The Chicago Fire Department was called to O'Hare around 7:45 a.m. Thursday for reports of a woman "pinned in machinery" at the Terminal 5 baggage area. Chopper 7 was over the scene around 9 a.m.
The woman was entangled in the conveyer belt system used to move baggage, CFD said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The woman has been identified as 57-year-old Virginia Christine Vinton of Waxhaw, North Carolina, a spokesperson for the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said Friday.
The Cook Count Medical Examiner said Friday afternoon that the death has been classified as a suicide. The manner of death was hanging and asphyxiation.
Chicago police said Vinton, who did not work at the airport, was seen on video going into a restricted area that was unoccupied around 2:30 a.m. Her body was found hours later.
Police confirmed Vinton was apparently at the airport overnight, but it remains a mystery why she snuck into the employees-only area.
Authorities said the area where the incident happened is restricted to employee access, and while considered secure, it is not considered a high security area. It is filled with conveyor belts bringing luggage to and from airplanes in the international terminal, which also go through customs inspection.
Police have not said whether they have been able to track Vinton's activities between 2:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.
Vinton's death is still being investigated.
If you or a loved one is struggling with a mental health crisis or considering suicide, call or text 988.
Further information was not immediately available.