A 66-year-old American Airlines flight attendant was found dead in her hotel room at the Philadelphia Airport Marriott hotel on Monday with a cloth reportedly stuffed in her mouth.
The veteran flight attendant had been staying at the hotel for a short one-night layover during a work trip, but hotel housekeeping discovered the victim two days after she was meant to have checked out.
Police are treating the victim’s death as suspicious, although sources say there were no signs of a forced entry, and the room did not appear to be disturbed. No weapons were recovered either, and there were no signs of a struggle.
Investigators did, however, retrieve ‘numerous’ medication bottles from the room.
The victim was taken to the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy, although the cause of death is yet to be revealed.
Housekeeping staff are said to have entered the room at around 10:45 pm on Monday evening, where they discovered the woman’s lifeless body. It’s not known why hotel staffers didn’t enter the room sooner after the woman failed to check out.
Police are yet to reveal the victim’s identity, although she is believed to have resided in Las Vegas.
In an internal memo, American Airlines said the Los Angeles-based flight attendant “passed away suddenly” while on a layover in Philadelphia. She had worked for the airline for 25 years.
“The well-being of our team members is our top priority, and we will ensure that all those affected by this tragic loss have the support they need,” the memo said.
