Jenny Lupton's family is pressing for answers after the 50-year-old was found dead in Hawaii three days before a report on her death. The Honolulu Department of the Medical Examiner told relatives that it appeared she fell from the balcony of her 24th floor hotel room, but her family says that does not fit what they know and they do not believe she died by suicide.
Tresa Lupton said she is still replaying Jenny Lupton's final text message, which came only hours before her death. That message has become part of the family's effort to understand how a work trip that included dancing with a flight attendant friend and even getting a tattoo ended in a death that has left them asking for a full investigation.
The reason the case is drawing attention now is not just the death itself, but the split between what authorities say happened and what the family believes. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has contacted the office of Hawaiian Attorney General Anne E. Lopez about the investigation, while Honolulu police have opened an Unattended Death investigation. Southwest Airlines, where Lupton worked for 29 years, said it was deeply saddened by the passing of its colleague and had offered condolences and support to her family and co-workers.
There are also pieces of the timeline that the family says do not line up. Jenny Lupton had been in Hawaii for work and planned to stay for several days before returning to Moore, according to relatives. A hotel employee found her body near a dumpster, and the head of hotel security told the family there are more than 70 cameras in the area that police are reviewing. Even with that many cameras, the family has not been told whether any recorded the fall or anything else that explains what happened in the hours before she died.
That gap is what keeps the case open for the family. Tresa Lupton said the timeline does not make sense and that they are afraid foul play may be part of the story, a view that runs directly against the initial assessment that she appeared to have fallen. For now, the family is waiting for the next round of answers while trying to bring Jenny Lupton home.
