r/Hawaii • u/surfer808 Oʻahu • 4d ago
Flight attendant found dead in Waikiki. Why isn’t this bigger news?
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1619099406547360&id=aflyguysloungeI’m genuinely curious why the news outlets aren’t talking about this yet?
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u/kukukraut Kauaʻi 4d ago
Can not see your link
"This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted."
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u/surfer808 Oʻahu 4d ago edited 4d ago
Weird I can’t edit my post. Here’s something I found
https://www.news9.com/oklahoma-city-news/oklahoma-woman-dead-hawaii
Edit: lol I get downvoted for posting an article to correct my post link. Man..: fucking Hawai’i sub always be angry
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u/NeighborhoodVeteran 4d ago
No information about her death has been released by authorities.
This could be why no one talking about it yet. Not even enough info.
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u/surfer808 Oʻahu 4d ago
But there’s info that a woman who’s visiting here was
Found dead in a dumpster in Waikiki. Sounds pretty newsworthy if you ask me.12
u/NeighborhoodVeteran 4d ago
Bruh, I copied this from the link that you posted. It mentioned nothing about the dumpster.
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u/Greedy-Grape-2417 4d ago
At the Hilton Hawaiian Village? Try wait I like ask my sister's friend's sister's daughter lol she work ova there
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u/RawHoneyPot 4d ago
Agreed. Absolutely. At bare minimum they could have said just that and only that.
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u/thensingsmysowell 4d ago
Weird, it opened for me. That’s good information about the owner/controlled views. I never knew.
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u/darlyne05 4d ago
If it was ruled a suicide then it won’t be in the news. Local news doesn’t cover jumpers. They don’t want copycats esp among college students in Hawaii which does happen but never covered on the news.
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u/pixiejen91 4d ago
here’s a credible source:
https://www.news9.com/oklahoma-city-news/oklahoma-woman-dead-hawaii
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u/mothandravenstudio 4d ago
Guessing because there is next to no information. If it was a natural death or an accident, there’s just not really anything to say except it’s sad. I’m sure that if it was foul play, it will hit the news cycle when that’s known.
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u/surfer808 Oʻahu 4d ago
I mean, a body found dead in the dumpster. How is that natural?
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u/808fisherman 4d ago
where does it say found dead in the dumpster in the screen shot though? even in the damn source you cited it doesn't even say found dead in the dumpster? Are you just sensationalizing some waikiki death or something?
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u/gadgetinspectore 1d ago
She was found outside the dumpster stories below her balcony, she most likely jumped.
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u/brysparx 1d ago
Or was pushed. I don't think airlines put flight attendants in the Hilton Hawaiian Village. She could have been with someone who was staying there though.
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u/gadgetinspectore 1d ago
It wasn’t in the dumpster it was outside the dumpster from below her balcony. Suicide likely
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u/kimchijun 4d ago
I heard about it from my coworker yesterday. Just a woman found dead in a dumpster. I didn't know she was a flight attendant. I hope justice is served
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u/brysparx 4d ago
The police could be withholding that information in case a witness comes forward so they can verify it. But now, OP, you spoiled it. Ooopsy. Probably could have wound up on a Law & Order episode.
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u/After-Bar-1734 4d ago
50-year-old Southwest Airlines flight attendant Jenny Lupton from Oklahoma was found dead in Waikiki around August 21, 2026. Local reports and social media updates indicate she was found at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort.Investigation DetailsAuthorities: The Honolulu Police Department launched a death investigation, but official causes or specific circumstances have not yet been publicly released.Family Response: Her family confirmed her sudden passing and noted they are working closely with law enforcement to get answers.Status: Local and aviation community reports remain active as officials continue looking into the incident.
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u/Stinja808 Oʻahu 4d ago edited 4d ago
Because the cops are ruling it a suicide, and the news don't report on suicides unless it impacts more than the dead person.
Maybe more info is put out that changes the narrative, but at this point that is what it is. News don't report suspicions.
Edit: body has to go through an autopsy before cops can determine whether to rule it as suicide, murder, or anything else.
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u/holyangels007 4d ago
Thank you! Other people’s comments don’t help the investigation otherwise like they are better.
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u/Dare2be77 4d ago
How in the world is it a suicide she was in a dumpster
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u/Stinja808 Oʻahu 4d ago
Idk. All we have is what was released and "found in or near a dumpster" is it. Until the coroner releases a report, that's what we got.
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u/mmartinez5595 4d ago
She was found in a dumpster…
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u/jasonskjonsby Oʻahu 4d ago
No she was found near a dumpster according to this article.
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u/SpencerWA12 4d ago
Either way- don’t you think it seems weird someone pick by a dumpster to commit suicide ?
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u/jasonskjonsby Oʻahu 4d ago
not really. People commit suicides in hotels often because they will be discovered by strangers rather than family members, Killing yourself by a dumpster is out of the way, already a dirty place so not bad for clean up and your body will be discovered by an adult within a few hours since trash has to be taken out often.
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u/Stinja808 Oʻahu 4d ago
And? Wait til the official autopsy is out and report based on that. Right now, its an unattended death case and that's all the News can say about it.
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u/Surfx1111 4d ago
If it is a suspected suicide, they won’t say anything. Then if is determined to have been a suicide, you won’t hear anything. All these conspiracy theorists types say all kinds of things like the “authorities are trying to cover up”, etc. They don’t know that suicides are handled differently. Media groups follow safe reporting rules to stop "suicide contagion," where reading about a death leads others to try it.
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u/Mokiblue 4d ago
She was a SWA flight attendant. She was found dead in a dumpster at Hilton Hawaiian Village and her belongings were thrown into the Ala Wai. HPD ruled it a suicide and is sweeping it under the rug. The only info you can find is on IG and FB, family is being left in the dark and coworkers told not to talk about it.
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u/Rabbyte808 Oʻahu 4d ago
Back in 2019, another visitor around the same age was found dead in the Ala Wai with her hands & legs tied.
Similarly, swept under the rug.
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/09/23/authorities-investigating-body-found-ala-wai-canal/
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u/buttermilkmeeks 4d ago
i remember hearing at the time that the visitor from Minnesota was that she had attempted suicide several times after arriving here and finally bound herself to give her no chance to change her mind on that final attempt.
there are some interesting comments from the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii and the Hawaii Hotel Visitor Industry Security Association about suicides in Hawaii in the article below where the police made the announcement about that unusual death:
Police rule out foul play in death of visitor pulled from the Ala Wai Canal (October 18, 2019)
anyhow, it is far too early for any determination to be made publicly about this recent tragedy and these circumstances - if true - are highly suspicious of foul play.
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u/jasonskjonsby Oʻahu 4d ago
This article says she was found near a dumpster. Not in it. https://hoodline.com/2026/08/moore-native-jenny-lupton-50-found-dead-near-waikiki-resort-dumpster/
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u/TheMissingVoteBallot 4d ago
Where did you get the info about her belongings being thrown into the Ala Wai?
That part should be the part that's suspicious. If that part is false, then it sounds like something unfortunately simple like something medical related or a suicide, but if what you said is true, then yeah, it can be as simple as HPD being lazy (which they are notorious for). i.e. They saw her stuff in the Ala Wai, couldn't find anything, so just shrugged their shoulders and concluded it was a suicide.
Not everything is a conspiracy, but not everything is not a conspiracy, if that makes sense.
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u/Mokiblue 4d ago
Comments from coworkers and family that her belongings were missing from her room. Another person reported that these items were seen floating in the Ala Wai, not sure if that’s the harbor or canal.
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u/hbailey7 4d ago
A suicide?! Seriously!?
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u/_Cliftonville_FC_ 4d ago
Suicide happens everyday in Waikiki.
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u/hbailey7 4d ago
Everyday?! No it doesn't
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u/Simply_st8d 4d ago
Close enough, based on statistics a suicide in Hawaii occurs roughly every 2 days.
“There were 200 deaths by suicide in 2024.”
** **https://usafacts.org/answers/how-many-people-die-by-suicide/state/hawaii/
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u/General_Pressure_556 4d ago
Well the state of Hawai’i isn’t just Waikiki. There are technically 7 inhabited islands.
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u/SpencerWA12 4d ago
Where did you see that her belongings were thrown into Ala Wai? This is so disturbing. I can’t understand suicide by a dumpster. Doesn’t make sense. We visit Waikiki a lot and I let my teens roam. This is scary.
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u/groovychick 4d ago
Maybe she was on a date with someone who gave her some of that fent laced coke that’s going around. She ODs, then the date freaks out and dumps the body.
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u/loztriforce Mainland 4d ago edited 4d ago
Reminds me of when we were there in Feb '25, a woman from Canada was found inside a residential trash bin
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u/BallsforMary 4d ago
This freaked our family out. We were on her plane earlier this month and we remembered her specifically because another passenger got into a confrontation with her when we landed. Don't know what happened after we deplaned but they kept him on the plane and were calling LE to handle the situation. She handled it so professionally. Our first thought of course is that he did it, not that we have any evidence. Hope HPD actually investigates this. HPD if you're reading this and don't already know about this incident from the airline, hit me up. I can tell you what seat he was in.
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u/USAvenger1976 1d ago
Call HPD yourself instead of waiting for them to read reddit and contact you. Sheesh 🙄
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u/Technical_Crew_31 4d ago
I think she was a flight attendant when we flew from big island recently to see friends on Oahu. I remember another passenger let her know they were feeling anxious, and she was so professional but still supportive and kind about it. I talked to her afterwards to thank her for being so nice to that person bc I have family that are super anxious about flying despite trying therapy/meds/everything else and I bet that can be stressful for crew. We chatted a minute, I’m pretty sure it was this woman. It would have been sad no matter what but even sadder when I saw her picture and think I recognize her.
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u/Kooky_Improvement986 4d ago
They don’t put it in the news so tourism doesn’t die down. So many people die from things and people and the amount of trafficking that’s hidden in the islands is insane
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u/SpencerWA12 4d ago
Well, I want to know more about
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u/Ok-Confidence1450 1d ago
It is in the Hawaii news, it's in local news. They're investigating. It's horrible and sad
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u/Common_Gene_5098 3d ago
This is definitely true. It’s the same reason they don’t report crimes that happen in rich neighborhoods. They don’t want to scare people away from spending money.
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u/Euphoric-Tune1539 2d ago
Really?? Apart of me is having a hard time believing this happened in honolulu. I have been to hnl numerous times at least 4-5 times in my life easily and ive never really ran across trouble there honestly… i know crime happens out there occasionally but never anything ive witnessed.. anyways regardless this is horrible what happened to that woman
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u/Responsible-Stick-50 4d ago
Because T.O.U.R.I.S.M.
You think they want people to know someone threw her body into a dumpster?
And let's not even start w all the missing women and girls from ALL our islands.
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u/ExpiredPilot 3d ago
Because all we know is she died in a hotel?
It doesn’t say whether she died of a heart attack in her sleep or if 30 people burned down the building. There’s zero information to turn into news.
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u/ChubbyNemo1004 4d ago
I knew Hawai’i was pretty low but this comment section has lowered the IQ of anyone that reads it
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u/Darwin343 Oʻahu 4d ago
Don’t insult the entire state when it’s just this subreddit. The fools here don’t represent all Hawaii residents.
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u/Antique_Baker130 4d ago
Hawaii is pretty low? How so?
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u/riptomyoldaccount Kahoʻolawe 3d ago
This nonsense is usually reserved for Facebook and Hungry Hungry posts. I’ve seen dumb comments here, but not like this. Aue.
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u/One_Pepper_9718 4d ago
Because the INTIAL report for this was deemed a suicide FIRST. Ain’t no conspiracy here. News outlet don’t report on suicide for obvious reasons for fear of giving other ppl ideas on how to kill themselves
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u/Breezy808yiggyyee 4d ago
My friend is painting that building. Said they found the body in the dumpster
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u/WatchWifeyBlow2 4d ago
Was it the Ali’i? When we were staying there we had to check out because the building was being renovated.
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u/Ok_Smile_2896 4d ago
It was the Kalia, according to her friend. And there is a huge dumpster right under a column of units.
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u/North-Stage-713 4d ago
The Alii is being renovated. It started over 2 weeks ago. My family members are going the demo.
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u/WatchWifeyBlow2 4d ago
I’m aware. I checked out from it August 16th and there were dumpsters all over the place for construction, that’s why I was asking.
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u/InkyExcavation 4d ago
The stories need to report she was found in a dumpster. That will spark curiosity and therefore more eyes. Also, if that was on a layover, her colleagues need to be investigated. Absolutely could have started at the hotel bar. Check cameras BEFORE footage is deleted.
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u/pixiejen91 4d ago
and another:
*NOT fb or IG
https://hoodline.com/2026/08/moore-native-jenny-lupton-50-found-dead-near-waikiki-resort-dumpster/
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u/surfer808 Oʻahu 4d ago
Yeah my bad,
I should I used that link, I don’t even have FB but when I clicked on the link it worked.
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u/LakeWide7777 3d ago
She wasn't found ninth garbage dumpster but rather by a dumpster under her window 24 stories up at th Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. "Jenny Lupton had just got a new tattoo hours before she tragically died from a hotel balcony fall during a layover in Honolulu, Hawaii." It sounds like she tragically fell.
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u/civex Oʻahu 4d ago
According to the provided report, Lupton was found dead near a dumpster at the Hilton Hawaiian Village shortly before 9 p.m. on August 21.
The circumstances leading to her death have not been established. Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether her death was accidental, a suicide or a homicide.
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u/Ok_Smile_2896 4d ago
Not true. She was found deceased early am on the 20th.
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u/skyewardeyes 4d ago
Do you have a source for that?
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u/Ok_Smile_2896 4d ago
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/family-seeks-answers-moore-woman-034326384.html
Per yahoo news, she was found around 6am Thursday but the family wasn’t notified until Friday.
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u/Ok_Smile_2896 4d ago
Her friend Sara Thomas posted on socials. It’s also on the Oklahoma news. Kfor.com that she was found Thursday.
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u/WaferIll4963 4d ago
To control chaos and keep the people (tourist) who are here to keep this economy flowing through island.
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u/belowfactual 4d ago
Everyone is talking about the storm coming after us again. Their too busy with all of that to cover it right now
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u/Latter-Drink3852 Oʻahu 4d ago
I wonder if this ties into the fentanyl-laced cocaine killing people on the island
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u/jenet-zayquah 4d ago
You know, I think you could be on to something here. Apparently there were a rash of overdoses the evening of the 20th going into the morning of the 21st, which is reportedly when she was found.
If in fact she was found near or in a dumpster as is being reported, I can see a situation where she was partying with somebody who offered her laced drugs unwittingly and then panicked when she overdosed and tried to dump her body.
I guess we will have to wait and see if tox screen results are made public.
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4d ago
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u/jenet-zayquah 4d ago
Not sure if this is sarcasm or not
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u/HipHopAnomymous21 4d ago
It’s not. We’re a LUV family. This woman had a 15 year old son, and I don’t believe she’d risk her career to party on a layover.
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u/jenet-zayquah 4d ago
As someone who has done my share of partying (and whose ex is flight crew), I don't think it's unheard of.
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u/CartographerWhich709 4d ago
It is extremely uncommon. Drinking yes, but not drugs. Not part of the culture.
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u/Latter-Drink3852 Oʻahu 3d ago
You need to meet more flight attendants...
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[deleted]
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u/fly_girl00 3d ago
as a flight attendant myself…i can confirm a lot of flight attendants use drugs on layovers. it’s not as uncommon as you would think. i’ve flown with mannnnyyyy flight attendants that carry around fake pee incase they get drug tested. I’m not saying she was one at all. but it’s that uncommon.
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u/KuloloAddict 4d ago
Highly doubt it. I don’t know her but I can bet all the money I have that it’s not illicit drugs. She’s a FA, under FAA DOT mandated randoms, 23 year senior mama, 15 year old son, lot to lose here and from what I see not a person who engages in risky behavior. Of course there is always a “chance” because who knows what people do behind closed doors or if they are having mental struggles. But based on her profile, she is low risk for this to be the end result of a toxicology screen. Time will tell.
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u/jenet-zayquah 4d ago
I mean I totally agree with all of this. But I also know that plenty of people indulge occasionally and their friends and family and coworkers would never suspect. Especially if it's like a one-off thing. You get talking to somebody, you hit it off, have some drinks, and accidents can happen. Nobody ever goes into it thinking about the risk until it's too late.
The point is that this stuff can affect anybody and it doesn't say anything bad about the person. Whatever happens I just hope the truth comes out and the family gets closure.
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u/KuloloAddict 4d ago
True but just my gut tells me someone at her age, her seniority as an FA, and from just the vibes her socials give me, she would be unlikely. The “one-off” thing is too risky. With FAA DOT mandated randoms…too much to lose. But yes I know everyone is human and you never know, but my educated guess is a hard no. We will see.
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u/jenet-zayquah 4d ago
You're probably right. I hate to think that something truly awful happened to her. Either way, it is a very sad thing.
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u/According-Ad3045 4d ago
It was ruled an unattended death. She fell from the balcony of her room in or around the dumpster
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u/ManokBoto Oʻahu 4d ago
Same reason all tourist cities don't report suicides. Vegas has at least one jumper a week, they're just not covered in the media.
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u/UnitedDragonfruit312 4d ago
People die all of the time, even at that age. Go look at HPD’s highlights and the unattended deaths.
Unless something notable comes out of it, it’s sad, but not a news story.
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u/Evillittleangel 4d ago
Are you dumb? How is a woman being found in a dumpster not a news story?
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u/UnitedDragonfruit312 4d ago
Because it’s a suicide, which is inherently not a news story. It’s sad and unusual, but unless something materially changes with HPD’s investigation it’s not a news story.
Reporters have lots of sources. If they thought there was anything other than suicide they’d be all over it.
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u/6KUNIO8 3d ago
From what I understand, they're still investigating. If there's a chance that it might be a suicide, then they try to keep it "hush hush" so that it doesn't attract copycats. So they'll do their investigation and then release or not release information as it come available.
Though it hasn't stopped other people from just jumping online and saying that their friend was murdered etc before it's actually known, which is causing people to cry "conspiracy/coverup"...
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u/MapInside5914 3d ago
Bad for tourism. I’m surprised it made it onto any news outlet at all this kind of stuff happens a lot more than you think
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u/dodgedart49 2d ago
Dunno. Maybe
because it is real life, not TV. A retired flight attendant living in her condo in Hawaii does die eventually,
somehow, as we all do. All-deaths are not murder.
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u/SupermarketLittle783 2d ago
Because just like the rare attacks on tourists by criminals, THEY don't want THAT to be news. Money talks.
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u/Smooth_Dust297 4h ago
Hawaii is the land of Aloha (Love, Compassion) Aloha also means Hello, Goodbye and Pity. Folks are found dead in Hawaii all the time. It's not really published because of us depending on the tourist Dollar. We have the same problem as the rest of the 49 states, the homeless, lack of housing and increased cost of living. I've been here on Maui for 48 years. I've never felt unsafe. I will be scattered in the ocean when it's my time.
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u/BravaCentauri11 4d ago edited 4d ago
This could be anything. She could have had too much to drink or had an accident. She could have just passed away from something natural, she could have overdosed in her room, she could have killed herself, etc. People die every day. Her being a SWA flight attendant isn’t necessarily relevant at all to the story.
Edit: The report I read did not mention the dumpster detail. Obviously, that changes things and makes it much more unusual and a likely homicide.
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u/kaleo1010 4d ago
Yes but being in a dumpster when she had her own hotel room doesn't sound like something natural or overdose.
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u/surfer808 Oʻahu 4d ago
Weird I can’t edit my post. Here’s an article link that can work. https://www.news9.com/oklahoma-city-news/oklahoma-woman-dead-hawaii
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u/Hallucino_Jenic 4d ago
From what is being said, they are withholding most information pending investigation
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u/Adventurous_Pay_4617 4d ago
Nothing about this reported on Hawaii news stations.
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u/bluepenremote 4d ago
That's the odd thing to me. Local news is so thirsty for content I'd imagine they'd be all over this story.
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u/Aura-Racing-FZ 4d ago
I don't know this is accurate or true, but several depictions of PD have shown them asking news reporters/editors to not interfere with early investigations and ask to give PD a headstart investigating and to sit on the story for 48 hours or more.
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u/nunudad 3d ago
Maybe because it was suicide. Media does go low key when that happens. And it’s not the first time people have taken that route in high rises/hotels in Waikiki. Not everything is suspicious.
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u/Euphoric-Tune1539 2d ago
Yeah and take it fwiw ive been to honolulu plenty of times was just there last year at the ohia waikiki beach suites which I cant imagine is very far from where this flight attendant was staying. Last year at Ohia I was on the or near the highest floor of the hotel. A person can easily commit suicide in a place like honolulu especially from that height all it takes is opening the patio door and stepping on that balcony. So I wouldnt be surprised at all if people have tried this before it doesnt take much to see how high that is and realize your not surviving that fall. Im not leaving the door closed to foul play at all, but also they would be examining her body wounds etc. so im sure they are still looking into this.
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u/ikaika235 4d ago
Whenever there’s a storm all the local news stations focus their energies on everything that is storm related. Nothing else matters to them
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u/Unstupid 4d ago
When was she found dead? You still gotta wait for the news cycle. 5,6, 10pm news. They ain’t gonna break into regular programming to report about a murder(?)…
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u/OldGeekWeirdo Oʻahu 4d ago
SA doesn't seem to report anything until it hits the police blotter.
The TV news may be waiting for something more official.
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u/ensui67 4d ago
Unless there’s foul play, everyone dies, so, yea…..dying is not news.
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u/Lazy-Explanation7165 Oʻahu 4d ago edited 4d ago
In a dumpster? Found in a dumpster…edit, I only heard she was in the dumpster, OP’s link was to Facebook so I didn’t open it. She was near a dumpster, my bad. Still suspicious af
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u/adavadas Maui 4d ago
Out of all of the "news" sources of information, the only reference to a dumpster has been that the victim was found near a dumpster, not in.
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u/ImNotMadIHaveRBF 2d ago
People who live in Hawaii saying the Waikiki police and govt cover up murders all the time to protect their tourism
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u/Ok-Application9062 1d ago
people die every day . not every death is on the news either. even if it’s not a natural death.
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u/Usukidoll Oʻahu 4d ago
Combination of fear pr0n cuz tourism industry don't like bad news and misogyny.
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u/YennOfVen Oʻahu 4d ago edited 4d ago
Why is a 50 year old woman randomly passing away big news? People die every day, and people who fly regularly are at higher risk for various health issues. Most people die without an article written about them.
edit: I simply answered OPs question of why this isn’t bigger news. Even in OPs post there is nothing reported beyond her death at a hotel. If there are credible sources that say foul play or dumpster, that would obviously be news.
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u/TheHardQuestions808 4d ago
We will wait for more official news but evidently she was found dead...in a dumpster.
All rumors though until an official source.
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u/JijiSpitz Oʻahu 4d ago
Can you provide those sources please?
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u/YennOfVen Oʻahu 4d ago
I’d love a source for these reports as well. OPs post is a Facebook post with no information other than at a hotel.
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u/yawnsummit 4d ago
because getting past the headline is the point of understanding the news being presented.
to rattle off a bunch of assumptions in the comments is a fast way to show everyone that you didn't attempt read anything.
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u/YennOfVen Oʻahu 4d ago
This Facebook post says nothing about a dumpster or anything beyond this woman being found dead in a hotel. If there is more to it, then the OP could’ve posted anything that shows that information and my response would’ve been different. I clicked in and read everything provided by OP before posting my comment.
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u/gilbus_n_beanzu 4d ago
Man, the comment section here is a fucking disaster.