At approximately 4:00 a.m. on January 22, Chelsea Asolphus was admitted to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan, Illinois, as a patient seeking “medical treatment and help.”
Yet, the 28-year-old was later discovered unresponsive on the roof of the hospital and pronounced dead 14 hours later.
The exact reason why Chelsea was admitted to the hospital has not been shared with the public due to the ongoing investigation.
But according to Jennifer Banek, the Lake County coroner, Chelsea left her hospital room at about 2:00 a.m. on January 24.
She was gone for nearly seven hours before she was located on the roof of the hospital at 8:45 a.m., wearing just a hospital gown. Hospital staff proceeded to try to resuscitate Chelsea for 14 hours.
When she was first brought from the roof to the emergency department, the 28-year-old’s body temperature was just 50°F.
The resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful, and at 11:03 p.m., Chelsea was pronounced dead. Preliminary autopsy findings suggest she died of hypothermia, but a final confirmation is pending toxicology results.
During a press conference, Jennifer Banek stated it’s believed that Chelsea got onto the roof via a door that “did not have alarms.” Additionally, the door locked from the outside, so Chelsea was unable to “return back inside.”
The coroner, who’d previously worked as an anesthesiologist at Vista Medical Center East, recalled her past concerns about insufficient safety and care measures at the hospital, which she’d spoken out about.
“The Illinois Department of Public Health confirmed those concerns by revoking Vista’s level 2 trauma designation for five weeks for not having appropriate blood supply and clinical staff available for patients,” she explained.
More recently, 69 hospital employees were also furloughed. These employees included “sitters,” who are tasked with sitting, watching, and monitoring “to ensure patients are safe when they are most vulnerable.”
“I had warned during a February 2024 press conference that lives were at stake. American Healthcare Systems [Vista’s owner] must be held accountable to provide safe, quality care to Waukegan and its surrounding communities,” Banek said.
A spokesperson for the hospital has confirmed the launch of an internal investigation. The hospital also issued a statement, saying, “Our sincere condolences go out to the family during this default time. During an ongoing investigation and in accordance with HIPAA regulations, the hospital will not disclose any patient’s specific health information.”
Kevin M. Spiegel, the CEO of Vista Health System, has pushed back against Banek’s assertions, stating her “disappointing” press conference comments were “inaccurate.” He’s reportedly filed for an “emergency injunction to have her removed from this investigation.”
As for Chelsea’s loved ones, her brother, Paul Adolphus, claimed they want answers.
“We want to know exactly what happened from when my sister stepped foot in that facility. The family needs answers, and we need answers immediately,” he noted.
Chelsea’s family has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the hospital, citing premise liability, medical malpractice, and negligence.
Paul alleged that staff told him a fake story about how Chelsea had passed away at a Family Dollar. He allegedly learned through social media posts that his sister had frozen to death on the hospital’s roof.
In a different news conference, the Adolphus family’s attorney, Ben Crump, spoke on the wrongful death lawsuit.
Chelsea’s relatives claim she’d been admitted to the hospital for a minor issue and was supposed to be discharged soon.
“We want surveillance to be released. We want 911 calls to be released. We want reports of her medical reports to be released so that the family will know the whole truth of how Chelsea, this beautiful young woman, ended up dying. She had her whole life ahead of her,” Crump said.
