A Southwest Airlines flight attendant died by suicide after falling from a four-star Hawaii hotel, where her body was found near a dumpster. Her family initially suspected foul play.
Jenny Lupton, 50, died from multiple injuries after falling from the 24th floor of the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki Beach, roughly 10 miles from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Lupton, who was from Oklahoma and had a 15-year-old son, was staying at the hotel during a layover while working for the Texas-based airline.
She was found dead outside the hotel in the early morning hours of Aug. 20. Investigators initially told her family that she had fallen from the balcony of her room.
Lupton had planned to spend several days in the resort destination before returning home, her family told People.
Her relatives questioned the circumstances of her death and pushed for an investigation, saying they did not believe she intended to take her own life.
The Honolulu Police Department opened an investigation into Lupton’s death on Aug. 24, the same day her family requested that authorities examine the case.
“This is a thorough investigation that will take time,” the department said at the time.
“Detectives are conducting numerous interviews, reviewing and recovering surveillance video, and examining evidence as part of the investigative process.”
Police said the investigation into Lupton’s death remains open despite the medical examiner’s ruling.
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“We strongly believe that she didn’t do this intentionally, and so that leads us to think it was either some kind of freak accident or someone harmed her,” her grieving sister, Tresa Lupton, told KFOR in August.
“We just want to know what happened. It doesn’t feel real.”
Tresa Lupton said her sister appeared to be enjoying the layover and kept her family informed about her trip through text messages.
“She just went out with one of her flight attendant friends, and they danced and had a good time,” she said.
“She had just gotten a tattoo hours before this happened, and she messaged me. She said that when she gets back, she’s going to have it colored in because it was just the outline.”
Lupton had worked as a flight attendant for nearly 30 years, spending most of her career with Southwest.
Her niece, Hannah Lupton, said she followed her aunt into the flight attendant profession.
“She was truly the best aunt anyone could have asked for,” Hannah Lupton wrote in an August social media post. “She was the light of every party, the person who could make a room brighter simply by being in it. She had a personality that was impossible to forget, and if you knew her, you probably have a funny story about her.”
After Lupton’s death, Southwest Airlines said it had “offered our condolences and support to the employee’s family and coworkers” and was “engaged with local authorities as they investigate.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.