspaper reported that Wycliffe's website said the family enjoyed visiting friends in the Midwest during the summer, which was a possible reason why she was in Chicago in August.

Vinton's family has not spoken publicly about 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.