Hawaii detectives investigate death of Southwest flight attendant after fall from hotel balcony

Honolulu police said a specialist homicide detail squad is leading the investigation into the death of Jenny Lupton, a 50-year-old Southwest Airlines flight attendant who was discovered near a dumpster at the bottom of the Hilton Hawaiian Village resort on Thursday. Police indicated that injuries are consistent with a fall from the building’s 24th-floor balcony, but no official determination of manner of death has been made.

The department confirmed detectives are conducting interviews, reviewing surveillance footage from roughly 70 cameras near the site, and collecting physical evidence. An unattended death investigation has been opened, and officials warned that the inquiry could take time.

Lupton, a mother of a 15-year-old son, had been on a work layover in Honolulu. Family members have expressed concern that the incident may not have been a suicide, stating they believe she was not suicidal and that foul play cannot be ruled out. > "We are worried that there is possible foul play involved," Lupton’s niece Hannah told USA Today.

"We strongly believe that she didn’t do this intentionally, and so that leads us to think it was either some kind of freak accident or someone harmed her," her sister Tresa said to KFOR.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond contacted his Hawaiian counterpart to ensure a comprehensive investigation, emphasizing that the family deserves answers. Southwest Airlines said it is cooperating with local authorities and offered condolences and support to Lupton’s family and coworkers.