Woman dies after being found on roof of Waukegan hospital, officials say; family pleads for answers

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Saturday, January 25, 2025
Woman dies after being found on roof of north suburban hospital
A woman, 28-year-old Chelsea Adolphus, died after being found Thursday on the roof of Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan, officials said.

WAUKEGAN (WLS) -- A woman died hours after being found unresponsive on the roof of a hospital Thursday in the north suburbs.

A death investigation is now underway at the Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan.

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The Lake County, Illinois Coroner's Office said the woman was admitted to the hospital earlier this week before ending up on the roof.

The woman's family is now seeking answers, speaking with ABC7 Friday.

"She was sweeter. She was friendly," the woman's mother, Yolanda Adolphus, said. "You could ask her anything. She was a kind person."

Adolphus described her only daughter, 28-year-old Chelsea Adolphus, as a sweet girl who would do anything for someone in need.

Hospital personnel found Chelsea Adolphus on the roof of the Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan Thursday morning. She was unresponsive and moved to the emergency room where she was pronounced dead, some 14 hours later.

"I'm hurt. I'm sad," Yolanda Adolphus said. "I want answers. Answers to know what happened to my daughter."

Chelsea Adolphus' family said she was admitted to the hospital and was staying in a room. It is unclear to them how she managed to get on the roof and how long she was there in frigid temperatures.

Her loved ones gathered at the family's home Friday, just a few miles from the hospital, offering support to each other.

"Somebody need to give me what happened to my baby Chelsea," Yolanda Adolphus said. "It's sad, and I will never get back my daughter."

ABC7 got no response to a request for comment from the hospital Friday. Meanwhile, police and the coroner are conducting investigations and are planning a news conference early next week.

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