00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Friday, October 16th, and we have gotten an answer as to the cause of death for a Southwest flight attendant who died after falling from her hotel room on a layover in Hawaii. Her family is not buying the medical examiner's conclusion with that. Welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. This has been a several months long mystery episode. Nothing about this story initially sounded right, and right now it doesn't sound right either.
00:00:35
Speaker 2: It doesn't. Nothing has added up. Even with this announcement from the medical examiner, there's an asterisk next to it, and we'll explain. So we got word that the Honolulu medical examiner officially determined that 50-year-old Southwest flight attendant Jenny Lupton died from suicide. They actually specifically said she died from multiple injuries after falling from the 24th floor of her Hilton hotel room. Now, the asterisk is this. Police then put out a statement saying that the medical examiner's determination doesn't change their investigation. They have a criminal investigation. Their homicide division is investigating her death. And they say that it is still open and active. Their official statement was no additional information pertaining to this incident will be released at this time as the investigation remains active and ongoing.
00:01:34
Speaker 1: Is this where we scratch our heads?
00:01:36
Speaker 2: Yes. And look, we even have some more information because we've mentioned before, Jenny Lupton's family has been adamant. Her sister, her son, her niece, her nephew, multiple family members have been speaking out and loudly saying there is absolutely no way the woman they knew, this bright-eyed, funny, fun-loving mother who worshiped her 15-year-old son... There's no way she would have leapt to her death. And they say that the medical examiner, they spoke to the medical examiner, and they say, quote, he acknowledged that additional information could warrant reconsideration of his findings, but that information must be provided through the Honolulu Police Department.
00:02:20
Speaker 1: Okay, that's vague and general and all kinds of bizarre information. but it's a suggestion that maybe there is other evidence out there, or he's just open to more evidence coming in that he has no idea if it's out there or not. It doesn't, I don't know, it seems like the medical examiner and the police department would be working in some type of concert here, but babe, if someone tells you that someone took their own life, you do not start a criminal investigation. So why is the medical examiner's answer not good enough for the police? And I would argue if it ain't good enough for police, it shouldn't be good enough for the family.
00:02:57
Speaker 2: Exactly. And I think it's interesting. And again, we're getting this from the family. They're claiming that the medical examiner is saying, hey, right now, this is all I can... This is the only conclusion I can come to unless I'm given additional information. She died from multiple injuries from falling off of this balcony. Could you determine with the rate of speed that high up if she was pushed or if she jumped? I don't think you could tell. So the evidence... All he can do is base it on what the body is telling him and he has ruled it a suicide. Now, this is her quote. surrounding Jenny's death. I think this is interesting. We've seen this happen before. I would say most notably with the David case where you had a medical examiner's office sparring publicly with the LA police department and the prosecution's office because they were annoyed that they couldn't release certain information or they weren't getting certain information. We've seen agencies not work together the way we'd like them to in other high profile cases. And this case has gone viral. I mean, people all online are speculating because there is so much mystery surrounding her death. Someone in her room alone ends up dead 24 floors down.
00:04:30
Speaker 1: Um, Robes, there's no indication. Again, all these rooms have, it's difficult to accidentally, you can't just stumble over a railing. You have to place some effort into lifting yourself up or getting help being lifted up over that thing. So, Robes, when you start with that basic mystery, then, okay, we need answers. Either she did this intentionally or someone intentionally did this to her. Because accidentally, we can kind of rule that out. Robes, the evidence, at least that the family is giving, this does not make sense that this woman would leap to her death.
00:05:11
Speaker 2: Exactly.
00:05:12
Speaker 1: So the third scenario, babe, is that someone did this to her. Are there not surveillance? Do we have no idea who she's interacting with? That somebody else had to be in the room? You have no evidence, no video of anybody going in and out? That's the question here. Shouldn't that be the question?
00:05:30
Speaker 2: It should be. And it seems like we should be able to get that answer fairly soon. And I think it's interesting that the police have not given any details. And we know, yes, they have been going through surveillance videos. They have been going through the evidence. Her family says that they want to see what's on Jenny's phone. They say police have the phone, but they say they believe her communications and activity, obviously in the hours leading up to her death, would absolutely shed some light onto a timeline, her state of mind. And they also say that this was, according to the family, that there was no physical evidence from their understanding from police that any of the furniture on the balcony was pushed against the railings. That is speaking directly to your point. The railings are high enough in these hotel rooms to make sure you can't just fall over. You would have to almost certainly. it would make sense that you would have a chair or something pushed up to the edge of the balcony to be able to get over.
00:06:27
Speaker 1: And from what I can see in the picture, she's not a big lady. She's not a tall lady. No. I'm saying she doesn't have enough of her upper body that would be, you can't just flip over that thing. Now that is a mystery to me, but then the other thing, sweetheart, is somebody was in the room. then why can't we have that answer?
00:06:50
Speaker 2: Surveillance video.
00:06:50
Speaker 1: How old is this hotel? Most of the modern these days have cameras all over the place. Don't they even have the electronic readers for your key? They know when the door was opened and closed last year.
00:07:01
Speaker 2: You're right. What are we doing? Yes, you're right. And those are all really important pieces of evidence that I just, I don't know how quickly these types of investigations go. And I look, the Mike, our experience has been the longer it takes, the more they're collecting evidence against someone. They don't want to tip someone off that they're close and they're collecting it quietly and they don't reveal anything. If they can pretty much quickly say no one came in and out of her hotel room and there's clear evidence that she, you know, pushed a chair up to the balcony. Look, we would, we would have gotten that information pretty quickly. I would imagine they would want to put this to bed pretty quickly.
00:07:35
Speaker 1: They would want to get that information out. We can show you and we'll show the family. This is what it is. Robes, the window to the door open and close last. And if you tell them, they know when she was found.
00:07:48
Speaker 2: Yes, the next morning. The next morning they found her.
00:07:50
Speaker 1: So that hurts then. Well, I don't know, babe. If they can tell when they have somebody, that door would have had to have opened again that night if somebody was in there with her.
00:08:01
Speaker 2: They had to have left.
00:08:02
Speaker 1: They had to have left.
00:08:03
Speaker 2: Yes. So I guess I, look, I don't know, but it just seems like that would be very easily and quickly verifiable. And usually when they're slow to release information, when they're slow, it's because they're building a case against someone that has been typically what we've experienced. The family also says that they know investigators have collected specimens from underneath her fingernails. And they say that they have also carried out a sexual assault evidence collection. So they know that they have conducted those tests on Jennifer's body. but they say they have not been told about the results, whether or not they've run any of that against a database of possible assailants. They say they're in the dark. They just know that those were some of the things that police. have been doing in the past two months. Now, when we come back, this is to me some of the most compelling evidence that she might not have died by suicide. What the family is telling us about Jenny and about her last text, her final text at 11.40 p.m. the night, or at least within hours of her death. Welcome back, everyone, to Amy and TJ. We are still talking about this mysterious death. A 50-year-old Southwest flight attendant, her name was Jenny Lupton, and she has a lot of family members who loved her and want to know what happened. And they claim she loved them. Oklahoma. She had a 15-year-old son who they say was the light of her life. She was speaking to him every day she was on this trip. It was a planned layover to have some fun with friends. And her sister said she checked in with them every single day. She'd just gotten a tattoo in honor of their dad who planted hibiscus flowers when they were kids. And she was going to come back and get it filled in with her sister. They were going to have matching tattoos. I mean, this is all so bizarre. She was out dancing with friends the night before having a blast, telling her family how much fun she was having. And her final text was to a fellow flight attendant at 1140 PM on August 19th. She was found August 20th that morning. The text read, What are we doing tomorrow? Let that sit with you.
00:10:26
Speaker 1: I don't know what could have happened between that message and her making a decision to end her life. That is strange. Yes. The last thing you said, it's not like you're trying to throw somebody off the scent. She's not thinking that. She is genuinely thinking. about plans in the morning.
00:10:51
Speaker 2: And everyone who had spoken to her that day, had been with her that day, described her as being her lovely, jovial, fun-loving self. This quote from the sister really stood out to me. We were going to live together when we were elderly women and take care of each other, and we were going to go traveling. She had just gotten a tattoo hours before this happened. She messaged me. She said when she gets back, she's going to have it colored in because it was just the outline. I mean, that to me, when someone's making plans for the future, someone's got a reason to live, 15-year-old son, a sister you love dearly, none of this adds up. At all. And so, yes, her family says this latest finding by the medical examiner is not derailing our push to keep this investigation going. They said the timeline doesn't add up, the evidence doesn't add up, and they do believe that their loved one, that Jenny Lupton, died at the hands of foul play.
00:11:48
Speaker 1: They're looking for somebody. Oops. In the absence of real hard physical evidence... oftentimes in court, they rely on circumstantial evidence. The text message and the tattoo are as circumstantial for me as it gets that there was foul play.
00:12:07
Speaker 2: Yes. Agreed. Totally agree. And look, we hope for the family's sake they get to the bottom of this. We didn't get to report on this because I read this and this was so beautiful. We'll end here because just to show how much this woman was loved when her body was finally returned. From Hawaii to Oklahoma, of course, they brought it back on a Southwest Airlines flight. And her friends, her family, her coworkers were all there on the tarmac greeting that plane that was carrying her body, her final flight. They had a water cannon salute on the runway. I mean, it really, they came out and they honored her and what she loved. She was a flight attendant for 29 years. And everyone who knew her said, this wasn't a job. This was a career she loved. She loved the people that she served, and she loved seeing the world. And it's just a shame what happened, and we certainly hope her family gets some answers.
00:13:10
Speaker 1: I saw the reports and the headlines. They said it was suicide. And I thought that's a shame, but I thought there was some finality. You just read down two more lines, and you go, what the hell? This is just getting started.
00:13:24
Speaker 2: Yep. We will stay on top of this story. But we always appreciate you listening to us, everyone. I'm Amy Robach. Alongside TJ Holmes, we will talk to you soon.
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Friday, October 16th, and we have gotten an answer as to the cause of death for a Southwest flight attendant who died after falling from her hotel room on a layover in Hawaii. Her family is not buying the medical examiner's conclusion with that. Welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. This has been a several months long mystery episode. Nothing about this story initially sounded right, and right now it doesn't sound right either.
00:00:35
Speaker 2: It doesn't. Nothing has added up. Even with this announcement from the medical examiner, there's an asterisk next to it, and we'll explain. So we got word that the Honolulu medical examiner officially determined that 50-year-old Southwest flight attendant Jenny Lupton died from suicide. They actually specifically said she died from multiple injuries after falling from the 24th floor of her Hilton hotel room. Now, the asterisk is this. Police then put out a statement saying that the medical examiner's determination doesn't change their investigation. They have a criminal investigation. Their homicide division is investigating her death. And they say that it is still open and active. Their official statement was no additional information pertaining to this incident will be released at this time as the investigation remains active and ongoing.
00:01:34
Speaker 1: Is this where we scratch our heads?
00:01:36
Speaker 2: Yes. And look, we even have some more information because we've mentioned before, Jenny Lupton's family has been adamant. Her sister, her son, her niece, her nephew, multiple family members have been speaking out and loudly saying there is absolutely no way the woman they knew, this bright-eyed, funny, fun-loving mother who worshiped her 15-year-old son... There's no way she would have leapt to her death. And they say that the medical examiner, they spoke to the medical examiner, and they say, quote, he acknowledged that additional information could warrant reconsideration of his findings, but that information must be provided through the Honolulu Police Department.
00:02:20
Speaker 1: Okay, that's vague and general and all kinds of bizarre information. but it's a suggestion that maybe there is other evidence out there, or he's just open to more evidence coming in that he has no idea if it's out there or not. It doesn't, I don't know, it seems like the medical examiner and the police department would be working in some type of concert here, but babe, if someone tells you that someone took their own life, you do not start a criminal investigation. So why is the medical examiner's answer not good enough for the police? And I would argue if it ain't good enough for police, it shouldn't be good enough for the family.
00:02:57
Speaker 2: Exactly. And I think it's interesting. And again, we're getting this from the family. They're claiming that the medical examiner is saying, hey, right now, this is all I can... This is the only conclusion I can come to unless I'm given additional information. She died from multiple injuries from falling off of this balcony. Could you determine with the rate of speed that high up if she was pushed or if she jumped? I don't think you could tell. So the evidence... All he can do is base it on what the body is telling him and he has ruled it a suicide. Now, this is her quote. surrounding Jenny's death. I think this is interesting. We've seen this happen before. I would say most notably with the David case where you had a medical examiner's office sparring publicly with the LA police department and the prosecution's office because they were annoyed that they couldn't release certain information or they weren't getting certain information. We've seen agencies not work together the way we'd like them to in other high profile cases. And this case has gone viral. I mean, people all online are speculating because there is so much mystery surrounding her death. Someone in her room alone ends up dead 24 floors down.
00:04:30
Speaker 1: Um, Robes, there's no indication. Again, all these rooms have, it's difficult to accidentally, you can't just stumble over a railing. You have to place some effort into lifting yourself up or getting help being lifted up over that thing. So, Robes, when you start with that basic mystery, then, okay, we need answers. Either she did this intentionally or someone intentionally did this to her. Because accidentally, we can kind of rule that out. Robes, the evidence, at least that the family is giving, this does not make sense that this woman would leap to her death.
00:05:11
Speaker 2: Exactly.
00:05:12
Speaker 1: So the third scenario, babe, is that someone did this to her. Are there not surveillance? Do we have no idea who she's interacting with? That somebody else had to be in the room? You have no evidence, no video of anybody going in and out? That's the question here. Shouldn't that be the question?
00:05:30
Speaker 2: It should be. And it seems like we should be able to get that answer fairly soon. And I think it's interesting that the police have not given any details. And we know, yes, they have been going through surveillance videos. They have been going through the evidence. Her family says that they want to see what's on Jenny's phone. They say police have the phone, but they say they believe her communications and activity, obviously in the hours leading up to her death, would absolutely shed some light onto a timeline, her state of mind. And they also say that this was, according to the family, that there was no physical evidence from their understanding from police that any of the furniture on the balcony was pushed against the railings. That is speaking directly to your point. The railings are high enough in these hotel rooms to make sure you can't just fall over. You would have to almost certainly. it would make sense that you would have a chair or something pushed up to the edge of the balcony to be able to get over.
00:06:27
Speaker 1: And from what I can see in the picture, she's not a big lady. She's not a tall lady. No. I'm saying she doesn't have enough of her upper body that would be, you can't just flip over that thing. Now that is a mystery to me, but then the other thing, sweetheart, is somebody was in the room. then why can't we have that answer?
00:06:50
Speaker 2: Surveillance video.
00:06:50
Speaker 1: How old is this hotel? Most of the modern these days have cameras all over the place. Don't they even have the electronic readers for your key? They know when the door was opened and closed last year.
00:07:01
Speaker 2: You're right. What are we doing? Yes, you're right. And those are all really important pieces of evidence that I just, I don't know how quickly these types of investigations go. And I look, the Mike, our experience has been the longer it takes, the more they're collecting evidence against someone. They don't want to tip someone off that they're close and they're collecting it quietly and they don't reveal anything. If they can pretty much quickly say no one came in and out of her hotel room and there's clear evidence that she, you know, pushed a chair up to the balcony. Look, we would, we would have gotten that information pretty quickly. I would imagine they would want to put this to bed pretty quickly.
00:07:35
Speaker 1: They would want to get that information out. We can show you and we'll show the family. This is what it is. Robes, the window to the door open and close last. And if you tell them, they know when she was found.
00:07:48
Speaker 2: Yes, the next morning. The next morning they found her.
00:07:50
Speaker 1: So that hurts then. Well, I don't know, babe. If they can tell when they have somebody, that door would have had to have opened again that night if somebody was in there with her.
00:08:01
Speaker 2: They had to have left.
00:08:02
Speaker 1: They had to have left.
00:08:03
Speaker 2: Yes. So I guess I, look, I don't know, but it just seems like that would be very easily and quickly verifiable. And usually when they're slow to release information, when they're slow, it's because they're building a case against someone that has been typically what we've experienced. The family also says that they know investigators have collected specimens from underneath her fingernails. And they say that they have also carried out a sexual assault evidence collection. So they know that they have conducted those tests on Jennifer's body. but they say they have not been told about the results, whether or not they've run any of that against a database of possible assailants. They say they're in the dark. They just know that those were some of the things that police. have been doing in the past two months. Now, when we come back, this is to me some of the most compelling evidence that she might not have died by suicide. What the family is telling us about Jenny and about her last text, her final text at 11.40 p.m. the night, or at least within hours of her death. Welcome back, everyone, to Amy and TJ. We are still talking about this mysterious death. A 50-year-old Southwest flight attendant, her name was Jenny Lupton, and she has a lot of family members who loved her and want to know what happened. And they claim she loved them. Oklahoma. She had a 15-year-old son who they say was the light of her life. She was speaking to him every day she was on this trip. It was a planned layover to have some fun with friends. And her sister said she checked in with them every single day. She'd just gotten a tattoo in honor of their dad who planted hibiscus flowers when they were kids. And she was going to come back and get it filled in with her sister. They were going to have matching tattoos. I mean, this is all so bizarre. She was out dancing with friends the night before having a blast, telling her family how much fun she was having. And her final text was to a fellow flight attendant at 1140 PM on August 19th. She was found August 20th that morning. The text read, What are we doing tomorrow? Let that sit with you.
00:10:26
Speaker 1: I don't know what could have happened between that message and her making a decision to end her life. That is strange. Yes. The last thing you said, it's not like you're trying to throw somebody off the scent. She's not thinking that. She is genuinely thinking. about plans in the morning.
00:10:51
Speaker 2: And everyone who had spoken to her that day, had been with her that day, described her as being her lovely, jovial, fun-loving self. This quote from the sister really stood out to me. We were going to live together when we were elderly women and take care of each other, and we were going to go traveling. She had just gotten a tattoo hours before this happened. She messaged me. She said when she gets back, she's going to have it colored in because it was just the outline. I mean, that to me, when someone's making plans for the future, someone's got a reason to live, 15-year-old son, a sister you love dearly, none of this adds up. At all. And so, yes, her family says this latest finding by the medical examiner is not derailing our push to keep this investigation going. They said the timeline doesn't add up, the evidence doesn't add up, and they do believe that their loved one, that Jenny Lupton, died at the hands of foul play.
00:11:48
Speaker 1: They're looking for somebody. Oops. In the absence of real hard physical evidence... oftentimes in court, they rely on circumstantial evidence. The text message and the tattoo are as circumstantial for me as it gets that there was foul play.
00:12:07
Speaker 2: Yes. Agreed. Totally agree. And look, we hope for the family's sake they get to the bottom of this. We didn't get to report on this because I read this and this was so beautiful. We'll end here because just to show how much this woman was loved when her body was finally returned. From Hawaii to Oklahoma, of course, they brought it back on a Southwest Airlines flight. And her friends, her family, her coworkers were all there on the tarmac greeting that plane that was carrying her body, her final flight. They had a water cannon salute on the runway. I mean, it really, they came out and they honored her and what she loved. She was a flight attendant for 29 years. And everyone who knew her said, this wasn't a job. This was a career she loved. She loved the people that she served, and she loved seeing the world. And it's just a shame what happened, and we certainly hope her family gets some answers.
00:13:10
Speaker 1: I saw the reports and the headlines. They said it was suicide. And I thought that's a shame, but I thought there was some finality. You just read down two more lines, and you go, what the hell? This is just getting started.
00:13:24
Speaker 2: Yep. We will stay on top of this story. But we always appreciate you listening to us, everyone. I'm Amy Robach. Alongside TJ Holmes, we will talk to you soon.
