Chelsea Adolphus Obituary, Death – New details have been released regarding the death of 28-year-old Chelsea Adolphus, who tragically died after being found on the roof of Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan, Illinois. The incident occurred on Thursday, with Adolphus passing away hours after being discovered on the second-floor roof of the hospital. The Lake County Coroner’s Office, led by Jennifer Banek, provided further information about the case on Monday.
According to the coroner’s report, hospital personnel discovered Adolphus on the roof in the early hours of Thursday morning, though she had been missing from her room for several hours prior. Surveillance video from the hospital shows that Adolphus left her room around 2 a.m. on Thursday. She was found seven hours later, at around 9 a.m., on the hospital’s roof. She was reportedly only wearing a hospital gown at the time of her discovery.
Upon being found, Adolphus’s body temperature was recorded at approximately 50 degrees Fahrenheit, a dangerously low temperature indicative of hypothermia, which ultimately contributed to her death. Despite the hospital staff’s efforts to revive her, including 14 hours of resuscitation attempts, she was pronounced dead later that evening around 11 p.m.
The details surrounding her death raised concerns, particularly regarding the hospital’s capacity to provide appropriate care to its patients. Coroner Banek expressed significant concerns about the hospital’s operational practices, pointing out that Vista Medical Center East had lost its trauma designation the previous year. She further criticized the hospital for its financial difficulties, noting its failure to meet obligations with vendors, clinical providers, and the City of Waukegan, including unpaid water bills and a large sum owed in back taxes, totaling $1 million.
In her statement, Banek called for accountability from the healthcare system, stressing that the local community, as well as surrounding areas, deserved safe and quality healthcare services. The cause of death was officially attributed to hypothermia from cold exposure, based on preliminary autopsy results from the coroner’s office.
ABC7 reached out to the hospital for comment, but at the time of reporting, the hospital had not responded to the inquiry. This case is under investigation, and further details may emerge as the investigation continues.