The woman was reportedly seen trying to enter restricted areas of the airport ahead of the incident
Authorities are saying that the woman found dead inside the baggage claim of a North Carolina airport is being considered a suicide.
Virginia Christine Vinton, 57, was found "pinned" inside the baggage conveyor belt machinery at O'Hare International Airport on Thursday.
The medical examiner’s office has determined the cause of death to be asphyxiation from being hanged — declaring it a suicide, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
WOMAN DIES AT CHICAGO'S O'HARE AIRPORT AFTER GETTING CAUGHT IN BAGGAGE CAROUSEL IN RESTRICTED AREA
Firefighters found a dead woman entangled in machinery on Thursday in a non-public baggage-processing area at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. (FOX 32 Chicago)
Vinton reportedly entered the restricted area just before 2:30 a.m. and was wearing flip-flops.
She was found entangled in the conveyor belt system used to move baggage, according to the fire department.
Security footage only captured her walking into the area but did not show how she died, according to The Associated Press.
"She was trying to gain access at multiple points," a source told the Chicago Sun-Times. "They are not sure what her motive was. She was trying to get to the secure side of the airport."
Travelers wait to go through a security check point at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
Vinton was pronounced dead on the scene and an investigation was launched into the circumstances of her death — authorities are now saying
The investigation into the woman's death is still ongoing.
Timothy Nerozzi is a writer for Fox News Digital. You can follow him on Twitter @timothynerozzi and can email him at
